The Curse of Pony Tale Island
by Writer of the Storm
Summary: (OFFICIAL SEQUEL TO "OUR FRIEND, GODZILLA") After already going through such an incredible, kaiju infested quest once before, fate sends Godzilla and the Mane 6 on another mission to an island far away. Here, they meet several new threats, but just as many new friends that will help our heroes in their task that will determine the future of the world. (Takes place between S5 & S6)
1. Prologue and Ch 1

_PROLOGUE_

 **THE WILLOWING FOREST ON PONY TALE ISLAND, LOCATED 79 MILES WEST OF THE MAINLAND AKA EQUESTRIA:**

It was a dark night deep within the confines of the Willowing Forest. It seemed even shadier under the cover of the woodland's famously giant evergreen trees. Even still, it appeared to be especially dark this particular night, even as far as the Willowing Forest was concerned. Some would argue it had been like this all across Pony Tale Island for a long time now. That's how it felt to the majority of the pony locals on the island at least.

This temperate forest filled with many different kinds of coniferous and deciduous trees covered nearly eighty nine percent of the island. The only exceptions were the small beaches scattered on the edges of the island, the seaside town built by the locals and most of the volcano located in the center of the island. Some trees in the forest ranged from a decent twenty foot height while the old growth evergreen trees were nearly two hundred feet tall. There was all sorts of other plant life growing in the forest as well, from bushes to shrubs and so on.

In the long time this island had been around, many a tree had fallen across the ground, most of which still laid there, some having broken into several smaller logs. This also left many tree stumps of varying sizes. Several of these stumps, and logs had either been covered by moss or had become home to many of the island's wildlife. There were raccoons, squirrels, several kinds of birds, and even some mountain lions and bears among other animals. Perhaps one of the more terrifying creatures to live in the forest were the magically created wolves made of wood known as timberwolves.

As intimidating as these giant unnatural creatures were, recently even more terrifying beasts had become indigenous to Pony Tale Island. Some were as big as the tallest trees and some were even bigger still. Beyond their varying heights of gigantic magnitude, the beasts' overall outer appearances were just as much of a fear factor if not more. Most of them were even scarier than what could possibly be dreamed in the worst of nightmares.

It was incredibly late into the evening, sometime after midnight, when the stillness of the forest was interrupted. Rather than being a beacon of better nights and days to come, this interruption only served to add to the ominous feeling that covered the island. A white fog quickly spread itself completely over the forest floor. From off in the distance it would sometimes appear as though the fog reached as high as the tops of the near two hundred foot tall trees. It also appeared as though there was a bright glowing light that emanated from inside the fog that only lit up the ground of the forest while all else remained dark.

The creepy factor was magnified by the sounds of the forest's children of the night. In addition to the regular hoots, howls, and hisses, there were many unusual sounds as well. There were low moans, loud, hollering screams, and even howls being made by creatures that didn't usually make that kind of noise. Other noises that broke through the air were the rustlings and steps being made by the running and jumping of creatures making their way through the forest terrain. The last sound being made was a gust of wind from something flying swiftly through the Willowing Forest.

The one flying was a pegasus pony, who flew at an unbelievably fast speed of eighty eight miles per hour. The pink furred mare was flying like death itself was after her, which may very well have been the case. In addition to her mostly pink coat, this pegasus also had a light blue mane and tail. She also had three blue lightning bolts on the sides of her flank that made up her cutie mark and her eye color was pink. This amazing, flying speedster was known as Firefly and she was booking it through the bowels of the Willowing Forest as fast as she could.

Every second Firefly was zooming through the forest terrain, she was trying to force herself to go even faster. Even if it was impossible for her to get to a greater speed than she was already going, she still tried, for it was a matter of life and death. Firefly's head zipped from side to side as she looked for possible danger. She knew it was there, even if she couldn't see it; she could still hear the sounds of her pursuers. The creatures hiding in the dense brush of the forest had been chasing Firefly for several hours trying to catch her before she could escape back to the village where she lived.

Firefly turned her gaze ahead of her and her heart started thumping even harder at what she saw.

"Whoa!" the fleeing pegasus let out as she ducked under an extended tree branch. "Dang it, I gotta keep my focus. A little hard to do in a place like this, even if you have lived here as long as I have. Doesn't help any when you're flying for your life from some goons, either."

It was true that the wild growing plant life of the Willowing Forest was hard for someone Firefly's size to fly through, even if she could keep good concentration. Unfortunately, Firefly was gonna have to try even harder still, though the reason why would make it that more difficult. All of a sudden several projectiles were flying through the air across Firefly's flight path from both sides. There were such weapons as arrows shot from bows, battle axes, knives, daggers, and even shurikens such as a ninja might use. Firefly had to dodge out of the way of all these deadly weapons, which to her credit she was managing to pull off, however difficult it might have been.

"Is there a target painted on me or something?!" Firefly screamed out in aggravation. "This is by far the worst game of darts I've ever been apart of!"

The pink furred flier's ranting was interrupted by the sound of loud howls echoing through the night air. Firefly looked out to her left, though she didn't need to see the creatures to know what they were. She instantly spotted the glowing eyes of the timberwolves glaring out at her from the brush of the forest. Firefly heard the growls, the howls, and the vicious barks of the creatures all running and jumping after her from both sides. Firefly even heard the sounds of timberwolves running up from behind.

The blue maned mare looked behind her and saw three of the giant magical beasts made of living forest terrain chasing her at full speed. As dangerous as the timberwolves were known to be, at that moment Firefly was even more worried about the predators that were actually riding them. Yes, there was a species great enough that they actually kept trained timberwolves and rid them like horses. Firefly and her people have had many a bad encounter with these brutes they shared residency of the island with and this was one of the more dangerous times. These barbaric beasts had every intention of killing Firefly should they get the chance.

Firefly heard a sound come from her right and looked to see an arrow flying directly at her.

"Whoa!" Firefly shouted as she ducked down and pulled back to avoid the flying projectile.

A second after the arrow flew passed her, Firefly heard the sound of it hitting something else. That was soon followed by a yelp and the sound of someone falling down. The speeding flier couldn't help but let a small smirk of satisfaction cross her face.

"That's what you get for messing with me, ya dirty, smelly two hoofers!"

Though she was talking a lot of smack, in truth Firefly was as scared as could be. She always was whenever she and her friends ever came across these evil, vile beasts, though Firefly would never admit to it. She always put up this tough mare image for everyone, but in truth, the current situation she and her people were facing effected her just like everypony else. The pink pegasus fought through that fear every time, though, because she knew she had to and this time was no different.

After several more moments of Firefly dodging the same dangerous projectiles being hurtled at her, the time came for the pegasus to avoid something else. The pink furred pony's eyes widened as she heard a loud hollering noise and looked to see what had made it. The creature she saw was just what she had expected, though it didn't make its sudden surprise attack any less alarming. Being up that close with one of these things usually meant tremendous danger for a pony, including possible death for some lesser experienced ponies and even a few more experienced ones.

This creature walked on only two hooves, stood vertically, and had an incredibly muscular physique, as was typical for his species. In place of a second pair of legs and hooves, the beast had thick muscular arms and large hands with rock hard knuckles. Perhaps most striking of all was its bull-like head covered in a thick, black almost eighties rock star styled wild mane with long sharp horns on top . This was just one of many minotaurs that the ponies of Pony Tale Island have had to deal with in a bitter struggle for over twenty five years.

The minotaur had jumped out of the brush of the Willowing Forest and came at Firefly with a long, very sharp ended, crudely made spear. Luckily, Firefly was able to stop herself so the minotaur went sailing passed her to the ground. The end of his spear ended up getting stuck in the dirt and while the minotaur was trying to pull it out, Firefly flipped through the air and kicked her back hooves into the beast's face. She then reached out her front hooves and wrapped them around the spear and pulled it out of the ground. Firefly landed on the forest floor and spun around in a circle, stabbing the spear through the minotaur's stomach with her back to the now dead beast.

The blue maned pegasus mare was thankful because usually it took a lot more than that to bring down a minotaur. She figured it must've been a newer more inexperienced bull. Firefly wasn't willing to bet that the rest of them were like that, so she instantly took off through the air again. She looked back to see that the timberwolves behind her had gotten much closer than they were before. They were co close, she could see that they were being ridden by minotaurs, just like she was sure the ones hidden by the trees around her were.

Firefly decided to take a risk and flew forth at her full speed to escape. The result of the pegasus' increased speed was a small sonic boom that was somehow made visible in the colors of blue and pink. The force of the sonic boom knocked Firefly's pursuers off their feet. Firefly must've flown a mile and a half before the danger of flying at such high speed in a tight environment took its toll. The pink mare had suffered all sorts of scrapes and scratches from the tree branches and bushes and other products of the forest, which she had previously been trying to avoid.

All the injuries had piled up and their combined pain had forced Firefly to stop and catch her breath. Part of her felt it would be okay since she had left her previous pursuers in the dust. The other part of her, however, was still incredibly cautious, for she knew more could be anywhere out there hiding and waiting to strike. Firefly looked over the injuries she had sustained from her flight while also looking over her shoulder every two seconds. Many of her cuts were bleeding, but none of them were anything too serious.

Firefly was feeling very fortunate because she had stopped flying right in the middle of one of the forest's very few clear paths where there was absolutely nothing in her way. More than that, following this clearing would take her straight to her village. Throughout the chase she just went through, Firefly had hoped she would find this path. While her foes would've had more room to run, she would've had more room to fly, which meant they never would've been able to catch her. Unfortunately she had used her amazing speed to get to this clearing, which left her in her current state.

"Come on, Firefly old girl," the pink mare said to herself. "You're a tough old brod. You've been through worse than this many times before. That was back when you were younger, but still. Besides, this information is way too important to waste time on yourself. I got to get back to the village and tell Moon Bright and the others what I found. This could finally tip the scales in our favor. Let's go, you old bat!"

Firefly fought through her pain, stood up on all four hooves, took one final look around, and then prepared to start flying again. Before she could even begin flapping her wings, however, a loud crash suddenly shook the ground and nearly knocked Firefly off her hooves. Less than a second later a loud howling roar broke through the air and nearly chilled Firefly to the bone. Her eyes stared widely in horror, for she knew that roar all too well and also knew that it meant big trouble for her.

Firefly heard what sounded like large pieces of mountains crashing into the ground ahead of her one after another. She knew, however, that these were not the sounds of large boulders hitting the ground, but large footsteps of a gigantic creature coming in her direction! Firefly was panicking like crazy and wanted to fly away, but before she could, she saw it! Ahead of her, Firefly spotted a massive silhouette breaking through the glow of the fog in the distance. It was in the shape of a giant monster that appeared to be standing on two feet and had large bat-like wings hanging off of its arms, as well as glowing red eyes.

That was all Firefly could see of the over three hundred foot tall shape, but she had seen this same beast several times before, so she knew the sever danger she was in. She knew it was guaranteed doom if the monster caught her. Firefly let out a loud scream, for she was more scared than she had ever been before in her life. She wanted to turn and fly in the exact opposite direction the monster was coming from, but she stopped herself. Firefly realized there was most likely still danger she had left behind that she could run into again or possibly even new ones.

Besides, that direction would take her away from her village, which is where she really needed to be to at that moment. Realizing this, Firefly got as good of a grip on herself as she could and went airborne. She ended up flying off the path and through the harsh and cramped environment of the Willowing Forest. Firefly was hoping she could stay on the path because it was the fastest way back to her village. But she knew very well that it was not worth it to try and go around a giant such as the one she just saw.

So, Firefly flew through the forest's non-flight friendly environment as best as she could in a desperate effort to get back home. She had to get there; everyone she loved and cared about was there, plus she had some info she had to give to them. Their future depended on it, as did the future of all of Pony Tale Island and even the world itself. With all that in mind, Firefly pushed on no matter how much harder it got.

Despite her having trouble flying around, much to Firefly's surprise she didn't run into any more opposition. There were no more minotaurs riding on timberwolves and the monster she had run into had been left far behind. It never came close to catching up with her, though its mighty roars could still be heard echoing throughout the confines of the Willowing Forest. Because of this, Firefly had no problem getting back to Willowbrook, the village where she and all her family and friends lived. Once she was near the outer area of Willowbrook, Firefly flew up towards the treetop her hut had been built into.

Waiting inside the brave pegasus' home was an Earth pony friend of hers named Thunder Jack. The young, tan furred stallion was pacing back and forth impatiently as he had been for many hours now waiting for Firefly. This tall, muscular pony had a long black mane and tail as well as brown eyes. His cutie mark was a golden heart with a rusty horse plow over it.

Thunder Jack was incredibly worried about Firefly. He knew she was a tough mare, but he couldn't help himself. Firefly was almost like a second mother to him. Thunder Jack had known and loved Firefly all his life and in that time, she had become a very close friend to his whole family. That was why he was so worried for her at the moment, because of what she meant to him and his family and what they meant to her.

"Where could she be?!" Thunder Jack said with impatient concern. No sooner than right after the distressed stallion said that did the door to the hut fly open and Firefly came stumbling through gasping for breath. "Firefly!"

"Th... Thunder Jack," Firefly managed to gasp out in between coughs and heavy breaths.

Thunder Jack's eyes widened in horror when he saw his friend leaning up against the side of the doorway. He took notice of all the injuries she had sustained and ran up to catch Firefly in his forelegs just as she was starting to fall to the floor.

"Sweet crimany, what happened to you?!" Thunder Jack asked in alarm.

"I... I..."

Firefly was trying hard to reply, but she couldn't get the words out because she was coughing so much and breathing so hard. In addition to that, every part of her body shook and trembled in aching pain and it felt like her heart was ready to burst out of her chest. Thunder Jack quickly escorted Firefly over to a couch located in the living room that doubled as a dinning room and a kitchen. Thunder Jack gently lowered Firefly down until her body was laid out across the couch.

"What happened?" Thunder Jack asked as he looked Firefly over in concern. "How did you get like this?... Did... Did they attack you?"

Firefly moaned and groaned as she tried to get out a sentence or even one word.

"Thunder Jack, I..."

The Earth pony let out a gasp before his eyes lowered into an angry, yet still concerned glare.

"You went after them by yourself again, didn't you?" Thunder Jack asked, the tone of his voice showing his agitation. He walked over and opened a door to Firefly's small closet where she kept her medical supplies among other things. "Dang it, Firefly, how many times have you've been told not to go after those guys by yourself?! I've told you, my mom's told you, heck, even Sunshine and Muse have told you! And what do you do?! You go anyways and now look what happened!"

"I don't need no sass from anyone! Especially not from somepony so much younger than me!... Well, not that much younger, but you get what I mean!"

Firefly was practically coughing out the words rather than actually saying them. She had finished speaking just as Thunder Jack came over with a first aid kit.

"Oh, come on, Firefly! You know it's only..."

"Yeah, yeah, you care about me! I care about you, too, Thunder Jack. I care about everypony, which is exactly why I do go out... And it really paid off this time."

"You're laying here looking like you just went through a lawn mower! So how exactly could you say it paid off?!"

Thunder Jack grabbed a flashlight in his mouth, turned it on, and then ran the light over Firefly's body to inspect her injuries. That was when he saw the dead serious expression on the blue haired mare's face.

"I found it this time," Firefly said.

The flashlight fell out of Thunder Jack's mouth as his jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

"Really?!" Thunder Jack blurted out. Firefly nodded her head, keeping her serious expression on her face. "Are you sure? You really found where they're hiding this time?"

"I'm positive," Firefly said. "I wouldn't have gone through everything that I did if I wasn't."

Thunder Jack's breaths seemed to be getting heavier as his mind tried to process what Firefly just told him and all the implications it held. His head had slowly lowered as he continued thinking about everything.

"Firefly, this is huge!" Thunder Jack said.

"Well, of course it is!" Firefly said, finally with a normal voice. "That's why I kept going out looking for it. I knew everything that was at stake when I was doing it. Now that I found it, I've got to go tell Moon Bright about it."

Firefly tried sitting up and getting off the couch, but she was quickly intercepted by Thunder Jack.

"No, no, no, no!" Thunder Jack said as he ever-so-gently pushed Firefly back down. "You just stay right where you are. I'll go tell my mom. You know, as soon as I'm done looking at your injuries." Thunder Jack wrapped his right fore hoof around the flashlight and picked it up off the ground and proceeded to run its light over Firefly's wounds. "Then when I'm done here and done telling Mom about this, I'll run into town and catch a boat to the mainland so I can finally appeal to the princesses to help us. Now that we know where they are, if we get the royals' help, we can put an end to those monsters once and for all."

"No way, Lone Ranger," Firefly said. "You go ahead and talk to your mom, but there's no way in Tartarus you're leaving tonight! You got to get back on guard duty when you're done handling your business. Besides that, right now... it's not safe out there."

Firefly was interrupted when a loud roar echoed through the air. It caught both ponies off guard, making them jump a little. They looked to the hole in the wall that was Firefly's only window. The roars kept echoing on and it didn't sound like they were gonna stop anytime soon. Plus they were quickly joined by another set of roars.

"I see your point," Thunder Jack said.

"Just imagine if that was coming from right outside the village," Firefly said.

"No thank you," Thunder Jack replied. "I get it, I'll stay on guard duty. Now, let me finish up my work here."

The tan stallion finished up his analysis of Firefly's wounds and started cleaning them. As Thunder Jack was doing this, Firefly saw the concern deep in his eyes.

"Don't worry about it, TJ," Firefly said.

"I know we have to be strong through this and all, but I still can't help but be concerned. I mean this is the first time any of us have left the island... At least since all this got started. I just don't want to screw it up. Are you all gonna be okay when I finally do have to head out?"

"That's one of the things about you that makes you such a special pony, TJ. You're always thinking about others and wondering if they're doing good."

Thunder Jack looked down and smiled at Firefly, who responded to him in kind.

"Thanks, Firefly... I sure hope everything ends up being okay."

"I'm sure it'll all be fine. Keep your chin up, kid. You're probably the only pony here that's a tougher piece of meat than I am... Don't tell anyone I said that."

Thunder Jack let out a short laugh before he went on cleaning Firefly's wounds. He was unable to keep his smile from melting into a worried frown. _Just think,_ Thunder Jack thought to himself. _Tomorrow I'll be heading for the mainland... To Equestria... To Canterlot to meet the princesses. I hope I can handle it and that the meeting with them will mark the beginning of the end of all this evil._

* * *

 _CHAPTER 1: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC_

 **PONYVILLE, THE NEXT MORNING:**

The sun rose high into the sky and shined brightly over the large, beautiful land of Equestria. In particular, its light seemed to catch off the side of the mountain Canterlot, the nation's capitol city, was built into the side of. Even further, a special beam of sunlight seemed to gleam over the nearby Ponyville, a small village built in the center of a valley close by the mountain. Because of the added brightness of the sun's rays shinning on Ponyville, it seemed to make the small town appear that much more beautiful.

Other than the sunshine, there wasn't much else about Ponyville that looked different from any other small town. Its outer appearance was just as one would think, a tiny village full of small, not so flashy buildings, mostly little homes and shops. But what made Ponyville so special was its tight knit community of varying ponies. It didn't matter if you were an Earth pony, a pegasus, or a unicorn or even if you were a non-pony species. Everyone in Ponyville lived in near perfect harmony and usually had a smile on their face when they were out walking around on the streets.

The only real spectacle was the large castle just outside the town limits. This amazing sight and most uniquely designed structure belonged to the town's local princess, one of only four in all of Equestria. Starting at the bottom, this castle first seemed shaped like an expanding tree trunk, only it was made of light blue crystal instead of wood. As one went up further, they would see that the color switched to mostly dark purple and began appearing more like a traditional castle.

The two towers of the royal structure were made of gold, as were the two balconies and the frames of the castle's windows. The front gates of the castle and the stairs leading up to them were also gold, as was the flagpole that held a violet flag with a pink six pointed star emblem on it. The star was modeled after the princess's cutie mark, as was the star-shaped crystal that stood atop the castle. Yes, it was truly a unique sight, even more so if one knew how the castle got there in the first place.

The inside was just as big of a spectacle as the outside, with many large, wide open rooms and long halls with quite the royal decor. What made it extra special were the small, homey touches added to remind the princess who lived there of her small town roots when she first moved to Ponyville. Even more special than all that was the princess herself, an alicorn named Twilight Sparkle. She was laying in bed with about five books she had been reading the night before. She had fallen asleep reading them and one had even ended up covering her face almost like a makeshift sleep mask.

Twilight had been snoring all throughout the night and was never once bothered by her being covered in books as she slept. It was at that moment, after the sun had risen and was shinning through her open bedroom window that she was starting to wake up. As she awoke and her consciousness began to return to her, Twilight Sparkle's eyes slowly began to open. Once she was awake enough, the violet furred alicorn instantly realized there was something on her face. Twilight let out an alarmed scream as she sat up and pushed the object off her face.

It went sailing across the room and skidded over the floor a few more feet after landing. Twilight Sparkle was gasping for breath, her eyes wide and alert, and her heart beating rapidly. She looked for whatever may have been on her face and than spotted the book laying on her floor.

"Huh?" the violet alicorn let out in confusion.

That was when she took notice of all the books laying in her bed. She looked around at them for a few moments before turning back to the one on the ground. A smile crossed Twilight Sparkle's face as she giggled in amusement, having realized that the book on the floor was what had been on her face. Though her heart was still beating hard and fast, it was slowly beginning to mellow, as the princess herself had already calmed down.

Twilight Sparkle let out a big, long yawn as she stretched out her forelegs and her alicorn wings. She turned to the window and smiled at the sun that had been given to the whole country by Princess Celestia, the oldest of all the alicorns and ponies in general. As her name would suggest, she was responsible for raising and lowering the sun in addition to being one of the two main rulers of the country. The second highest ruler was Celestia's younger sister, Princess Luna who raised and lowered the moon while also watching over ponies in their dreams. Both had been big inspirations to Twilight Sparkle with Celestia even acting as her teacher for a long time.

Since then both royal sisters had become very close friends with Twilight Sparkle and she felt very lucky to have them along with her other friends. Twilight Sparkle thought, as she did a lot of the time, about how lucky she was to have so many good friends in her life and so dear to her heart. She reflected on this as she got out of bed and walked over to the window to admire the bright, beautiful, sunny day that shined on Ponyville. A small smile was spread across her lips as she looked down at everything before looking at the sun itself and finally turning away back into her castle.

Twilight Sparkle walked over to the calendar on her wall and examined it to remind herself what day it was, though she was pretty sure she already knew. She gasped in joy and her eyes lit up when she saw it was the exact day she believed it was. Twilight Sparkle excitedly rushed through the morning routines of getting ready for the day. This included brushing her teeth, brushing her mostly purple mane, though she also had two stripes in it, one pink, the other dark violet. When she had finished these and all her other morning routines, Twilight Sparkle rushed out of her room.

The excited alicorn trotted down one of the many grand hallways of her castle, this one taking her to a specific room she was looking for. Twilight soon spotted and stopped in front of the door that would take her into her trusted assistant's bedroom. The mare didn't bother to knock, instead swinging the door open as she barged into the room.

"Spike, wake up!" Twilight Sparkle called out. "The day's finally arrived!"

She stood in place beaming for several moments before she realized Spike wasn't getting up, which made her smile fade. Twilight Sparkle walked up to the bed of her trusted assistant to find him there still deep in his sleep. Of course she didn't need to see him to know that since Twilight Sparkle could hear Spike's snoring out in the hall before she ever came into his room.

"Spike! Spike! Spike, wake up!"

The assistant Twilight was trying so hard to wake up was a wingless baby dragon. He was covered in mostly purple scales, though he had a light green underbelly. He had a single row of less light green plates running from the top of his head down his back, the row getting smaller as it went down. Despite his deep sleeping throughout Twilight's attempts to wake him, he's actually been a very loyal and worthy assistant to her. He wasn't without his faults, mind you, for he had many and early mornings was certainly one of them.

"Spike, I'm serious!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as she lightly pressed her front hooves against her friend's body. "Get! Up! Right! Now!"

"Agh!" Spike let out as he sat up in his bed and flailed his arms around in surprise.

"Ow!" Twilight let out when one of Spike's hands smacked across her face.

"Whoa, Twilight!" Spike screamed in alarm. "I am _so_ sorry! I didn't mean to! It's just that... you surprised me, that's all! Yeah, I was sleeping and you surprised me!"

"It's okay, Spike," Twilight Sparkle reassured after rubbing the side of her face. "I just need you to get up is all."

"Why are you waking me up like this so early in the first place?" Spike said in a more annoyed tone now that his heart had stopped beating so hard. "What time is it anyways?"

"It's sun up," Twilight Sparkle explained.

"Sun up!" Spike felt his blood start to boil. "You mean you got me up, making me accidentally hit you as soon as the sun's up?!... No! Sorry _, I cannot do it_ , _captain_! We've already talked about this!

"No more getting me up at such unreasonable hours! I'm more than willing to go through three day reading studies with you, but if I have to, then I gots to get my sleep! Sorry, but I can takes no more! Goodnight- Or good morning- Whatever!"

"But, Spike, this isn't a study session or anything like that," Twilight Sparkle said as she opened up the bedroom curtains. "This is actually something you'll enjoy. Though I don't see how somepony couldn't enjoy a good study session, but still, you'll like this."

"Unless it's a claw massage, I doubt it," Spike said as he pulled his bed covers over his head to block out the sunshine Twilight Sparkle had let in.

Twilight Sparkle merely smiled as she walked over, leaned in close to Spike's ear and whispered, "Today's the day we're gonna go see _him_."

Only a second later did the young dragon sit up, letting the covers slip off his upper body. He turned to Twilight Sparkle with wide eyes and an expression to match.

"You're not just foolin' me are ya?"

Twilight Sparkle shook her head before saying, "Nope, today is really the day."

A couple seconds went by before Spike's body slowly began to tremble like he was in an intense earthquake. Soon after, the baby dragon shot out of his bed like a rocket that was just launched.

"Yahoo!" Spike shouted loudly as he bounced around the room in excitement. Twilight Sparkle giggled in amusement even after Spike finally settled down. "You mean today's the day we're all gonna go pay him a visit?!"

Twilight Sparkle nodded her head before saying, "Yes, but we gotta hurry. We need to gather up everything before we go out to get-"

Before she could even finish, Spike had all the items laid out on his bed. Twilight Sparkle's eyes widened in surprise before they lowered back down.

"I don't know why this is so surprising," Twilight Sparkle said. "You've always been a prepped and ready number one assistant before. Why should I think you'd stop now?"

"Eh, beats me," Spike said with a proud grin on his face.

"Well, either way, I'm glad you keep up your game the way you do. You rock, Spike."

"Thank you, thank you. Please, hold your applause."

Twilight Sparkle let out a quick chuckle before she checked just to make sure they had everything there. She saw the picnic basket filled with the food they made for the get together, some supplies for the beach and of course some scrolls, quills, and books.

"Well, looks like we're ready to go," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Great, let's go!" Spike spouted enthusiastically before taking off out of the room.

"Wait!" Twilight Sparkle called after him. In less than a second, an impatient Spike was back by the alicorn's side. "Did you tidy yourself up for the day?"

"Of course, I did it while I got everything for the trip," Spike lied.

"Well... okay," Twilight Sparkle conceded. She could tell the young dragon was lying, but in truth, she wanted to get going as much as he did. "Let's go get the others and then be on our way to West Beach!"

"Yeah!" Spike concurred.

The duo gathered everything together, Twilight using the magic of her horn to levitate the saddle bag filled with her scrolls and quills while Spike carried everything else. As they took off and made their way through the castle's interior, they both waved and said their goodbyes to Twilight's pet owl, Owlowiscious. The laid back and calm natured owl simply hooted back as he waved a wing, knowing what a special day this was for his friends. Having said and done all they needed to and having everything in order, Twilight and Spike left the castle and headed out to town.

The duo eagerly made their way through the full, but calm streets of Ponyville. They looked around happily at all the ponies walking along to buy things at the farmer's market in the streets at the center of town. Others were going to make their purchases inside the shops and restaurants littered throughout Ponyville. There was one particular shop Twilight Sparkle and Spike were looking for at that moment and they knew just where to find it. This particular establishment they were looking for was none other than the town's local bakery shop, the Sugarcube Corner.

This bakery also served as the home of the Cake family, as well as Mr. Carrot Cake and Mrs. Cup Cake's top level bakery apprentice. That particular pony was the one Twilight Sparkle and Spike were looking for. They walked up to Sugarcube Corner and were just about to open the door to go inside. All of a sudden it swung open and the two were bombarded with a wave of streamers, confetti, party noise makers, and a screaming pink Earth pony. The sheer force of all this coming at them and the shock it made sent Twilight and Spike flying back as they yelped out in alarm.

They fell on their backs and their supplies nearly went flying across the ground. The surprised alicorn and dragon looked to see that the pink pony that flew at them was exactly the one they had come to see. She was still jumping and dancing all over the place as she screamed and sang at the top of her lungs. To say this hyperactive Earth pony was excited would be the understatement of the century. The eccentric mare stopped zigging and zagging all over the place when she caught sight of her fallen friends out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh, my gosh, you guys!" Pinkie Pie screamed out as she zoomed over to her friends, getting right up close to their faces. The giant grin and wide eyes on her face were almost as unsettling as her high, shrill, squeaky voice full of volume. "Today's the big day! It's finally here! I've been waiting for this day for _such_ a long time! Or maybe it just feels like a long time!

"Does it feel like it's been a long time waiting for you?! Because it sure does to me! It feels like a hundred thousand, ye-!"

"PINKIE!" Twilight and Spike yelled at the same time.

This made the overly hyper Earth pony freeze in place, ceasing all her jumping around, and her rapid fire, fast pace talking. This allowed any nearby to get a clear look at her and see her fur was a regular shade of pink while her tail and mane were a darker shade. Both mane and tail were all big and poofy with very many a curl within both. A particular strand of hair extended out further than the rest of her mane and curved down before curling up again. She had sky blue eyes and her cutie mark was three balloons, the one in the middle being yellow while the other two were light blue.

Pinkie Pie stood with a simple smile on her face seemingly oblivious both to the fact that her friends were agitated with her. She was oblivious to a lot of things, but that was included.

"Why are you guys laying on the ground?" Pinkie Pie inquired.

"All your prancing around put us there," Spike answered.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Pinkie Pie said as an apologetic look crossed her face. "I didn't mean to knock either of you down! Here, let me help you!"

Pinkie Pie reached out her fore hooves and helped pull Spike and Twilight Sparkle back up on their feet and hooves.

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie," Twilight Sparkle said.

"You're welcome. I'm really sorry. I didn't expect you guys to be so close to the door when I popped out. I just wanted to surprise you."

"Well, we were certainly surprised," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I know, but not the way I wanted," Pinkie Pie said as a guilty expression crossed her face.

"It's okay, Pinkie, no one got hurt and nothing bad happened," Twilight Sparkle said. "So you got nothing to worry about."

"Nothing bad happened?!" Spike angrily asked.

"Spike, shush," Twilight Sparkle ordered.

Though he groaned under protest, the little fire breather ceased his complaining at Pinkie Pie's antics.

"I still wish I hadn't knocked you guys down, Twilight."

"Don't think anything of it, Pinkie Pie. I know it's just because you're excited to go see him just like Spike and I are."

This perked the Earth pony mare right back up again, as was indicated by the beaming smile and excited gleam in her wide eyes.

"You bet I am!" Pinkie Pie proclaimed loudly. "I mean, it's been so long since we've seen him! So much has happened since our last visit! I just can't wait to tell him all about it and give him the new recipes I've come up with since the last time I saw him! I hope he likes them all! We really need to go see him more often!"

"Pinkie, it's only been a month since our last time visit," Twilight Sparkle said. "You're acting like we haven't seen him in a century. Spike, you were acting like that earlier back at home, too."

"Sometimes that's how long it feels," Spike defended.

"Yeah, sometimes even longer," Pinkie Pie added.

"Well, at least I got you two on the same page," Twilight Sparkle said. "But you both know all the roles we play in Ponyville and even across Equestria are too important and time consuming to head out to West Beach all that often. We're lucky we're getting to go so soon after our last visit. Usually the wait's even longer."

"Too long if you ask me," Spike said.

"Yeah and this one's no different," Pinkie Pie added on. "But at least we're getting to go now!"

"Yep," Twilight Sparkle agreed. "Do you got all your stuff, Pinkie Pie?"

"Hold on, it only take a sec to get them." Pinkie Pie looked back to the door and called out, "Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, you got the food?!"

Two Earth ponies wearing baking aprons came out. They were holding within their mouths two saddle bags full of small glass tubes containing what looked like a bunch of miniature baked goods. Mr. Cake and Mrs. Cake put the bags across Pinkie Pie's back next to the saddle bags she already had on, which she somehow managed to fit thousands of party supplies into.

"There you go, Pinkie Pie," the blue furred, pink maned Mrs. Cake said.

"You kids have fun now," the yellow furred, orange maned Mr. Cake said. "Tell the big guy we said hi."

"We will," Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie Pie said altogether.

"And tell Pumpkin and Pound that I love them!" Pinkie Pie called back.

"We will," the Cakes said together. "Bye now!"

"Bye!" Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie Pie said as they waved to the Cakes who waved back.

As the trio walked away, Spike couldn't help but steal a glance at all the glass tubes filled with tiny sized baked foods.

"Wow, those looks great... Eh, based on what I can see of them," Spike said.

"Just imagine how great they're gonna look when Twilight uses that magic of hers to turn them back to their full size!" Pinkie Pie responded.

"Right on!" Spike said.

"Good thing the spell also puts all the food into suspended animation so it doesn't age at all," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Absolutely," Pinkie Pie agreed. " I certainly wouldn't want to serve him yucky, oldy, moldy, coldy food. He could probably handle it, but he deserves better!"

"I don't know," Twilight said. "I think even he could stand a big pile of yuck like that."

The trio laughed as they carried onto their next destination.

"HI, GUYS!" two voices called out from behind the trio.

Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Pinkie Pie all looked to see who it was calling them. They were delighted to see not just one, but two of their very good friends. One of them was Rainbow Dash, a sky blue pegasus mare with a rainbow colored mane and tail. She had pink eyes and her cutie mark was a rainbow colored lightning bolt coming out of a cloud.

She was flying high with a rope wrapped around her waist, which was pulling along an orange furred pegasus filly named Scootaloo. The little filly had the other end of the rope tied around the handle bars of her scooter. The color of her mane and tail was magenta and her eye color was violet. Her cutie mark, which she just recently got, was a red, light pink, and magenta striped shield with a purple wing and violet lighting bolt emblem on it.

"Rainbow Dash, potential jump, one o'clock!" Scootaloo called out as she pointed a hoof.

"I see it, squirt!" Rainbow Dash replied. "Get ready!"

"Ready and set," Scootaloo confirmed as her tiny wings started flapping.

"Okay," Rainbow Dash called out as she increased the speed of her flight.

As the rainbow haired pegasus sped up, so did the rate at which Scootaloo's scooter rolled across the street. Rainbow Dash changed her trajectory so she would pass over a food cart that had a plank laying on its side.

"Who put that there?" Spike wondered.

"It was me," Pinkie Pie confessed.

"Why?" Twilight asked as she and Spike looked in confusion.

"You'll see," Pinkie Pie simply replied.

"Here we go, Scoots!" Rainbow Dash shouted out.

"Disengage!" Scootaloo shouted back.

Rainbow Dash bit through the rope tied around her waist, allowing Scootaloo's scooter free reign to travel wherever it could and would go. The scooter ended up rolling up the side of the plank on the food cart before sailing high through the air just as Scootaloo had been hoping for.

"Whoo-hoo!" Scootaloo whooped as she flew above the streets of Ponyville.

Everyone's amazement turned to concern when Scootaloo let go of her scooter's handle bars, allowing herself to sail freely through open air. Everyone knew her underdeveloped wings weren't enough to keep her up there, so they couldn't help but be worried. Luckily it turned out alright because Rainbow Dash caught the scooter and held it above her as Scootaloo came down. Scootaloo's fore hooves landed on the scooter's handle bars and she managed to keep herself up in the air for one impressive hoof stand. Rainbow Dash lowered herself down until her bottom hooves touched the ground below.

"TA-DA!" both pegasi said at the same time.

Everyone cheered and applauded the duo of daredevils, but none more enthusiastically than their group of friends. Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Spike walked over to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo to greet them.

"Wow, that was amazing!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"We know," Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo said together as they situated themselves on the ground.

"That was awesome!" Spike added on.

"We know," the two pegasi said again.

"That was dangerous and down right reckless," Twilight Sparkle said.

"We kno..." Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo stopped as their faces went blank for a moment. Seconds later annoyed looks crossed their faces as they looked to Twilight and said, "Hey!"

"It was!" Twilight Sparkle reiterated.

"Oh, come on, Twilight," Rainbow Dash argued. "You act like I've never done anything like that before."

"Yes, you have," Twilight Sparkle said. "But is putting Scootaloo in a situation as dangerous as that is really a good idea?"

"It was my idea," Scootaloo said.

"Not all ideas are good ones," Twilight Sparkle said.

"You mean like intentionally creating a problem by cursing your Smarty Pants doll?" Rainbow Dash asked before smirking. Twilight Sparkle responded with an annoyed expression on her face, to which everyone stole a quick chuckle. "Look, Twilight, I would've been concerned if I hadn't already seen her handle even bigger stunts than that... and if I hadn't been apart of it. Once I found out what she wanted to do, I made sure she included me."

"I wonder, was it for her safety or for the thrill of it," Twilight said with a suspicious smile.

"I'll admit it," Rainbow Dash said. "It was both."

"Either way, it paid off great in the end!" Scootaloo chimed in. "Adding Rainbow Dash's part made the stunt that much more awesome!"

"I make everything that much more awesome," Rainbow Dash bragged. "Even walking down the street I make look cooler with my rainbow swag."

Everypony laughed in amusement, much to Rainbow Dash's confusion and later annoyance.

"Anyways, all things considered, I gotta admit that was pretty awesome to watch," Twilight Sparkle said. "Still, I can't help but be conflicted because of how dangerous it was."

"Oh, come on, Twilight, you were cheering along with everyone else," Spike said.

Everypony looked to Twilight Sparkle who eventually conceded and said, "Okay, yeah, I was."

"Ha, I knew it," Rainbow Dash said brashly. "Even with you trying to be cynical afterwards, I knew you couldn't resist the combined awesomeness that is Scoots and I."

Rainbow Dash wrapped a foreleg around Scootaloo and pulled her in for a side hug.

"Just making sure you're safe is all," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Hey, I don't do anything with Scootaloo that I'm not a hundred percent sure is safe. She means too much to me. I'd hate to lose this awesome little filly."

"Aww," Pinkie Pie let out. "That's so adorable."

"Yeah, yeah, can we move on now?" Spike asked impatiently.

"Anyways, we weren't just heading out this way to do what we just did," Rainbow Dash said.

"We were also trying to catch up with you," Scootaloo added.

"I'm guessing you're both pretty excited for the trip, too?" Twilight Sparkle inquired.

"Excited?" Scootaloo asked.

"That doesn't even begin to cover it!" Rainbow Dash said. "Why I feel like I could do seventy eight stunts like the one we just did in a row with how I'm feeling."

"Ooh, one extra this time," Pinkie Pie said.

"It's true, usually seventy seven is my lucky number," Rainbow Dash admitted. "But that's how pumped I am to see him today!"

"I could probably do seventy nine stunts!" Scootaloo chimed in.

"Aw, who am I kidding?" Rainbow Dash said. "I could do a hundred!"

"I'm out," Scootaloo responded. "Can't go that crazy just yet. But still happy we're going to go see him."

"Apparently you're so excited you couldn't wait for us to come pick you up," Twilight Sparkle said in amusement.

"What're you talking about?" Rainbow Dash inquired. "We did wait... For about five minutes."

"A new personal best for Rainbow Dash in waiting time," Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"Yeah, yeah, moving on," Rainbow Dash disregarded. "Anyways, after waiting for a long time-"

"And by long time, you mean no time at all," Twilight Sparkle said.

"-we headed out to your castle, Twilight," Rainbow Dash finished up.

"You and Spike weren't home," Scootaloo said.

"Obviously," Spike said.

"So, we headed out to Sugarcube Corner," Rainbow Dash said.

"Pinkie Pie wasn't home either," Scootaloo said.

"Also obviously," Spike chimed in.

"But the cakes were," Rainbow Dash said. "They told us you were heading out to Applejack's place, so we rode out to catch up with ya. And now here we are."

"Along the way I came up with the totally gnarly move with the plank and the cart," Scootaloo added on.

"How did you know they were gonna do that, Pinkie Pie?" Spike asked.

"I didn't... But you never know when something awesome involving a food cart and a plank laying on its side is gonna happen. So, I put the plank there to see if it would."

"And it did and it was totally awesome!" Rainbow Dash admired. "Now let's go get everyone else so we can do something just as awesome."

"Agreed," Spike said.

"As do I," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Me, too," Scootaloo said.

"No, no, you third, silly," Pinkie Pie said. Then she screeched out loudly, "Me four!"

"Let's just go," Rainbow Dash said.

"Hey, Twilight, could you shrink my scooter down for me?" Scootaloo asked. "I wanna walk the rest of the way."

"Of course, Scootaloo," Twilight Sparkle replied. "I'd be glad to."

The winged and horned pony used her magic to shrink Scootaloo's scooter so it could fit in the filly's saddlebag.

"Thanks, Twilight."

"You're welcome. Now, let's go, everypony."

The now bigger group headed south west until they were outside of town. They followed a white picket fence that surrounded several acres worth of apple trees. Once they found the fence's gate, they entered the apple farm known as Sweet Apple Acres and walked on until they reached the very center of the plantation. Here they found a barn, a chicken coop, a pig sty, and a house that acted as the residency of the Apples, a family of Earth ponies who ran the farm.

Twilight and the others all looked to see the entire Apple clan waiting on their porch to warmly greet the group. There was Granny Smith, an elderly pony with light green fur and a silver tail and mane both tied up in short buns. She had orange eyes and wore an orange scarf with red apples on it with a white trim. Her cutie mark was an apple pie.

Then there was Big McIntosh, the oldest of three siblings that lived with Granny Smith on the farm. He stood five foot five, a more than decent size for anypony, the usual size being somewhere between four and five feet tall. His fur color was red, his hair color was orange, and he wore a tan yoke around his neck. His eyes were green and his cutie mark was a sliced in half light green apple turned on the side that displayed the seeds in the middle.

After Big Mac was Apple Bloom, the youngest of the apple siblings, the only one still a child in fact. Her fur was yellow and her hair color was red while her eyes were light orange. She wore a pink bow in her hair and her cutie mark was a shield like Scootaloo's. The difference was the emblem on her shield was a purple apple with a pink heart on it.

Then finally there was the middle child, Applejack. Her fur color was orange, though she had white freckles on the sides of her face. Her mane and tail, both of which she had tied in a single braid, were blonde in color. Her eye color was green and her cutie mark was three red apples. She wore a brown cowboy hat on her head, though one was still able to see the front of her hair sticking out from underneath it.

"Yee-haw!" Applejack and Apple Bloom called out excitedly.

"Howdy, y'all!" Applejack greeted in the southern accent her whole family shared.

The Apple family stepped off their porch and met Twilight's group halfway. They greeted each other more properly, exchanging pleasantries and the like.

"So, you two excited and ready to go?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"You bet we are!" Apple Bloom proclaimed.

"And how!" Applejack agreed. "We got our share of the food right here."

The orange furred mare looked to her brother who gently set a saddle bag full of glass tubes on her back. The tubes contained apple fritters to apple tarts and several other apple themed baked goods as well as just plain old apples.

"Thanks, Big Mac," Applejack said.

"Eeyup," the red stallion replied.

Big McIntosh shared a quick hug with his younger sister.

"Oh, that reminds me. Rainbow Dash, do you got your stuff for the trip?"

"It's in Scootaloo's saddle bag, Twilight."

Everyone looked to see Scootaloo and Apple Bloom wrestling and paling around as they usually do being the best of friends and all.

"You kids have fun visiting your friend now," Granny Smith said in her elderly southern voice. "It just does this old heart of mine so much good to see friendship ain't dead in Equestria. I can't remember the last time I heard of a group of friends going all the way to West Beach just to go see one friend."

"Eeyup," Big McIntosh agreed.

"Why don't you two come with us?" Twilight Sparkle suggested.

"Yeah, the more the merrier I say!" Pinkie Pie enthusiastically agreed.

"How about it, Granny?" Applejack asked. "You, Big Mac?"

"Oh, that's a nice invitation there, youngins, but I'm afraid we just can't," Granny Smith replied.

"Nope," Big McIntosh agreed.

"We have responsibilities here at the farm we have to take care of," Granny Smith said. "Somepony's gotta stay and look after things in the meant time. Plus I don't think my old bones could let me make the trip."

"Eeyup," Big McIntosh said.

The elderly mare gave her grandson an angry stare, which he responded to with alarm.

"What're you tryin' to say, sonny?" Granny Smith asked with a slightly intense tone.

"Not yup to the old bones thing, yup to the staying and looking after the farm and responsibilities thing!" Big Mac hastily tried to explain.

Seconds later Granny Smith's frown was replaced with a smile as she began laughing.

"Aw, Big Mac, I was just busting your chops there!" Granny Smith explained. "I gotta have some fun messing with ponies once in a while."

Everypony else began laughing with Granny Smith. Big McIntosh hesitated at first, but eventually he turned his frown upside down and began laughing along.

"Aw, that was good, Granny," Apple Bloom complimented.

"Thank ya, youngin'," Granny Smith said. "But Big Mac's right about the responsibilities here."

"We understand," Twilight Sparkle said.

"We still wish you were coming with us, though," Applejack said.

"Maybe sometime if he ever comes here, you two could get the chance to get to know him better," Spike suggested.

"Now that would be something," Granny Smith said.

"Eeyup," Big McIntosh agreed.

"Though, I must say," Granny Smith began, "as much as I'd like to know that big boy better, I hope he don't ever have to come here to Ponyville. At least not for something that requires his... Oh, um, how do I say this?... _Special_ set of skills. Equestria's still rattled from the last set of vormits he had to take care of. I don't know if she could take another lickin' like that."

"I hear ya, Granny Smith," Rainbow Dash said.

"I get where you're coming from, too," Scootaloo said.

"I think we all do," Applejack said.

"Absolutely," Twilight Sparkle said. "But we don't have anything to worry about as far as those monsters are concerned. He got rid of all of those that were documented in the ancient scrolls."

"Maybe the ones we know of," Pinkie Pie said with a bit of suspicion in her voice. "But what if they weren't all documented?... What if there's more of them out there?! What if there are more giant beasties waiting to spring up out of the blue and beat Equestria within an inch of its life and then-?!"

"PINKIE PIE, HEEL!" everypony else said together.

Instantly a blank expression crossed Pinkie's face as she silenced herself and sat down with her front hooves held up like a dog begging.

"Really, though, nopony has anything to worry about as far as kaiju are concerned," Twilight Sparkle reassured everyone. "They've all been destroyed."

"Well, if you say so, then I'll take your word as a princess and a friend of my sweet bowl of applesauce here," Granny Smith said as she walked up and hugged Applejack.

"Aw, thank you, Granny," Applejack said. "I reckon it's about time we get going."

"I reckon so," Granny Smith agreed.

"Well, then come on!" Apple Bloom urged. "Let's get going!"

"Now you hold up for a moment, Ms. Impatient," Applejack teased. "You're more jumpy than a chicken in a wolf's den. Come say goodbye to Granny and Big Mac first."

"Alright," Apple Bloom agreed. She trotted up and hugged Granny Smith tight. "Goodbye, Granny."

"Goodbye, half pint," Granny Smith replied. "You and your friends have fun now."

"We will," Apple Bloom said. "It won't be the same without you and Big Mac, but I know with everyone else there it'll still be great fun."

"That's the spirit, Apple Bloom," Granny Smith said.

The grandmother and granddaughter smiled at each other for a few seconds before resuming their hug. At the same time, Applejack and Big McIntosh were finishing their own embrace.

"You be sure and take care of Granny and everything now, ya hear, big brother?" Applejack demanded. "Especially Granny. I know it's only gonna be for a few hours that we're gone, but still. Granny and the farm deserve nothin' but top notch work and care."

"Eeyup," Big Mac agreed.

Apple Bloom came charging into the big stallion's embrace, which caught him a little off guard, though he was able to recover.

"See you soon, Big Mac!" Apple Bloom nearly shouted. "I hope you have a good time with Granny while we're gone... Cousin Orchard Blossom."

Big McIntosh could tell by the change in his youngest sister's tone and the look on her face that she wanted him to do the voice, which he hesitantly obliged.

"And you be sure and have a good time now at West Beach, ya hear, Apple Bloom?" Big Mac said in his best lady voice. "I do so hope you don't get too much sand stuck in your fur. Why that would be disastrous! It'd be even worse if you got it in your lovely little mane, as well. Oh, Heaven forbid! Heavens to Betsy! Oh, just Heavens! Ohh!"

The whole group of ponies and the one dragon nearly busted a gut laughing their heads off at Big Mac's shenanigans. None of them could recall ever seeing or hearing something anywhere near as funny as when the big red stallion tried to sound feminine and went so overboard with it. They just thought it was the most hilarious thing in the world. Big McIntosh completely understood why, though, which is why he usually indulged his family and friends in their requests for his impersonation of their non-existent cousin, Orchard Blossom.

Finally it came time for Applejack and Granny Smith to say goodbye, which they began with a simple hug.

"You take care and have fun now, Applejack."

"Thanks, Granny, you do the same."

With that, Applejack and Apple Bloom joined up with the rest of the group and turned as they began making their way out of Sweet Apple Acres. Everyone was waving and calling out one final goodbye as they walked on.

"Tell the big guy we said hi!" Granny Smith hollered.

"Will do!" Twilight Sparkle replied back.

With one final round of goodbyes, the two remaining Apples returned to the confines of their house. Meanwhile the ever growing group of friends continued on to roundup the rest of their companions. They moved south east across the edge of town. They were just close enough that they could still see and wave to anypony nearby and still not get caught in the crowd.

"So, Applejack, how are you?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "How's life on the farm?"

"The work still keepin' you in shape?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Or have you finally lost your touch?"

The southern Earth pony looked to her pegasus friend with a playfully competitive smile.

"You wish, Rainbow," Applejack replied. "Anyways, everything's just same old, same old on the farm. Work ain't changed non; still plowing fields, bucking apples, and all that. It ain't got any easier, but it ain't got harder either. And since the work was never that hard for me to start with, I'd say overall life working on the farm is still a-okay in my book."

"I'm really glad to hear it," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Ooh, Applejack, I almost forgot," Pinkie Pie chimed in. "The Cakes wanted to me to tell you and your family thank you for letting them sell your new flavored apple brown bettys in their store. They're a big hit, so much so that the Cakes want to double the pay of your commission check."

"Aw, that's mighty nice of them," Applejack said. "I'm glad our new line of bettys is helping them out so much. Having to run a business and look after those youngins of theirs, they deserve all the help they can get."

"And I'll bet that double commission don't hurt you non either, eh, Applejack?" Rainbow Dash said as she jabbed her elbow into her friend's side.

"It is pretty nice," Applejack admitted. "Though, honestly, I'd rather that money go where the majority of the money goes."

"Back into the farm," all of Applejack's friends said together.

The blond maned pony looked around at everyone in amusement before sharing a little laugh with them.

"Well, no need to worry about that, Applejack," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's a safe bet that's where the money's gonna go."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Applejack said as honestly as ever.

The majority of the group's attention was taken when they heard the rambunctious antics of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo increase in volume. Everypony looked on in amusement as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo carried on as they had been since they left Sweet Apple Acres. In that time they had been either talking to each other at rapid fire speed, wrestling around with each other, joking and laughing, or running around chasing one another. They even began to play leap frog at one point they were so excited, both for the trip they were taking and to see each other. These two fillies, despite their young age, had a long storied history with each other along with another friend of theirs.

They were on their way to pick that friend up along with a friend of the mares in the group. Their trotting took them to Carousel Boutique, a dress shop that sold some of the absolute best dresses in all of Equestria, all hoof knitted. Well, there was some assistants with unicorn magic, but that didn't change any of the A+ effort that went into the usually stunning outfits made at the boutique. All of these amazing dresses and the like were made by the friend Twilight Sparkle and the others had come to pick up. Like most other shops in Ponyville this boutique was also home to the fashionista who ran it and made the dresses it sold.

The group of friends walked up to the front door, which Twilight Sparkle then knocked on after reading the 'CLOSED' sign. Seconds later the door was opened by a little white furred unicorn filly known as Sweetie Belle. The filly also had pink and light purple striped hair in her mane and tail and her eyes were dark green in color. Her cutie mark was, just like Apple Bloom's and Scootaloo's, a multi-colored shield with an emblem on it. Hers was a purple star with a pink musical note in the middle.

"Twilight?" Sweetie Belle asked in confusion when she saw who it was.

"Hi, Sweetie Belle," Twilight warmly greeted the young pony.

"You know, you didn't have to knock. We were already expecting you. Ya could've just walked right in."

"Well, we didn't want to be rude or anything. Especially when I saw the sign that said-"

Twilight Sparkle was cut off when Pinkie Pie pushed passed her and scooped up Sweetie Belle in what felt like a bear hug.

"Hi ya, Sweetie Belle!" Pinkie Pie said happily. "It's so nice to see you! Is it nice to see me?! Oh, I'm sure it is! So how ya doing?! Me, I'm doing great! I just thought I'd ask you since-!"

"Pinkie Pie..." Rainbow Dash called out, "you are so random."

The Earth pony stood silent for a moment before her smile returned.

"I like chocolate pudding!"

"I rest my case," Rainbow Dash responded.

"SWEETIE BELLE!" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom called out from outside the door.

The unicorn filly's face lit up when she saw her best friends in the whole world. Sweetie Belle jumped out of Pinkie Pie's embrace and ran up to her friends. Together, this trio of fillies spent a large part of their friendship searching for their cutie marks, the symbols on the sides of a pony's flank that represented their special talent. Some ponies even believed the cutie mark represented who you are as a pony altogether while others thought it was the pony that made the mark, not the other way around. Either way, all three fillies worked vigorously through many a task hoping it would lead to the discovery of their special talent, thus making their cutie mark appear.

Everything they tried led to failure in this task until they eventually decided to help other ponies find their cutie marks and their true meanings. On that day, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle got their cutie marks all at the same time in the same place. Since then the trio has had an absolute blast in trying to live up to their cutie marks and what they were meant to symbolize. Before getting their cutie marks, the trio was known collectively as the Cutie Mark Crusaders because of their ever lasting crusade to find their cutie marks. While that crusade had technically ended, the fillies had yet to part with the name because it just didn't feel right not to call themselves that, at least so far.

Once Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were together as a team, all the excited squealing and chatter was kicked into overdrive. It was still, for the most part, amusing to the mares, though for some it was started to border on annoying. For Spike, however, the border had long been crossed and he was stuffing his ears with the comic books he had planned on reading on the way to West Beach.

"Sweetie Belle, what's going on out there?!" a mid-Atlantic accented voice called from inside the boutique. "What's with all the ruckus?!"

"They're here, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle replied to her older sister before going right back to squealing with her friends.

"Oh, really?" Rarity asked in surprise. "They're here already?! Oh, well. I'm on my way out now."

True to her word, the absolutely stunning and beautiful fashionista came into the room only a moment later. The white furred unicorn mare entered the room all smiles to greet her friends. Her mane and tail color was a dark purple with both being long and curled. She wore light blue eyeshadow and false eyelashes, the latter she didn't care to admit to anypony. Her cutie mark was three light blue gemstones that were hidden at that moment.

What hid Rarity's cutie mark, along with most of her body, was a loose fitting peach colored, chiffon beach dress with a tan collar. Rarity also wore a peach colored beach hat to go with her ensemble and it only helped to add to her stunning appearance just like she was hoping it would.

" _Bonjour,_ _mes amis_ ," Rarity said with a French accent. "Are my ears burning? Because with how hot I am, I should be on fire!"

"It's good to see you today, Rarity," Twilight Sparkle said.

"And it's absolutely divine to see you as well, darling," Rarity replied.

"Wow, Rarity, that's a really is a nice dress you're wearing," Twilight Sparkle complimented.

"But of course, Twilight," Rarity replied. "I only wear the best."

The two mares hugged each other, after which, Rarity moved on to greet the rest of her friends.

"Applejack, how nice to see you," Rarity greeted.

"Howdy, Rarity," Applejack responded. "It's mighty nice to see you, too. You sure look all purdied up for today."

"Naturally, darling," Rarity said. "I absolutely had to look my best. It's not everyday you get to see a friend like him, so you should always do your best to look fabulous for him."

"Well, ya certainly did a fine job this time around," Applejack said.

"Thank you very much, Applejack," Rarity said. "So nice of you to say. You're looking rather well fit, if I may say so."

"All that plowing and apple buckin'," Applejack informed her friend.

"Yes, I suspected as much," Rarity said. The unicorn pony turned her attention over to the next friend down the line. "Rainbow Dash, so lovely to see you today."

"S'up, Rarity?" Rainbow Dash asked. She then reached out and hugged Rarity tightly and swung her around wildly before setting her down. "Ready to see the big guy today? I know I sure am."

"So I see," Rarity gasped out. "Oh, yes, so... lovely to see you again, Rainbow Dash."

"Thanks, likewise," Rainbow Dash said, oblivious to the slight growl in her friend's voice.

After taking a moment to calm herself, Rarity moved on to her next friend to greet. This one was practically floating off the ground with a goofy smile on his face and hearts in his eyes.

"Well hello there, my handsome little Spikey-poo," Rarity cooed.

"H- h- Hey, Rarity," the love struck dragon managed to get out as he waved. For as long as they've known each other, Spike has had a huge crush on the beautiful white coated mare. "That's a nice... everything you have..."

"Oh, you're always such a charmer," Rarity said, cutting off Spike as she hugged him close.

The entire time Rarity cuddled him closely, Spike was just going gaga over the pretty pony he loved so much. After it was over, Spike was still head over heels for Rarity while she had moved on to greeting her next friend.

"Why, Pinkie Pie, so glad you could come on this trip we're about to embark on today," Rarity said happily.

"Hi ya, Rarity, that hat you're wearing is really cute ," Pinkie Pie complimented.

"Oh, why thank you," Rarity replied as she brought up a hoof to lightly fluff her hat. "I made it myself."

"I thought so," Pinkie Pie said. "It's almost as cute as your dress is."

" ' _Almost_ '?" Rarity asked slightly in alarm. "But this was suppose to be an ensemble. They were suppose to go together! I made them both with that in mind. And now you're telling me one looks nicer than the other?!"

"Only by a hair," Pinkie Pie said as a single strand of hair poked up out of her mane.

For a moment it seemed like Rarity was about to explode. Her body was shaking and her eye was twitching while the rest of her face wasn't looking so good either. She took in a deep breath and seemed like she was just about to scream. Instead, though, her calm demeanor instantly returned and her face bore a smile as she said, "Well, I'll just have to try harder next time. Hmm... Should I try quickly changing into something that matches more?"

"No, Rarity, you're fine just the way you are," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah, let's just go get the others and be on our way."

"Twilight and Rainbow Dash are right," Rarity said. "We have things to do and even if the hat and dress don't exactly match, I still make it work with my natural fabulousness. Let's go, everypony!"

Everyone spoke in agreement as they began to move on, leaving Carousel Boutique behind. As they walked, everypony was speaking about their excitement about seeing their friend once again. Rainbow Dash flew overhead, Pinkie Pie hopped around aimlessly, and Spike was floating after Rarity. The rest of the mares were simply trotting along while the Cutie Mark Crusaders carried on with their young energy filled gestures of excitement.

"Can you believe it?!" Apple Bloom asked.

"I know, it seems like it's been so long," Sweetie Belle said.

"That's probably because it _has_ been so long," Scootaloo said. "Too long if you ask me."

"Yeah, _way_ too long!" Apple Bloom agreed.

"That doesn't matter anymore," Sweetie Belle said. "We're going now and it's gonna be so _awesome_!"

The unicorn filly began squealing as she started jumping, skipping, and dancing in place. Soon Sweetie Belle's fellow Crusaders were joining in her acts of excitement.

"Alright, girls, my goodness," Twilight Sparkle said in amusement.

"Well, we're just excited is all," Apple Bloom defended.

"Yeah, it's been a while," Scootaloo chimed in.

"It's true, Twilight," Applejack said. "They didn't get to come with us to see him last time."

"Oh, that's right, they didn't," Pinkie Pie said. "They weren't there! I was there, so that's how I know they weren't there!"

"We know," Rainbow Dash said. "We were there, too Pinkie."

"I know, I was there," Pinkie Pie said obliviously as she kept smiling and hopping along.

"Uh... never mind," Rainbow Dash said in surrender.

"You know, it occurs to me," Rarity began, "that our sweet little angels here didn't have their cutie marks the last time they visited him."

All three fillies gasped as their eyes widened.

"She's right!" Scootaloo said in amazement.

"He doesn't know we have our cutie marks yet!" Sweetie Belle squealed excitedly.

"That should be a nice surprise for him," Applejack said.

"You bet your boots it will!" Apple Bloom proclaimed.

"I can't wait to show him!" Sweetie Belle squealed.

"How shocked do you think he's gonna be?" Scootaloo asked.

"If he could fit in a room, I'll bet he'd hit the roof!" Sweetie Belle replied.

"He could probably do that anyways, but I get what ya mean," Apple Bloom said.

"This is gonna be so sweet!" Scootaloo said.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders continued their giddy squealing and antics amongst each other as the group kept moving on. Their travels took them to a small meadow and cottage just on the edge of the Everfree Forest. It was here where the group would find its last two companions on their planned trip to West Beach. With all the leaves covering it, the cottage looked almost more like a tree or large bush or something like that.

The windows and doors were all still visible, however, which let anyone walking by know this was indeed somepony's home. Another thing that was very noticeable was all the animals around the place. There were birds, squirrels, dogs, mice, cats, rabbits, and even a bear among other kinds of animals. It seemed almost like a zoo or nature reserve except that the animals were not caged or fenced off. They all roamed free like the owner of the cottage wanted.

The group moved over a small lift in the path that took them over the tiniest of creeks before leading up to the cottage's front door. At the head of the group, Twilight Sparkle lightly knocked. Seconds later, the door gently opened to reveal one of the most adorable ponies of all. This, of course, was none other than the kind, pure hearted, animal loving, caring, and peaceful pegasus known as Fluttershy.

Her coat of fur was a creamy yellow color and her mane and tail were pink, both extended longer in length than most ponies'. The front of her mane was brushed off to one side while the back was brushed off to the other, both ending in a single curl. Her eye color was turquoise and she had long eyelashes that, unlike Rarity's, were real. Her cutie mark was made up of three pink winged, blue bodied butterflies.

A sweet and small smile crossed Fluttershy's lips as her eyes brightened up in excitement.

"Hi, Fluttershy," everyone said together.

"Hello, everypony," Fluttershy said. "How are you all today?"

Twilight Sparkle looked around and saw that Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were moving around with antsy body language.

"As you can see, we're all pretty excited," Twilight Sparkle answered.

"Oh, so am I," Fluttershy said in her soft little voice. Then she let out in that same voice, "Whoo-hoo."

"Yup, somepony hold her back, she's a fiery one," Rainbow Dash said sarcastically.

Everyone shared a quick chuckle before moving on.

"How about our other guest? Is she ready to go, too?"

"Oh, she's ready, Applejack," Fluttershy answered. "She's just the littlest bit nervous."

"That's usually your gig, Fluttershy," Pinkie Pie said.

"I know. I'll admit, it's a little strange being on the other side of the situation."

"Maybe she should wait for a while?" Rarity suggested. "I mean it hasn't been that long since... Well, you know-"

"I don't think it's necessary to wait," Twilight Sparkle said. "She's made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. I know once we get her out to West Beach, everything will be just fine."

"I think so, too," Fluttershy agreed. "She's already told me several times about how curious and even anxious she is to see him up close."

"Suggesting she join us this time around was a stroke of genius, Fluttershy," Twilight Sparkle said. "We'll be giving them both a new friend, something they both want and have even said they need in their lives."

"Where is she anyways?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Oh, she just upstairs getting the last of her stuff together," Fluttershy answered.

"Ugh, really?!" Rainbow Dash asked. "Is she just now getting ready or something? She should've been-"

"Now, now, Rainbow," Rarity said.

The rainbow maned pegasus sighed before saying, "Fine."

Fluttershy turned into her house and called up the stairs, "Starlight Glimmer, everypony's here and ready to go."

"Alright, I'm on my way down right now," a voice called back from the top of the stairs.

As it spoke, it sounded like it was getting closer. Everypony looked to see this was indeed the case as Starlight Glimmer walked down the stairs and slowly made her way over to the rest of the group at the front door. This unicorn mare had a light pink coat of fur and a mane that was mostly brushed back, except for her bangs in the front. Her mane and tail color was mostly purple with violet and sea blue stripes in it. She had light purple eyes and her cutie mark was a purple four tipped shooting star that left a sea blue tail and had a white light behind it.

"H-Hello, everypony," Starlight Glimmer managed to say.

"Hi, Starlight," everypony else said.

"Are you ready for today?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Uh... I guess so-"

"Because we sure are!" the Cutie Mark Crusaders blurted out, interrupting Starlight.

It made the nervous unicorn loosen up a little when she saw how happy everypony else seemed to be.

"Don't worry," Twilight Sparkle said. "Everything's gonna be just fine. I can already tell he's gonna love you."

"Are you sure, Twilight?" Starlight Glimmer asked. "I mean, even after I-"

"He loves just about everypony," Pinkie Pie said.

"And you've become such a sweetheart," Rarity said.

"Thank Fluttershy for that," Starlight Slimmer said.

A light blush crossed the yellow coated mare's face as she said, "Thank you, Starlight Glimmer."

"Thank you, all of you for helping me when I really needed a friend," Starlight Glimmer said.

"It was our pleasure," Rainbow Dash said. "Now let's get going already. I want some fun in the sun with one of our best buds."

"YEAH!" everyone agreed at once.

The whole group made their way back into town to the spot where both the hot air balloons for rent and Twilight's own personal balloon were being kept. The group rented out one other balloon since their group was too big to fit into only one. Rarity and Applejack took the Cutie Mark Crusaders in one while Twilight, Starlight, Spike, and Pinkie Pie took the princess's own balloon. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash tied themselves to the hot air balloons so they could pull them along and hopefully get to the beach faster.

"Is everypony ready?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Everyone made sure they had everything together and secured, including their individual contributions to the picnic.

"It's all good, girls," Twilight Sparkle called to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. "Let it rip."

The two pegasi looked to each other all smiles as they crouched down like a cat about to pounce. Then they counted down together, "Five, four, three, two, one!"

The two pegasi took off into the air as fast as they could. It didn't take either long to get high up into the sky, but Fluttershy was falling behind Rainbow Dash. The blue furred pony realized this and forced herself to slow down even more than she already was. Rainbow Dash was easily the fastest flier in all of Equestria, maybe even the whole world. It took her a little bit to realize other ponies just aren't anywhere near her speed.

Rainbow Dash offered an apologetic smile first to Fluttershy then her passengers when she realized they may have suffered some slight whiplash.

"So, Starlight, you never seen him before?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"No, I haven't," Starlight Glimmer answered. "But I have heard an awful lot about him, though."

"I don't think there isn't a pony in Equestria that hasn't heard of him," Spike chimed in.

"Be that as it may, I'm surprise you haven't at least seen a picture of him in a newspaper or something," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Well, we didn't have newspapers in... our town," Starlight Glimmer explained. "We only heard about him through stories told by new ponies that came to town. I found it hard to believe, but very intriguing at the same time. Then when I found out he was not only real, but a friend to all of you, I became extremely fascinated and curious to see him up close."

"Well, now the time has finally arrived for you to meet him!" Pinkie Pie proclaimed. "At long last... you're finally gonna meet... _Discord_!"

Everyone in the basket with Pinkie Pie turned to her and stared in confusion. The Earth pony looked around for a moment before giggling.

"I was just pulling your legs," Pinkie Pie explained. "Of course, we're all going to go visit _Godzilla_!"

Everypony shared a cheer and a laugh as they looked on in the direction they were going, the same direction that would take them straight to the King of the Monsters.

* * *

 **SURPRISE, EVERYBODY! I actually meant for this story to be released earlier, but I went through some stuff in my personal life that kept me from doing so and for a while I lost inspiration to do anything fanfiction related. But now I'm back and I'm ready to kick flank and hopefully entertain you all with this new story. For this sequel I plan to do something as different from the original story as possible. I hope you all end up liking it anyways. As usual, please feel free to leave a review telling me any feelings you might have on this story, be they good or bad (so long as it's constructive). And also, don't be afraid to tell me of any mistakes I may have missed in proofreading, be they spelling errors or grammar errors so I can correct them to the best of my ability. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, AND IT'S GREAT TO BE BACK!**


	2. Chapter 2: Voyage Day

**SEASIDE HOOF, PONY TALE ISLAND:**

The streets of the small town that was only a speck on the south east side of the island were extremely busy with activity, as pure usual. There were several ponies traveling around the town doing their daily routines. Yet, they were not nearly as many ponies as one would think. At one point there was a whole bunch of ponies who lived in the town of Seaside Hoof. But over the years the number of equine residents seemed to have been cut down to less than two thirds the original population.

Now there was maybe a hoof full of residents left in comparison to how many there were when the town was founded. Seaside Hoof was now mostly populated by the other species that helped build the town alongside the ponies. These were the minotaurs, who at one point in time had lived peacefully with the fellow hoofed equines. There were smiles, there was laughter, there was mutual respect, there was cooperation, there may even have been a feeling of kinship between the minotaurs and the ponies. All that was gone now, replaced by frowns, growls, distrust, both sides angry, and ever growing hate amongst the two species.

The ponies, however, were unable to do anything about it, for their numbers had dwindled so much under mysterious circumstances. Besides that, the minotaurs were much physically stronger than the ponies and were experts in crafting and handling all sorts of weapons. They were a born warrior race, which would give them a much bigger advantage in any sort of conflict against almost all enemies. All of these combined traits forced the pony race living on Pony Tale Island to knuckle under to the minotaurs' rule, which was not easy for them to deal with at all.

At first glance from afar nothing seemed to be out of the norm. The minotaurs and the ponies were all walking around taking care of their business as they had been since the town's creation. If one were to get closer, however, even before getting into the thick of it they'd notice the big differences. Again, most ponies in the crowd had frowns on their faces conveying the sadness, sorrow, despair, hopelessness, and even depression they felt. Occasionally one pony might try to steal a scowl at the minotaurs in the crowd, but they'd always make sure it went unnoticed.

The expressions on the minotaurs' faces, however, conveyed the very essence of their warrior heritage. Ordinarily that wouldn't be unusual, but that was the only look they ever had on their faces anymore and it seemed like that warrior pride was increased tenfold. The look also seemed to convey the disdain, contempt, hatred, and lack of remorse among other things they came to feel for the ponies around them. Also while the ponies were all scattered around randomly, the varying groups of minotaurs in the crowd were far more organized. They all stuck to what they were doing and kept their focus solely on that, barely even acknowledging the ponies.

Some would even say why should they since, again, the minotaurs pretty much took over the town. Every shop, every restaurant, every business in general was run by the minotaurs. If a pony was in charge, the minotaurs were sure to be running things from behind the scenes. The only exception to this was the smallest ocean port that was ran and owned by ponies. It was not ran by any in Seaside Hoof, though; it was actually owned by those in Willowbrook, the small village located within the Willowing Forest.

One other reason why the pony population in Seaside Hoof had dwindled was because several of them agreed to leave and start their own town. That had led to the founding of Willowbrook. Despite their need for independence, though, they still had no choice but to keep their dock in the minotaur ran town. There was nowhere else suited to try and start another and there was no telling if the minotaurs would even let them or not. It was a surprise they allowed the ponies to leave town to start Willowbrook in the first place.

But they did and no repercussions were taken at all. It was just as much of a surprise that they let the Willowbrook ponies keep their dock. The ponies all used that single dock to import and export food and other supplies they both bought and sold. But today it would have another task beyond the usual.

Behind the wooden walls that surrounded the dock and the tiny warehouse that stood upon it, two ponies stood amongst all the workers. Both wore hooded cloaks as had become the normal fashion statement amongst ponies in Seaside Hoof. One was the four foot tall pegasus, Firefly, and the other was the five foot four Earth pony, Thunder Jack. The tan furred stallion was preparing to head aboard one of the smaller exporting boats and the pink furred mare was seeing him off.

It was plain to see that Thunder Jack was very nervous about the voyage he would be undertaking. His body language was antsy, the look on his face was very anxious, and he even kept looking around in a paranoid fashion. Firefly saw all this and was doing her best to comfort her younger friend.

"Will you relax, Thunder Jack? You're more on edge than a foal caught feeding his dinner to the dog. You always get so paranoid every time we go out and do something like this and every time it turns out alright, doesn't it?"

"Yeah... so far. Hasn't always gone so well for other ponies, though and you never know when our luck could run out. So forgive me if I'm just the littlest bit concerned. Especially considering what's on the line here with my mission and what could happen if I blow it."

Firefly let out an exasperated sigh, but then a somewhat motherly smile came over her face as she put a hoof up to Thunder Jack's cheek.

"I know it's scary to think about, TJ. It's been scary for all of us through the time we've spent putting up with this... bull." Thunder Jack couldn't stop himself from letting out a slightly amused chuckle. "But still, we as ponies, as living beings have a responsibility to this cause. It's a matter of life and death and we all have to live up to our responsibilities in this matter and play our part. No matter how intimidating it might be, we all got to do any task handed to us in this cause."

"I know, I know. Jeez, look at you sounding all responsible and everything. That's not usually you."

"Yeah, yeah, keep it down. I got a reputation to keep up looks for. Besides, you're usually the one on the other side of this conversation lecturing me. For the record, I still wish you wouldn't do that. I mean, I am still-"

" _Older_ than me?" Thunder Jack asked as an amused smile crossed his face. "Are you admitting you're getting up there in age?"

"Don't start this crud with me," Firefly said. "You tease you're mom like this all the time, don't you _dare_ start up with me. Don't let the fact that I'm smaller than you give ya any ideas. Remember I was once-"

"I know, I know. I just can't help but be a little snot sometimes. It's so much fun."

"What do you mean, 'sometimes'?"

A shocked smile crossed Thunder Jack's face and for a moment he thought about a playful tap to Firefly's foreleg, but ultimately decided against it.

"Okay, a lot of the time," Thunder Jack conceded.

"More like all the time," Firefly responded.

"Don't get too comfortable with the smack talk there, pinkie," Thunder Jack said.

"You little brat," Firefly spat back.

The two ponies embraced each other and laughed loudly, for they could not contain their amusement at their antics. For as long as they could remember, Thunder Jack and Firefly, along with their whole social circle have always taken potshots at each other. They knew it was all in good fun and they always appreciated the laughter that came with it, especially in these dark times they were facing. In fact, they were just thankful they could still fun around like this at all. It was probably the only thing keeping them from going insane in their current conflict.

The two ponies stood there hugging each other and smiling for a few seconds. It seemed to be all Thunder Jack needed to remember the gravity of what his people were going through and the importance of everything in their struggle. This included the journey was about to take, which was enough to make his smile slowly fade.

"I know how important this is Firefly."

The pink mare couldn't stop herself from frowning. She had been hoping the goofing around would loosen her friend up a little, but it seems he tightened right back up again.

"I know you do, TJ," Firefly said.

"Yes, I do," Thunder Jack reaffirmed. "That's why I don't want anything to go wrong and why I am so worried. I know I get like this for a lot of things I consider important, but this one really _is_ important. Any part I play against the minotaurs will be the most important thing I ever do with my life. I don't even have to say probably because I _know it will be_. That's why I don't want anything to go wrong."

"Then it won't," Firefly said. "You've always been a pony that pays attention to every detail on a project you're working on. Granted, that's gotten on ponies' nerves, but it usually ends up paying off more than if it had been done any other way."

"I hate to be the pessimist here," Thunder Jack began, "but there have been times where, despite that detail you're talking about, I've still messed up... big time! I don't want that to happen here. What makes it worse is that there's so much that can go wrong."

"That's the way it is for almost everything," Firefly said. "You know that."

"But this time is different," Thunder Jack said. "This is _so_ important and yet everything surrounding it is so tedious. What if I mess up here? What if something happens to the ship and I don't make it? What if we're caught by the minotaurs and they send out one of those _things_ to sink the ship?

"Plus, suppose I do make it. What if I still fail? What if the princesses won't help? What if we're left to handle this on our own? What if while I'm there something happens to you guys? What if-"

"Oh, would you stop it already?" Firefly interrupted. She couldn't take Thunder Jack's paranoia any longer. "Now, you listen to me, Thunder Jack. It's true that there's a lot of baggage that goes with this mission of yours. But you can't forget that everypony involved here has extra baggage to carry, too. Everyone else is just as worried as you are in this, but yet they still do what they know they have to. Besides, you volunteered to do this in the first place."

"Oh, yeah, I know that," Thunder Jack said. "I still have every intention of doing what I can going into this mission. I was just airing out some concerns I have is all. I do that every time, you know that."

"Yeah, just like I always listen to you 'til I can't stand ya anymore," Firefly said. The smallest look of hurt crossed Thunder Jack's face as he looked away to which Firefly rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, but you've even admitted that you tend to worry than most other ponies. Look, Thunder Jack, I know you have your reservations. So do I, but we've got to look passed them for the greater good.

"Yeah, I'll admit you've made mistakes before, but everypony makes mistakes sometimes. Nopony's perfect... Not even me."

Thunder Jack's eyes widened in surprise.

"What did you just say?"

"I know, shocking. Don't focus on the wrong part of the cheese here. The point is, everypony makes mistake, but you're forgetting that for every mistake you made, you've had eighty successes."

Thunder Jack's lips spread out into a smile as he looked down to the mare he cared so much for.

"Thanks, Firefly," Thunder Jack said.

"You're welcome, TJ," Firefly replied.

"Don't you worry, I'll do this right," Thunder Jack said. "I will reach the mainland and get the princesses to help us. I won't fail. I won't let you and everypony else down."

"We know you won't," Firefly said. "That's why nopony objected to you being the one going to ask the princesses for help. Well... your mom kind of did, but that was only because she was worried about ya is all. Once she realized you were a big colt now, though, she backed off and gave you her support."

"Yeah... I still wish I didn't have to leave you all behind. I hate going off and leaving you all, not knowing if you're okay or not or something happened to you all... You sure you're all gonna be okay, Firefly?"

"Oh, come on, Thunder Jack. We're all big ponies, we can take care of ourselves. Besides, I'm still here. Nuff said."

"Eh... I guess so."

Firefly glared for just a moment as she said, "You doubting me, boy?!"

"No, no! I'm just... It's Muse. She's the one I'm the most worried about."

"Eh, she's a big girl. She ain't no filly anymore."

"I know, but she's still my sister."

"You can't keep worrying about her like that. You gotta realize her safety is eventually gonna be her responsibility and not yours."

"It'll never stop being my responsibility... but I will have to start trusting her more out of my sight. I actually trust you all even more than I trust myself."

"Well, thanks for that, but you still gotta have a little bit of faith in yourself, too, TJ."

"Let's see how well I do on this mission of mine and then I'll look into believing in myself more. Speaking of which, I'd better hop on the boat before they decide to leave without me."

"Remember to go straight to Canterlot. That is, unless you see something along the way that makes you think you should stop there first."

"Right," Thunder Jack agreed. "I still kind of think maybe you should be the pony going to Equestria or at least you should be coming with me. I mean, you used to live there and you know the area better than me."

"Uh, uh, uh," Firefly interrupted. "Let's not start that again. I already told you, I left my life in Equestria behind and I don't want to revisit it in anyway, shape, or form. Besides, you already volunteered, so the task is yours and we can't both go. Willowbrook could probably survive without one of us there, but it sure can't survive without us both."

"I guess so," Thunder Jack relented.

"Cheer up, kid," Firefly said. "You'll do just fine."

"Thanks, Firefly."

The two ponies hugged each other tightly for a moment before a call came out.

"All who's coming aboard should be aboard!"

The pegasus mare and the Earth pony stallion looked to see all the crew members rushing to gather the last of the supply for the voyages onto the small boat. The two ponies then looked to each other, the emotion being plain to see in both their eyes. Despite the tough act Firefly put on, she was going to be thinking about Thunder Jack the entire time he was gone. Though he was not her son, she still very much worried for him like one. She just didn't want to admit it.

Thunder Jack, on the other hoof, had already made it clear how he felt about the whole thing.

"Well... here it goes," Thunder Jack said.

"You be careful out there and take care of yourself, now," Firefly said, unable to stop the emotional shake in her voice.

"I will," Thunder Jack said, also with a small shake. "And I won't let you guys down... I promise."

With that, Thunder Jack turned away from Firefly and trotted as fast as he could to get on the boat before it could leave port. He looked back only once to see Firefly wipe away a few tears before putting a smile on and waving. The Earth pony responded in kind before hopping aboard the boat. As the vessel finally began to sail out to sea, Thunder Jack looked out at Firefly the entire time.

Firefly looked back while smiling as best as she could and trying to force back tears. She watched the small wooden trawler sail away until it was out of sight. At the same time, Thunder Jack looked back at the port until it faded from view. Firefly turned away before letting out one quick sob and then looking up at the sky.

"Great alicorns of the past," Firefly prayed, "I beg you to please watch over my big Thunder Jack. He's been like a son to me since I've known him and I don't want anything to happen to him. Please watch over our cause and all ponies involved. Let us know that what we're doing is right and help us prevail."

After her prayer had ended, Firefly began flapping her wings and took to the sky. She would be heading back to Willowbrook now, but she refused to go back through the minotaur ran streets of Seaside Hoof.

* * *

 **ELSEWHERE ON PONY TALE ISLAND:**

In the past, Tartarus has had many a description. Most would agree that the large majority of its structure was made up of deep dark tunnels. These caverns would be filled with many twists and turns and come in all shapes and sizes. They'd also be filled with the howling cries of pain and sorrow from those who inhabit them, which served to complement the inhospitable, unfriendly look of the caverns. They say that just one hoof step into the interior of Tartarus and you would already began to feel the desperation, the hopelessness, and the agony of its occupants.

Most agreed to that, but what the masses couldn't agree on is what the temperature in Tartarus was. Some theorized that it was as hot as a volcano and others felt it was cold as the frozen north. They even claim it could be a mixture of the two, that it just depended on what part of Tartarus you wound up in. One other thing most could agree on was the never ending torture that came with being a prisoner in Tartarus due to one's sins during his or her time among the living.

While this place wasn't Tartarus, it certainly fit many of those descriptions. There was many a cavern in this channel of tunnels and most of the area was very dark. There were some tunnels dimly lit by lanterns and others lit naturally by the flashing light that came off of several lava flows. Most of the lava was concealed within the confines of the stone walls, but there were areas where the flows were exposed. Because of this, the temperature was ungodly hot and it felt like one could pass out or even die of heatstroke at any moment.

Also, there were, indeed, many screams, shrieks, and cries being made by the prisoners that echoed through the caverns. These prisoners were more like slaves being forced to do work by their oppressors. Those oppressors were the two hoofed, upright standing, muscle bound, horn headed beasts that practically ran the island. These were the minotaurs, who, like in Seaside Hoof, wore only a warrior's expression mixed with the disdainful feelings they had come to feel for the ponies. Not a single minotaur was at rest, for all of them were doing a task, be it working the slaves or anything else, they were completely dedicated to their work.

In one of the caverns, several minotaurs had gathered and were standing at attention. They circled around a single minotaur bowing down on one knee and the two ponies he bowed before.

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention," the black furred unicorn stallion said.

"Yes, though we probably could've used this information sooner," the light gray coated unicorn mare added.

"Had I known earlier, I would've reported it to you both right away," the minotaur reassured.

"We suspected so," the stallion said. "Nevertheless, we will report your findings to Lord Isarem while you and your troops retrieve the perpetrator."

"As you wish, Black Lightning," the minotaur said.

"Be gone with you then, Surelious," the mare said.

"Yes, Khaos Fury," the minotaur replied.

He bowed his head before standing up and turning away. He ordered the other minotaurs to join him as he walked off to do his task. Most of them followed suit and joined Surelious while four stayed behind and accompanied the ponies in the other direction. Despite this movement being comprised mostly of minotaurs, these two ponies known as Black Lightning and Khoas Fury held a particularly high ranking amongst the masses.

They were the only ponies there not being tortured and forced to work while the rest were laboring like the slaves they had become. Any attempts at resisting or stopping to rest was instantly shutdown in the most painful of ways by the guards on duty. Black Lightning and Khaos Fury completely ignored the suffering of their fellow equines or any of their surrounding environment. They simply trotted passed it all to reach their intended destination with their guards in tow.

Black Lightning stood at five foot two while his sister, Khaos Fury was the traditional pony height of four feet tall. Khaos Fury' eye color was magenta while Black Lightning's was red. The mane and tail color for Black Lightning was dark blue while Khaos Fury's was white. Black Lightning's mane and tail were cut in a typical stallion fashion while Khaos Fury's flowed longer and wavier than what was typical for ponies. As for their cutie marks, Black Lightning's was a charcoal gray cloud shooting red lightning bolts and Khaos Fury's was a black rose.

As would be expected from ponies with such high ranks, especially in a minotaur driven movement, both unicorns' magic was extremely powerful. As to who was the most powerful pony between the two was unknown, for they were never set against one another to find out. Instead, the two had worked as a unit for nearly their whole lives, even into adulthood. For better or worse, these two unicorn siblings never left each others side and were now a duo of power and might truly to be reckoned with. The leader of the movement they were apart of must've certainly thought so, otherwise he would not have given them such rank and privilege.

Every time they walked by any number of minotaurs, almost all of them stopped to stand at attention. All these seven foot tall, overly muscular beasts of war that held all sorts of weapons in their hands stood in respect of these ponies. Usually that would be found very hard to believe, but it was happening right there with Black Lightning and Khaos Fury. They paid absolutely no attention to the respect shown to them and again, they paid no heed to the cries of torture from their fellow ponies being forced into slave labor. They just walked on until they came to the end of one of the smaller tunnels.

This one ended at a door, one of the few built into the channel of caverns. It was guarded by eight of the bigger minotaurs there. Six of them stood at the sides of the wall with two standing on either side of the door. Like all the minotaurs before they straightened up and stood at attention when they saw Black Lightning and Khaos Fury coming with their entourage. Black Lightning used his magic to open up the wide, thick, rounded wooden door to the next room.

After the door opened all the way, Black Lightning, Khaos Fury, and their four guard escort entered the wide open cavern beyond. The group stood there in the somewhat dark room and looked around. To their left was an open area where lava was flowing by, the glow of which gave off a dim light throughout the makeshift room. The small rumblings of the underground could be heard echoing through the room as everyone looked to the area opposite of the lava pit. There they saw a huge stone desk shaped out of the side of the wall with a large stone chair in front of it that was occupied.

From the angle Black Lightning and Khaos Fury were at, it was hard to make out who was the one sitting at the desk and chair, though they already knew who it was. They were just able to make out his hand holding a pen and writing something out one a piece of paper on the desk. The pony siblings were also able to make out the minotaur's horns sticking up over the top of the chair. The area was illuminated by a small lantern giving the minotaur at the desk enough light to do his writing.

Black Lightning and Khaos Fury stepped out into the middle of the room still accompanied by their guard escort.

"May Paradise's light shine over you, Lord Isarem," everyone said at the same time.

The hand stopped writing and slowly placed down the pen it was holding. Then it reached out and pressed a switch that was hidden on the desk. This switch turned on several lanterns that were hung on the ceiling above.

"And may it shine on you all as well," a low, deep voice said. Those kinds of voices were typical for a minotaur, but this beast's voice seemed to have more bass to it than was typical. "While I always appreciate a visit from my two favorite ponies... I thought I had specifically requested that I be left alone in my quarters until I say otherwise."

"Yes, you did, lord," Khaos Fury said.

"Then to what do I owe this interruption of my solitude?" the minotaur identified as Isarem asked. The stone chair slid back from the desk before turning around so the master of the minotaurs could face his guests directly. "What was so important that my orders had to be disobeyed?"

Isarem's body was currently hidden by a blue, hooded robe, his face being hidden behind a veil of shadows cast by the hood. The only parts of him that were visible were his hooves, hands, and the tops of his horns, which were bigger than most minotaurs.

"An urgent matter was brought to our attention by Commander Surelious," Black Lightning said.

"Then why is it not the commander who addresses me right now?" Isarem asked.

"He and his troops were sent by us to retrieve the one this matter concerns," Khaos Fury explained.

No sooner than after the mare had spoken did the door to the room open again. The sounds of screaming and struggling could be heard ringing through the air. Surelious walked into the room flanked by over a dozen minotaurs holding a single bull in the air. He had been beaten up a good lick, but yet he still struggled to break free and pleaded for dear life. His cries went unanswered as Surelious bowed in respect to the bull in charge.

"May Paradise's light shine over you, Lord Isarem."

"And you as well, Commander Surelious. My little ponies here tell me you uncovered an urgent matter that requires my attention."

"Yes, indeed, my lord. At once and right away."

"Well then, don't keep me in suspense, commander. What is it?"

Surelious turned to the minotaurs that came in with him and gave them a hand signal. They all complied and tossed the minotaur they had been holding to the front of the group. Surelious grabbed a small club from a holster he wore and smacked it several times over the fallen bull's back. Once he was sure the beaten minotaur wouldn't get up again, Surelious turned back to Isarem as he pointed to the one he had just assaulted.

"Last night, I placed this one here in charge of monitoring the mega assets," Surelious explained.

"I'm aware of that," Isarem said. "Don't waste my time with your schedule recap and get on with it."

"Of course, my lord," Surelious replied. "Anyways, it was during that time, under his watch, that one of the assets escaped from its holding cell."

A cold chill ran through the air, a chill that signaled Isarem's deep seeded anger. It was so powerful, all in the room could feel it no matter where they were standing.

"Really?" Isarem asked, managing to keep his same calm demeanor.

It was still easy to tell how aggravated he was, though, and when Isarem was mad, everyone took notice and feared for their very lives.

"Yes, Lord Isarem," Surelious answered.

"Well then... was the asset at least retrieved?"

"I... I'm afraid not, lord."

The minotaur stood up out of his chair, a gesture that made everyone step back. The only one that did not move was the accused minotaur on the ground.

"Why was the asset allowed to not only break out of its holding area, but also avoid being recaptured?!" Isarem asked, the anger in his voice beginning to show.

"It wouldn't respond to its command chip, Lord Isarem!" the fallen minotaur blurted out at the top of his lungs. "Please, I did everything I could!"

"Clearly not if the beast did not come back when we have the means to make him do as we say."

"I told you the chip wasn't working! I don't know what went wrong! There must've been a malfunction or something! Lord Isarem, please-!"

"Spare me your sniveling, boy!" Isarem shouted at the top of his lungs. Everyone, even the powerful unicorn siblings trembled at the sound of the minotaur's angered voice. "You are lying about your efforts last night. If you had done all you could, you would've notified the proper authorities as soon as it happened. But instead, you kept it quiet and hoped you could pass the blame off to someone else and walk away clean."

"You're right! You're absolutely right, my lord! Please let me make it up to you! Let me try to atone for my failures!" Please let me-"

The minotaur's words were choked back when he gasped in fear. Isarem had begun to make his way towards the bull who stood on his hands and knees like a desperate beggar. In the minds of everyone there, Isarem's hoof steps sounded like the mighty booms of the sky's thunder and lightning. The fallen minotaur trembled in terror more and more the closer Isarem got to him. The master of minotaurs didn't stop until he was directly in front of the frightened bull.

"Is what he said about the faulty command chip true?"

"Yes, Lord Isarem, unfortunately it is," Surelious answered. "Before I came here, I went down to control to see if they could get the asset to come back, but it wouldn't respond to any orders."

Isarem groaned in annoyance before saying, "If only we could've kept one of those... Devonians were they called? If only we could've kept at least one of them around to teach us the full extent of their technology... But no. They wouldn't go quietly and without a fight. I respected that of them, but it was causing a huge problem for our cause. Thus they had to be eliminated and we were lucky to learn what we did from them before that happened."

"Yes, my lord," Surelious said.

Isarem looked to the minotaur before him on his hands and knees. He was still trembling like crazy in fear of the master bull and what he might do.

"While I can't blame you for being unable to figure out the command chip properly," Isarem said, "I am still rather disappointed in you not telling anyone about it."

"I understand, lord, and I wish to try and make right on my mista-"

The bull gasped again as Isarem lowered a hand down to him. He flinched his head back and closed his eyes and waited for what his master might do to him. Surprisingly, though, several seconds went by and nothing happened. The bull opened his eyes and saw that Isarem had extended his hand out to him gently like a caring parent. Somewhat confused and actually the slightest bit relieved, the bull accepted his master's hand and held it gently in his own.

"What is your name, my child?" Isarem asked.

"T- T- Taberious, my lord," the bull answered.

"Taberious, do not fear," Isarem said. "To error, is to be mortal, flesh, bone. To be perfect, is to be light, air. That is something you cannot achieve as you are. I don't wish for you to have to deal it with any longer. I wish you not to have to possibly face a moment like this, where you're so fearful, ever again.

"So, to ensure all that and that you find peace, I hereby sentence that you will be sent to... _Paradise_."

Taberious' eyes lit up like he just heard he won the lottery. In his mind's eyes, he just won something much better. If he knew such failures as he perpetrated would lead to this, he would have done it a long time ago.

"Oh, thank you, my lord!" Taberious shouted in joy. The other bulls stood back and looked in shock while the unicorns stood with no visible reaction at all. "You are so merciful, oh great and noble leader! The light was truly enlightened to pick one such as you to lead this cause! You're, without a doubt, the right bull for the job! I'm ready to ascend!"

With a big smile on his face, Taberious held his arms out at his side as his chest heaved from heavy breaths. Isarem did nothing at first; instead he just kept staring at the minotaur before him that had just been singing his praises.

"Indeed, I will see you get what's coming for all in the future," Isarem said. He was close enough now that everyone was able to see his face twist into an angered expression which was the stuff of nightmares. "But I can't just let you get away with your slip up that could potentially jeopardize our entire operation here." Isarem wrapped a hand around Taberious' throat and pulled him in closer so he could see the head bull's fury.

"Because of your incompetence, I will have you sent to Paradise the most painful way possible."

Isarem used his free hand to snap his fingers. Several troops stepped up and grabbed hold of Taberious.

"What would you have us do with him, my lord?" Surelious asked.

Isarem looked to Taberious who wore every ounce of fear he felt before back on his face.

"Perform ascension act... six hundred and sixty six," Isarem ordered.

Taberious' heart felt like it had caught in his throat as the fear on his face intensified a hundred full.

"No, Lord Isarem!" Taberious begged. "Please, not that! Not that way! Please let me go another way! You can't do this to me!"

"See that it is done," Isarem ordered. "Then when you're done, see if the asset's tracking chip is still working. If so, find out wherever it is. If it was free all last night and this morning, it could be anywhere by now."

"Yes, Lord Isarem," Surelious responded.

The commander then gave a hand signal, after which the minotaurs holding Taberious began dragging him away as he kept screaming and begging as loud as he could. Khaos Fury watched the minotaurs go while Black Lightning was simply wishing he had fingers to snap like Isarem and the other minotaurs did.

"Is there anything you'd like us to do in the meantime, Isarem?" Khaos Fury asked.

"Yes," the head minotaur replied as he walked back to his chair. "While they're busy doing that, I need you two to use your magic and activate the orb. We'll see if we can use that to track down the missing asset."

"Of course, Lord Isarem," Khaos and Black said at the same time.

After they bowed, the two unicorn ponies looked to a crystal orb that was displayed on a crudely carved out stone stand. Khaos Fury and Black Lightning's horns began to glow as they prepared to use their magic.

"By the way," Isarem said, "which of the assets was it that Taberious allowed to escape?"

"The code name given to the kaiju was... Kamoebas, sir," Black Lightning reported.

With that, the two unicorns launched magic beams at the orb that instantly made it light up.

* * *

 **What's this?! Multiple chapters in one day?! Well, like I said, I had been planning to do this story for a while now. I decided to release the first few chapters at the same time because... I wanted to. So, what do you all think so far? Feel free to let me know with a review and as usual, please don't be afraid to let me know of any mistakes I missed in proofreading be they spelling errors. grammar errors, or otherwise so I can correct them to the best of my abilities. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	3. Chapter 3: Hello, Godzilla

**WEST BEACH, A HALF MILE SOUTH OF ROUGH SAND SHELL:**

"Hey, everypony, we're here!" Twilight Sparkle proclaimed happily.

Those in company with the alicorn princess all whooped and hollered in celebration. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy took the time to fly up and give each other a high hoof. Both pegasi were still pulling along the hot air balloons holding all their friends. Or at least the friends that came with them on the trip to West Beach. The body of sand that outlined nearly the entire west coast of Equestria was usually full of all kinds of ponies and other creatures as well, especially in the summertime.

This occasion was no exception, for as the two balloons sailed on through the air, the occupants looked down to see several ponies and others enjoying the nice summer day.

"We need to find an area with less ponies around," Applejack called out.

"There's a spot up ahead," Rainbow Dash called back.

"Then hurry along now, my little ponies," Rarity let out. " _Allons-y_!"

"Wow, Rarity," Applejack said. "I don't know who's more excited: you or our sisters here."

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were all hopping in place as they squealed in excitement.

"Girls, you're gonna rock the basket," Rarity warned.

However, she had to admit, she might have been just as giddy as the little fillies like Applejack suggested. There wasn't a pony, or in Spike's case, a dragon, who wasn't completely pumped to see the friend they'd traveled so far to visit. Or at least almost nopony; Twilight Sparkle caught a glance of Starlight Glimmer and noticed she seemed somewhat uneasy and a little nervous.

"Hey, Starlight, are you okay?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she moved over closer to her friend.

The sound of the alicorn's voice calling her name snapped the pink unicorn back to reality.

"Oh, of course, Twilight," Starlight Glimmer practically blurted out as she forced a smile.

"You know, if there's something wrong, you can tell me," Twilight Sparkle said.

Starlight held her smile for a little bit longer before she gave up on the ruse. She sighed as she looked down somewhat somberly.

"I want to be excited to finally meet Godzilla," Starlight Glimmer began. "But part of me is worried about what happens if he finds out who I was before. I may not have seen it myself, but like I said, I heard all those stories about what he did to the kaiju. So imagine what he could do to a small pony."

"We already saw him do that," Twilight Sparkle said. "Remember, King Sombra?"

"Oh, yeah," Starlight Glimmer said.

Twilight Sparkle smiled nervously as she said, "And... we kind of already sort of told him about you... You know, what you were like before."

Starlight Glimmer's eyes widened in horror as she looked on at her violet friend.

" _Really_?!" Starlight Glimmer exclaimed. "You really did that?!"

Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie both had apologetic smiles on their faces.

"Uh... We can explain," Pinkie Pie said with a nervous chuckle.

"How could you do that?!" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"It was during our visit with him last month," Twilight Sparkle explained. "You know, before we became friends."

"Besides, Godzilla was probably gonna find out eventually," Pinkie Pie said.

"Sure, but I would've liked to have been the pony to tell him," Starlight Glimmer said defensively. The distressed unicorn let out many a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. "But like you said, it happened before we became friends... Though I really wish he didn't know the real me."

"That wasn't the real you, Starlight," Twilight Sparkle interrupted. "That was what fear, rejection, and other negativities of life made you into. Who you are now is the real you. I feel it and so do all the other ponies you've reconciled with. If they didn't, they would've turned from you and walked away, leaving you behind. But they didn't and neither will Godzilla."

"You think so?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"I know so," Twilight Sparkle said with a smile.

"But... what if he-"

"He won't," Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"That's not who Godzilla is," Spike added on.

"He only strikes when someone or something's blatantly bad," Pinkie Pie said. "It's clear you're not and he's gonna see that. Especially since we're all gonna vouch for ya."

"But you won't even need that," Twilight Sparkle said. "Like Pinkie Pie said: it's clear you're not evil and Godzilla will see that. He has a good knack for that, plus the goodness is just glistening off you now."

Starlight Glimmer smiled gratefully as she pulled her friends in for a hug.

"Aww, thank you girls so much," Starlight Glimmer said. "I don't know what I'd do without you all as my friends. I sure as heck wouldn't be meeting Godzilla, that's for sure. Or at least under these circumstances. Who knows with who I was before? I'll tell you you one thing though, I wouldn't be nearly as better off as I am now thanks to you all.

"But seriously, though, you all will still vouch for me when I meet Godzilla, right?"

"Mm hmm," everyone in the basket said as they nodded their heads.

It was only a short time later when Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were touching down for a landing near the sand covered beach. Once they landed, everypony exited the balloons' baskets and spread out. Applejack and Twilight Sparkle got several heavy boulders to put in the baskets and weigh down the hot air balloons. After tying and staking the baskets to the ground, everyone in the group gathered and made their way to the beach. While all the adults and Spike were calmly walking along, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were unable to keep themselves from running around excitedly.

Still everypony got to the beach together as a group. Like Rainbow Dash had said, the area was mostly devoid of any other beach goers except for a few off to the sides. Most locals knew this was the general area where Twilight Sparkle and her regular group of pony friends known as the Mane Six, occasionally with others in tow, would meet Godzilla. Thus when they saw the Mane Six coming they would try to clear a spot as best as they could where the group could fraternize with their giant friend uninterrupted. Some still lingered, though, for they always got a kick out of seeing Godzilla rise up out of the ocean.

It seemed like that was what they were about to get, because once everyone had set up their stuff on the beach, Twilight Sparkle gave Fluttershy the go ahead. The yellow coated pony nodded her head before singing out a few notes. Upon doing this, her throat began to glow with a pink aura, a gift giving to her in the past by other dimensional allies. Once she had finished singing, everypony else stood and waited for a response.

A few minutes passed by without anything happening. This did not deter the excited ponies, for most of them had gone through this before with past visits. The amount of time it took for Godzilla's arrival almost always varied, so this was nothing new. In the meantime, everypony decided to go over what they had brought with them to make sure they didn't forget anything.

They had the traditional stuff like beach chairs, beach balls, frisbees, sun lotion, and the like. They also had together all the food they packed for the day, most of which was meant for Godzilla. Then there were less than usual beach going items that they brought specifically for Godzilla that they wanted to show him. Rarity had something she wanted to show, as did Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, and Spike. All of them were excited for Godzilla to see what they brought and just to hangout with him in general, though that was taking a little bit.

"How long do we have to wait?" Starlight Glimmer asked after ten minutes had passed.

"I don't know," Fluttershy admitted. "Could be a long time."

"It depends on how close he was when Fluttershy called him," Applejack explained. "Usually there's a little more that goes into it, but that's the main thing."

Spike was looking out at the ocean through a pair of binoculars in hopes of spotting any trace of Godzilla. However he turned too far away from the water and ended up spying something else that caught his eye. Rarity was lounging back in a tri fold beach chair wearing a pair of sunglasses and holding up a reflector board. Spike watched as the smiling unicorn relaxed and laid back peacefully while tanning. He couldn't help himself, for she seemed especially extra gorgeous laying back like she was.

"See anything ya like?"

Spike yelped as he jumped a little and tossed his binoculars into the air. He quickly caught them before zipping his head around to look for whoever snuck up on him. He looked to see Sweetie Belle with a sly smile on her face as she chuckled. Spike reacted with a scowl as he growled angrily.

"You know, Sweetie Belle, you really shouldn't sneak up on a guy like that!"

"You know, Spike, you shouldn't be spying on a girl trying to get a tan like that."

Spike's eyes widened in alarm.

"I- I wasn't spying!" Spike said defensively.

"Yeah, you were," Sweetie Belle said flatly.

"Yes... I was," Spike admitted. "I just can't help myself, Sweetie Belle... Your sister is..."

"I know, I know," Sweetie Belle interrupted. "You love her and I respect that. I love her, too. So does everypony else here... Come to think of it, she is pretty lovable."

"Tell me about," Spike said with a dreamy voice.

"Not like that, you perv!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

This got another jump out of Spike as he said, "Uh, yeah, I know! Me neither!"

"Oh, brother," Sweetie Belle said.

"Brother?" Spike asked with confusion. "I thought we were talking about your sister."

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes in response.

"Listen," Sweetie Belle said. "You wanna try to take your mind off Rarity a little and come play with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and me?"

"Sure, sounds like fun," Spike said.

This brought a smile to Sweetie Belle's face.

"Well, come on then!" Sweetie Belle said.

Spike followed the eager unicorn filly as she led him over to the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. While that bunch began to play and run around, Rainbow Dash flew high above the sandy ground. She was scanning the horizon to see if she could catch sight of Godzilla approaching just as Spike had been doing earlier. She had been doing that for nearly six minutes and she was already getting bored to the point of wanting to just give up and take a nap. This was rather typical for Rainbow Dash to do when nothing was happening and she wasn't doing anything or interacting with another pony.

But just as her eyes were starting to get heavy, she spotted something far off on the ocean waters. She shook her head and forced her eyes open to make sure they weren't playing tricks on her. This time she was absolutely certain about what she saw off in the distance and was even more sure it was getting closer. Rainbow Dash's face lit up, for she knew instantly what she was looking at.

"Godzilla ahoy!" Rainbow Dash shouted loudly for all to hear.

The group of friends looked out to the horizon as they gasped in joy. Spike raised his binoculars to his eyes as Sweetie Belle placed a hoof on his shoulder. The young dragon was not disappointed with what he saw.

"She's right!" Spike proclaimed. "He's coming straight at us at twelve o'clock!"

Everyone cheered; some even jumped for joy before resuming their scanning of the ocean. It was only a little bit later that they began to see what Rainbow Dash and Spike had seen. A large lump in the water was getting closer and closer to land. It was so big that three blue whales probably could've fit inside of it. Starlight Glimmer marveled at the sight, for it was the first time she had seen anything like it.

"Whoa," Starlight Glimmer whispered.

The others gazed in amazement as well, but it was more pronounced with Starlight's expression since this was her first time. She was even more awestruck when she saw several large objects began to pierce the top of the water. These objects were three rows of gray, sharp ended, maple leaf shaped, ivory spikes. They kept rising until the back they rested upon was visible above the ocean's waves. Suddenly a large, scale covered tail rose up out of the water before dropping back down again.

The more Starlight Glimmer saw of these proportionally gigantic limbs, the more skittish she got, especially with the creature they belonged to coming straight at her. The closer the enormous creature came to land, the more its body rose out of the water and was exposed for all to see. Suddenly the creature stopped before it began rising straight up out of the water. It wasn't long before a reptilian, almost dinosaur-like face appeared above the foamy ocean waves. Godzilla let out a loud roar announcing his arrival as he stood in waist deep water.

The Mane Six, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and Spike all began whooping and cheering and calling out to Godzilla as they waved. The group's calls reached the colossal animal's ears and made him look to see, much to his delight, all his friends. A small smile crossed Godzilla's face as he roared back in reply to all the ponies and the dragon awaiting him. Seconds later, the great kaiju resumed his slow approach to the beach.

Godzilla had an outer appearance of a vertical standing theropod dinosaur. He was much bigger, however, standing at an amazing height of three hundred and thirty five feet tall. He had emerald green scales for skin and his spikes went up from the top of his head down his tail. The spikes on his head, the back of his neck, and most of his tail were much smaller than the ones on his back, though, being almost mere bumps in the skin. Godzilla was very bulky looking in appearance, which was a combination of muscle and body fat and he had four clawed hands at the end of only slightly stubby arms.

Though his yellow eyes looked like they were locked in an eternal glower, they were actually full of joy at seeing all his friends once again. The last time he saw any of them was a month ago and usually it took even longer for their visits to occur. As much as Godzilla didn't like to admit it, he had been seeing less and less of his friends. That's especially when compared to have much they saw of each other when he first arrived in Equestria.

At first he was just meant to be used as a weapon to fight against the evil kaiju that plagued the peaceful land. He still acted as that weapon, but he had come to mean so much more to nearly the whole country. He had made many a friend that meant the world to him, but none more so than those on the beach waiting for him. They stuck with him the entire time he was fighting for Equestria and in that short amount of time, they formed a near unbreakable bond. When it was over, Godzilla decided to make his home in the seas close by because that's where he felt he belonged and also to avoid causing unintentional damage.

It was a decision he had come to partially regret, though he knew it was still the right one. Despite how much more he wanted to see his pony friends, every time he did get to see them very much like a blessing to him. This time was no different, for Godzilla's pace seemed to be quickening a little as he got closer to shore. He was ankle deep in the water now and most of those waiting for him were filled with nearly more awe and elation then they could manage. Starlight Glimmer, on the other hoof, was filled with all the awe she could muster along with fear in place of elation.

Seeing the unimaginable size of Godzilla, both in height and mass, as well as his overall outer appearance was almost more than the young unicorn mare could handle. Her body was trembling and the look on her face conveyed her fear a thousand times over. Starlight Glimmer had never seen or experienced anything like this before in her life and now all her fearful emotions felt like they were crashing down on her. No one seemed to notice, though, for Godzilla was practically hovering over the beach now, looking down at his friends and greeting them warmly and smiling.

Nearly everyone else responded in kind as they gathered around Godzilla. The great kaiju slowly lowered himself down until he was sitting. This way he and his friends could converse and better interact together or so he hoped. The ponies and Spike all gathered around closer together to their huge friend. They stood at the water's edge, which was also at the end of Godzilla's out stretching talons on his toes.

"HI, GODZILLA!" everypony greeted together.

"Godzilla, how are you doing?!" Twilight Sparkle said, unable to contain the enthusiasm in her voice.

Godzilla let out a short roar to reply, his enthusiasm being amplified far beyond that of any other living being there.

"Howdy, Ziller!" Applejack called up to the kaiju.

"Hey, G-Dude, what's up?!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew up to Godzilla's face. "What's shakin' my main monster?!"

"Hello there, Godzilla darling!" Rarity called. "So lovely to see you once again! It's simply heavenly and divine!"

"Hey, Godzilla, over here!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she jumped up and waved her front hooves. "Down here! Do you see me?! I'm down here! I know you're super big and all and can probably see everything, but can you see me?! I'm afraid I may be too small and so I'm hopping and shouting and screaming and yelling and making a spectacle of myself! _Can you see and hear me now?!_ "

"How could a grown pony act like that?" Spike wondered out loud.

He was taken by surprise when all of a sudden, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who stood around him, began doing the exact same thing as Pinkie Pie.

"Hey, Godzilla, over here!" Sweetie Belle shouted, her voice breaking a little.

"Can you see us, Godzilla?!" Scootaloo shouted as she flapped her wings to try and get higher when she jumped.

"We're all right here, Godzilla!" Apple Bloom shouted.

"Well... I can see why you'd do it," Spike said, referring to the CMC. However, as time quickly passed Spike found his body quivering uncontrollably until he was jumping up and down and shouting, too. "Hey, Godzilla dude, what's up?! It's me, your old pal, Spike! Hello, I'm right here!"

Godzilla roared out happily to all his little pony friends as he looked around at them. It did his heart good to know they were all just as happy to see him as he was to see them. His eyes stopped, however, when they fell on a particular pony who had yet to greet him. Fluttershy slowly walked up to the front of the group, her fore hooves dipping into the water because she got so close. For a moment, all was silent and the rest of the world seemed far away as Godzilla and Fluttershy looked up and down to each other smiling as bright as could be.

These two held a special bond in that because of her special talent, Fluttershy was the only one there that could actually understand Godzilla's animal calls. Even deeper than that, Fluttershy was the first pony Godzilla ever met when he came to Equestria. At first, the usually timid pony was very much afraid of Godzilla, as would be expected of any creature her size who laid eyes on something like a kaiju. But, aided by her already great skills with and affection for animals, Fluttershy was able to see passed Godzilla's tough exterior. She was able to look inside and see the light in his heart and the golden soul that was his and know that Godzilla was a creature of peace, good, and kindness.

The two had been the best of friends ever since, sharing a bond even deeper than the ones Godzilla had with the other ponies, though he still treasured them. After several moments of staring at each other, Godzilla let out a set of soft growls, which Fluttershy complied to as she flew up to her friend. The King of Monsters extended his hand, allowing Fluttershy to land in his palm. Godzilla raised his hand until it was almost at eye level for him, allowing Fluttershy to look into his love filled eyes. Vice versa, Godzilla stared into Fluttershy's big, bright, adorable pony eyes with both friends still beaming all the while.

Godzilla moaned out a quiet roar.

"I missed you, too," Fluttershy replied in a soft, motherly voice.

The pegasus pony reached out and hugged the end of Godzilla's snout and also nuzzled it. Fluttershy couldn't help but snuggle like she was wrapped in a warm blanket, for it felt so good getting the chance to hug Godzilla again. Once it was over, Godzilla lowered his hand back down again, though Fluttershy remained in his palm. Godzilla then looked down at the rest of the ponies and the one dragon all gathered around him. He let out several roars specifically meant for them all, after which he looked to Fluttershy, who nodded her head.

"Godzilla says that it's nice to see us all again," Fluttershy translated. "He was hoping we'd get to visit again soon, even though our last visit was only a short time ago. Now that the next visit has come so early, he's really excited, even more so since all of us came this time."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders squealed excitedly since they knew Godzilla was referring to them.

"We were all really glad to come again so soon," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah, but it wasn't soon enough if you ask me," Rainbow Dash chimed in.

"We only didn't come last time because we had school," Scootaloo said.

"Among other responsibilities," Apple Bloom said.

"Too right, little sis," Applejack said. "We all have things we gotta do in our daily lives. I know you know this, Godzilla, but apparently someponies need a little reminding... Rainbow Dash."

"What?!" the blue pegasus asked. "I was just saying we should visit more often."

"If we could, that'd be amazing," Applejack said. "But we can't and we all know why."

"Ah, please," Rainbow Dash said. "The weather team can get along just fine without me... For a while at least."

"That's good for you, but what about the rest of us?" Rarity asked.

"Point taken," Rainbow Dash conceded.

"What matters is we're all here now and we're ready to have a great time," Twilight Sparkle said.

"YEAH!" everyone else agreed.

Godzilla roared out several times, which Fluttershy was quick to translate.

"Godzilla says he's ready for a great visit, too. He also says not to worry, that he understands what we do in our lives and lively hood is very important. While he wishes we could be together like this all the time, he understands that it just can't be that way. He still loves us anyways."

"AWW," the majority of the group said together.

"You're all heart, Godzilla," Rarity said in flattery.

It was at that time when Godzilla noticed something he had not seen before when he first arrived. Off to the side was a pony he had never seen before. He couldn't tell if she was with the group or not because she seemed to be acting strange. It was like she was trying to get in with his friends, but at the same time keep her distance. She seemed curious, yet timid all at once.

Godzilla turned to Fluttershy and roared questioningly to her. The pegasus pony looked to the mare Godzilla was referring to before turning back to him.

"Yes, she's with us," Fluttershy answered.

"Oh, that's right!" Twilight Sparkle said.

"Oh, my goodness!" Fluttershy said.

It was plain to see by the looks on their faces that everyone else had the same realization. They all turned to Starlight Glimmer and walked up to her. Fluttershy flew down from Godzilla's hand to join the group.

"We are _so_ sorry, darling," Rarity said whole heartily.

"Seriously sorry," Rainbow Dash added.

"We just got all caught up in..."

"I know, Applejack," Starlight Glimmer said. She looked back to Godzilla, though she was still very nervous of him. "I was, too. I get it, everypony."

"Still," Twilight Sparkle said, "one of the main points of this trip was bringing you to meet Godzilla! Plus, you're our friend, so we shouldn't have swept you off to the side."

"Oh, come on, Twilight. When it comes to eye stealing, how am I suppose to compete with that?!"

Starlight Glimmer pointed a hoof to the giant that was Godzilla.

"Well, you don't have to," Fluttershy said. "Because now the two of you are about to become the best of friends."

Upon hearing her friend's words, a look of uncertainty came over Starlight Glimmer's face. She looked over to Godzilla, who was watching in curiosity as the situation played out. Starlight looked away as a fearful expression crossed her face. Everypony else saw this and looked on questioningly and nervously. The only ones who seemed to keep their cool were Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle.

The two mares came up and gently put a friendly hoof on Starlight Glimmer's shoulders. She looked to her friends who all smiled reassuringly.

"It's gonna be alright, Starlight," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Trust us," Fluttershy said. "And trust Godzilla most of all."

"He really is a nice guy," Apple Bloom said.

"He's gonna love you," Sweetie Belle said.

"He loves everypony," Scootaloo said.

"Besides, we all love you already," Applejack said.

Starlight Glimmer's face lit up upon hearing all this from her friends. She smiled gratefully at everypony before turning back to Godzilla. Though she was still uncertain, Starlight Glimmer took a deep breath to relax before she began trotting up to the kaiju king. The light pink coated unicorn was flanked on both sides by her group of friends. If they were to do this, that being to introduce a new friend with such a backstory to Godzilla, they would do it as a unit.

They all stopped right in front of Godzilla, more accurately, his feet, and looked up to the monster, who greeted them with a smile, as pure usual.

"Godzilla, we want you to meet a new friend of ours," Fluttershy said.

Godzilla let out a short roar of excitement. He always loved meeting new friends. Starlight, on the other hoof, still didn't know how to feel about Godzilla just yet. Still, she controlled herself and let her friends speak on as Godzilla looked down upon them.

"We met her a little while back," Applejack said.

The cowgirl then looked to Starlight and gave her a friendly wink.

"But we only just became friends recently," Pinkie Pie said.

Godzilla looked on with interest, though slightly confused that it took them that long to become friends. That was unlike them because they usually made friends with new ponies right away. Pinkie Pie took a deep breath like she was about to unload a whole lot of words from her mouth. But just as she was getting ready to speak, she was intercepted by Rainbow Dash, who stuck a cupcake in her mouth. Rather than be upset, the pink Earth pony sat there and enjoyed her baked treat.

"Yummy," Pinkie Pie said in between bites.

Rainbow Dash winked to Twilight Sparkle, who winked back before stepping up closer to Godzilla with Starlight Glimmer.

"Godzilla," Twilight Sparkle said, "this is our new friend, Starlight Glimmer."

Godzilla looked to the unicorn, who smiled back at him nervously. He was just about to greet this potential new friend when a memory crept up in the back of his mind. A confused look struck Godzilla's facial features as he looked from Starlight to Fluttershy and roared to her questioningly.

"Yes, she's _that_ same Starlight Glimmer," Fluttershy replied.

Starlight winced as Godzilla looked back to her and let out several low growls. Everyone else could tell he was pondering this new development in his head. Everypony stood back and waited for Godzilla's final reaction. Some were hopeful, while others were also a little fearful of how Godzilla would react, though none were more fearful than Starlight Glimmer.

But then a second later, much to Starlight Glimmer's surprise, Godzilla smiled once again as he roared cheerfully. Every face in the group lit up with bright smiles at the kaiju's reaction.

"Godzilla says hello and that it's a pleasure to meet you, Starlight Glimmer!" Fluttershy happily translated.

"Really?!" the light pink unicorn asked in amazement.

"Absolutely!" Fluttershy reassured her.

Starlight Glimmer turned her bewildered face to Godzilla, who had continued to gaze down upon her happily. It seemed to take a few seconds for it all to sink in for the confused mare before she finally smiled back at the giant monster in front of her.

"Thank you so much for accepting me right away, Godzilla!" Starlight Glimmer said. "I know you heard about me before and who I used to be. Because of that... I was a little afraid you'd have trouble with me around... at least at first."

Godzilla shook his head before he let out a series of roars.

"He says to think nothing of it," Fluttershy translated. "He also said that he can't judge you on who you used to be, only on who you are now. He also said that he used to be someone he's not proud of, too, so he can understand what that's like for you. Plus, he said he looked into your eyes and could see that you were a completely different pony than the one we told him about."

"Really?" Starlight Glimmer asked in disbelief.

"Someponies," Rarity said, "have dismissed the notion that you can tell about somepony by looking into her eyes... But it's true. Seen it enough times myself."

"As have I," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Same here," Apple Bloom chimed in.

Godzilla let out another quick roar, one that got a little chuckle from Fluttershy.

"He also says that beyond all that... we think you're worth having as a friend," Fluttershy translated. "He's known us for good judgement and he trusts us... Therefore, since we trust you, so does he."

Starlight Glimmer looked to Godzilla gratefully. She no longer found Godzilla scary; instead being very comforting to look at.

"Thank you again, Godzilla," Starlight said. "And... I just want you to hear it from me, straight from the horse's mouth. I truly have changed. I'm not the pony I was before and I'm completely disgusted by that pony and hope never to see her again. I will do everything in my power to earn the trust and the friendship that you, all of you have chosen to give me."

Everypony cheered as they gathered around for a group hug. Godzilla watched happily in silence for a few seconds before roaring out his own joy. After a few more moments, the group hug dispersed.

"Whoo-wee!" Applejack let out. "I'm mighty glad that first meeting turned out so well and went so smoothly... Though, I gotta say, I'm surprised it did. Not that I don't think you're the bee's knees, Starlight, I'm just surprised because... Well... Godziller..."

"It's okay, Applejack, I get it," Starlight Glimmer said. "Nopony here is as shocked as I am at how well that ended up going. I mean, especially with Godzilla being a giant monster with quite the reputation and all."

"Reputations are cool and all," Rainbow Dash said, "but they aren't always the source you should go to when trying to get to know a guy."

"I know that now," Starlight Glimmer said.

Everypony looked to Godzilla and saw that he once again had Fluttershy in his hand. He had lifted her up to face level and she was currently rubbing a hoof across his skin.

"I'm, like, _super_ glad you and Godzilla became friends so fast and all, Starlight Glimmer," Pinkie Pie said as she jumped in the middle of the group. "But I still can't help but be really, really, really, _really_ surprised that none of us had to jump in or anything! It's like, we were all expecting at first for Godzilla to be all like, ' _Rrraarrgh, get away from my friends before I kaiju you! I'm Godzilla! Rrraaarrrgh!_ '...

"But nope! He's the huggable, cuddly dude we all know he is! Now he loves you and I love that he loves you! And we all love each other!... If love were a cupcake, it be the best cupcake ever!... Godzilla and Starlight Glimmer become friends _par-tay_!"

After that, Pinkie Pie rolled up into a ball and flew away into the air. Everypony watched as she unfolded herself and seemed to be cartwheeling in thin air. After that attack of Pinkie Pie's randomness, everypony went back to what they were doing. Most of what the others wanted to do was share certain things that had happen since the last time they saw Godzilla.

"So, what has it been like traveling and seeing the oceans so far?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Have you gone out any farther since our last visit?" Applejack asked.

Godzilla roared in reply, which Fluttershy then translated.

"He says he keeps wanting to go out, but it hasn't been that much farther. He says he's mostly been sticking to swimming up and down the west coast like before."

"Ah, G-Man, you need to get out more!" Rainbow Dash said. "It's cool you want to be nearby and all, but there's a whole ocean out there to explore! Aren't you even the least bit curious?"

Godzilla softly roared in reply.

"He says that he really is and that he has every intention of exploring the rest of the sea one day. But for right now, he says he'd rather be near here so he can come quickly to us if we need him."

"Well, that's very nice of you, darling," Rarity said. "Still, I'd like to one day hear stories from you about what the rest of the sea is like out there. I'm sure it's amazing."

"I don't doubt that after the little bit of it we saw that one time," Applejack said. "I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was so amazing seeing the undersea like that. Sure it was still dangerous with the mission we were on and all, but y'all get what I mean, right?"

"Mm hmm," everypony else said.

"I'd like to go out and see it one day," Scootaloo said.

"I know I sure would, too," Sweetie Belle agreed.

"Maybe we can do that next visit," Apple Bloom said.

"We'll see," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Wow, I can't believe Godzilla really lives in the sea near Equestria," Starlight Glimmer said. "I'd sure like to ask him what it's like."

"Well, maybe you'll get a chance to," Twilight Sparkle said. "And I'm sure Godzilla will gladly answer your questions when you do."

"So am I," Starlight Glimmer replied.

Godzilla roared out questioningly to Fluttershy, which made her eyes widen in remembrance.

"My goodness, that's right!" Fluttershy said. She flew out of Godzilla's hand and a little bit closer to the ground. "Girls, Godzilla wants to know how the charity event went in Canterlot."

Everyone looked to Fluttershy before they began talking amongst each other excitedly.

"Well... in a single word... a success," Rainbow Dash said proudly.

"That's actually two words, silly."

"Shut up, Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash grumbled.

"Wrong number of words aside, Rainbow Dash was actually quite correct," Rarity chimed in. "The 'Godzilla Monster Ball Charity Event' in Canterlot was a more than huge success, Godzilla darling. Do you remember that line of dresses I showed you sketches of?"

Godzilla nodded his head as he roared his reply.

"He says he remembers," Fluttershy translated. "They were the inspired by him, right?"

"But of course, darling," Rarity said. "They were all modeled and auctioned off and frankly... it was the most success I ever had selling a dress ever in my entire life... Did I mention, ever? Anyways, what made it even better was that every bit made was going to such a great cause."

"Yup, the Canterlot children's hospital really needed those funds," Applejack said. "And it felt mighty good being apart of helping to raise 'em. Ooh, that reminds me, the apple pies and the apple dumplings and the fritters me and Pinkie Pie made all sold out."

"The ones with the new recipes you and Pinkie made together?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yes, indeed," Applejack affirmed. "The Godzilla bake away was just as successful as Rarity's dress auction."

"Yeah it was!" Pinkie Pie proclaimed happily. "I couldn't believe how fast we were selling those baked goods! I was afraid we were gonna run out before the event was over! Luckily, the Cakes were there to help keep the baked goods rolling in until the end."

"Some of the recipes we used for the stuff at the charity we used for what we made ya today, Ziller," Applejack said.

"We can't wait for you to try them!" Pinkie Pie squealed excitedly.

Godzilla roared in reply.

"He says he's sure he'll love them," Fluttershy translated.

"Scootaloo and me won the tag team pony race they were holding there, too!" Rainbow Dash said to Godzilla.

"It's true, see?!" Scootaloo chimed in giddily.

She reached into her saddle bag and pulled out two golden trophies. One was a small sized cup for Scootaloo and the bigger one belonged to Rainbow Dash. Godzilla nodded approvingly as he roared to congratulate his two friends.

"My sister Maud also got the band, RAWK to play to," Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"It was great!" Rainbow Dash said enthusiastically. "Don't know why most of the ponies in the crowd seemed so put back by them at first, though."

"And with Twilight playing moderator and Fluttershy pitching in behind the scenes," Applejack said, "I'd say all and all the whole thing went off without one single hitch."

Godzilla looked to Starlight Glimmer and roared questioningly.

"Oh, yes, she did play a part in the charity," Fluttershy answered.

"She was one of Rarity's dress models," Twilight Sparkle said.

"And I must say, a rather fine model indeed," Rarity said.

Starlight Glimmer smiled gratefully to the fashionista.

"Oh, I'm sure a few stallions in the crowd thought she was fine, too," Rainbow Dash teased.

Starlight Glimmer rubbed a hoof on the back of her neck as her face lightly began to blush.

"Yeah, you go girl!" Pinkie Pie said. "You rocked that dress, so go on with your bad pony self."

"I knew it was going to a great cause," Starlight Glimmer said. "So how could I possibly not volunteer when Rarity was looking for models?"

"Well, the help was very appreciated, darling," Rarity said as she put foreleg around Starlight. "Thank you very much."

"My pleasure," Starlight Glimmer said. "It was just one of many things I plan to do to make myself a better pony."

Godzilla roared out a few more questions.

"Yes, Spike, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle were there," Fluttershy answered. "All of use were. We all helped play parts both big... like you and small... like me."

"Again, we have to thank you for letting us name the charity after you," Twilight Sparkle said. "I truly think it helped make the charity even more successful than it would've been otherwise."

Godzilla roared out saying it was a pleasure and an honor to put his name and likeness to such a worthy cause. He, however, then expresses his regret that he couldn't be there himself to see it all play out. He was also quick to point out that he understood an animal as big as him in the middle of the capitol city is not a good idea at all. Thus while he would've liked to have been there, he was just fine that he wasn't.

"We would've liked for you to have been there, too, Godzilla," Fluttershy said. "But we all certainly appreciate your understanding of the circumstances and your still letting us use your name anyway."

Everypony looked to Godzilla gratefully as they also expressed their gratitude vocally. Godzilla responded by smiling warmly to them all.

"Alright, before we do anything else, can we please pull out the food?" Spike requested. "I'm starving."

"Well, that doesn't seem like an unreasonable request," Twilight Sparkle said. She then looked around to the rest of her friends. "How about you all? Do you wanna sit down quickly to eat?"

Everypony agreed that they would like to take the time to eat lunch before doing anything else.

"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse," Spike reiterated.

"Don't even think about it, tough guy," Apple Bloom joked.

While everyone else let out a laugh, Twilight Sparkle looked to Godzilla.

"I hope you're hungry, big guy, because we got quite the feast for you today," Twilight Sparkle said. "Girls, deploy Godzilla snacks!"

Hearing the princess bark out her order, everypony else stood at attention and saluted. Then they ran off and started spreading out across the beach. As they moved, they opened up the jars containing the food they made or bought for Godzilla to enjoy. Once they were finished, everyone came back to the spot near where Godzilla sat.

"Well, that was all of it," Pinkie Pie reported.

"Oh, boy," Spike said in anticipation. "I can't wait for Godzilla to see the surprise we have in store for him this time."

"It might end up being a little bit bigger than you think," Twilight Sparkle said.

Most of the group looked to the violet furred pony in confusion.

"Whatcha mean, Twilight?" Applejack asked.

Twilight Sparkle looked to Starlight Glimmer and they both winked at each other.

"Oh, it's just a new trick Starlight Glimmer showed me," Twilight Sparkle answered. "You'll see."

"Watch this," Starlight Glimmer said.

The two magic savvy ponies' horns began to glow in their respective magic auras. They then both shot out a stream of magic from their horns. Those single streams spread out into several that moved out all across the miniaturized pieces of food laid across the beach. Upon contact with the magical beams, all the pieces of food grew to a size more than ten times larger what they were suppose to be. The pies, along with a few other pieces of food, were so big they could fit in Godzilla's entire palm.

Everypony stared in wide eyed disbelief, though no one was more surprised than Godzilla. He didn't say anything or do anything for more than ten seconds. He just stood and stare at the feast that was laid out just for him. After a little bit, Godzilla turned to his pony friends in amazement.

"I know you can probably live off the natural energy sources found in Equestria," Twilight Sparkle said. "But you know what? I decided you deserved to be treated good. After Starlight Glimmer showed me that growth acceleration spell, I decided we should use it on your food. And as you can see, that's just what what happened. So you go on and enjoy yourself, Godzilla."

Godzilla looked from his pony friends to the large buffet of food and then back again. The emotion in his eyes was clear to see, even for those who may be watching from afar. The kaiju king let out an overjoyed roar as he stood up and stomped over to the feast meant especially for him. Spike and the ponies all laughed in amusement as they watched Godzilla began to chow down on his meal. They couldn't get over the disbelief and amazement on the face of the kaiju as he gorged himself and the light in his eyes every time he took a bite.

"Now, that was a good idea," Rainbow Dash said.

"Yeah, it was," Apple Bloom said.

"When did Starlight teach you that spell, Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"About two days ago," Twilight Sparkle said.

"It was right after you all invited me to tag along," Starlight Glimmer said. "Once I learned I was gonna be apart of this, I knew I wanted to add my own little contribution. Then I remembered that growth spell. So I taught it to Twilight and now, ta-da."

"Ta-da indeed, darling," Rarity said. "That was a very nice thing you did, Starlight Glimmer. I'm sure Godzilla appreciates it."

"I know we all do," Twilight Sparkle said. "In addition to teaching me a new spell, you did something to help make a friend of ours very happy and made our visit here that much better, I think."

"Eeyup and I bet that won't be the only way she does, neither," Applejack said.

Everyone spoke their agreement to which Starlight Glimmer couldn't help but blush a little.

"Thank you, everypony," Starlight Glimmer said.

While Godzilla was sitting off to the side eating his food, everyone else was eating from a picnic basket packed just for them. The Cutie Mark Crusaders ended up finishing their food first and then ran over to Godzilla to find that he was already done eating, too. Everyone else wasn't even halfway done with their food. The fact that Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo could finish eating at the same time as a giant monster was quite frankly surprising. Not so much for Godzilla since he was a giant, despite having more food to eat than the Crusaders.

Rarity also took note of how none of the Cutie Mark Crusaders had been eating very lady-like. No, they ate more like how Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Godzilla had been eating, aka like wild animals. She had come to expect that from them, but she was especially surprised at Sweetie Belle since she had tried to teach her better than that. Still, the trio of fillies did their best to finish up because they were very anxious to spend more time with Godzilla. This was because they wanted him to see something new about them he had not seen yet.

The three fillies' sisters thought about pulling them away and telling them not to disturb Godzilla after eating such a big meal. They ended up not bothering when it seemed like Godzilla was more than happy to have them by him. The King of the monsters smiled down at the Cutie Mark Crusaders and they all beamed back up at him. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom all looked to each other with eager faces before turning so Godzilla could see the sides of their flanks. The reaction from Godzilla was just what they were expecting it to be.

The giant monster let out a short gasp of a surprised roar as he took notice of the symbols on his younger friends' flanks that he had not noticed before. Godzilla stared for several seconds in utter amazement, for he could not believe what he was seeing. He turned his gaze to the rest of the group who were staring on in amusement, some trying hard not to laugh. Godzilla let out a short questioning roar aimed at his friends, particularly Fluttershy.

"Yes, it's true," Fluttershy replied.

"Those big, old eyes ain't deceiving ya, Ziller," Applejack said.

"WE GOT OUR CUTIE MARKS!" the Cutie Mark Crusaders yelled out loud to the Heavens.

As they ran around, chattered and squealed in happiness, the rest of the ponies and Spike all laughed in amusement at the filly trio.

"That they did," Rarity said proudly as she began to walk over.

Applejack walked over and Rainbow Dash flew over.

"And we couldn't be prouder," Rainbow Dash said.

"We're all really proud," Twilight Sparkle said. "We watched these girls become a team at the very start of their quests for their cutie marks. Since then they've grown into truly remarkable young fillies who very much deserve the marks they got."

Godzilla turned back to the Cutie Mark Crusaders and looked upon them proudly. He saw the pride in their eyes and on their faces, pride he felt was well deserved. The great kaiju let out several short roars, which Fluttershy then translated.

"Godzilla says he's extremely proud of all three of you, girls. He also wants to know what your cutie marks represent. I figured it was best if you three told him."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at each other ecstatically before they impatiently pondered who should be the first to start explaining.

"Well, it's like this," Apple Bloom said, electing to be the first one to speak. "It turns out we have a knack for helping others in finding their own special talents."

"Whether it's directly linked to their cutie mark or not," Scootaloo said.

"When we discovered this," Sweetie Belle said, "we decided we would spend our time helping others discover what their cutie mark meant. We also decided on possibly helping them find other talents they're good at, and maybe even help those who don't have cutie marks yet find them."

"That's when these appeared!" Apple Bloom proclaimed as she and her friends showed off their cutie marks again.

Godzilla roared questioningly.

"Yes, they did all appear at the same time," Fluttershy said.

"It was totally amazing!" Rainbow Dash said. "I'd never seen anything like it. Sure, that sort of happened with us, but we were miles apart from each other when it happened. These three fillies were all together when they got their marks."

"I was so happy that day, I could barely stand it," Rarity said.

"And everyday we just keep getting prouder and prouder of these three," Applejack said.

Godzilla roared happily to the ponies around him, more specifically at Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.

"Godzilla says he knows what you mean, Applejack," Fluttershy said. "He said he's becoming more and more proud of the girls by the second. He also says that judging by the sound of it, you girls have an extra special talent and that if anypony could do it, it's three extra special ponies like you."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders all giggled with Sweetie Belle even lightly blushing while Scootaloo rubbed the back of her neck and Apple Bloom turned away.

"Aren't our cutie marks awesome?!" the CMC shouted together.

They screamed, squealed, and giggled excitedly as they ran and jumped around much to everyone's delight and amusement. It was especially amusing for Godzilla since he rarely got to see the fillies, even less then he did the Mane Six or Spike. To see them so full of energy, life, and positivity among other things, it did the kaiju's heart good. Out of nowhere and much to everypony's surprise, Godzilla gently swung his hand down and just as gently scooped up the Cutie Mark Crusaders. He brought them up to his snout, which the fillies began petting as they laughed merrily.

After a half minute, Rarity suddenly appeared alongside the Crusaders, having teleported herself into Godzilla's palm. She rubbed a hoof gently across Godzilla's skin before clearing her throat.

"Do pardon my interruption, Godzilla darling," Rarity said. "There are a few things I would like to go over with you."

Godzilla nodded as he softly growled. Fluttershy was just flying in closer when this occurred.

"He said to go ahead and proceed," Fluttershy said.

"Splendid," Rarity said. She used her teleportation magic to make a clipboard with several pieces of paper on it appear along with her glasses she usually wore while sewing dresses. "As you know, the dresses that were auctioned off were to be one of a kind dresses never to be replicated. That will stay as so, but I was inspired to create a new line of dresses, all of them inspired by you like the ones at the auction.

"These ones, however, will be for the masses. I wanted to go over the designs with you and get your perspective and approval."

Godzilla roared in agreement as he leaned in closer to see what Rarity had to show him. The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Fluttershy all leaned in close so they could see as well. As that was going on, everypony else watched it all play out. This included Starlight Glimmer, who was still very much taken aback by all of this. Her first meeting with Godzilla was not at all in anyway shape or form what she expected it to be.

"So, what do you think of Godzilla, Starlight Glimmer?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she walked up to Starlight's side.

"He's incredible. I mean, look at him. He's so big, so... strong looking... so... so powerful. He looks as mighty and fearsome as a bear and yet also as regal and majestic as an eagle. But none of that bleeds through more than what he looks like the most; a giant dragon.

"But what's even more amazing is that, while he looks like all those things and could probably act like them if he had to, there's so much more to him than that. He acts like so much more. He's kind, caring, gentle, loving. He's like... almost like a..."

"A pony?" Spike asked.

Starlight Glimmer looked to see the little dragon standing on her other side. Upon seeing him smiling up at her, the unicorn mare responded in kind.

"Yes, Spike, like a pony," Starlight Glimmer replied. "Just like you..." Starlight then turned to Twilight Sparkle. "Just like all of you, he has the best qualities a pony should have."

"Well, that's very nice of you to say, Starlight," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'll bet Godzilla and the others would like to hear you say that to. Whadda ya say we go over and have some fun with everypony else?"

"Absolutely," Starlight Glimmer replied.

The two mares walked up to Godzilla and the rest of the group while Spike cleaned up the picnic a little before joining them. When Spike, Twilight, and Starlight came up to everyone else, Rainbow Dash was flying up above those on the ground. She held a ball in between her front hooves.

"So, who wants to play some ball?" Rainbow Dash inquired. Then she looked up at Godzilla as she said, "I promise I'll fly high enough to catch it this time, G."

Rainbow Dash and everyone else discovered, much to their surprise, that Godzilla was no longer paying attention to any of them. He wasn't even looking at the ponies in his hand. The King of Monsters was staring dead ahead, off in the distance. Everypony looked to see that he was looking in the same direction as Rough Sand Shell, the rather small seaside village of ponies. Godzilla's random actions greatly confused those around him as he began to sniff the air.

"W-What is he-?"

Rainbow Dash was cut off by the loud ringing gongs of bells that seemed to be coming from far away. This made everypony's eyes widen as their expressions displayed the growing concern they were feeling.

"Everypony... that's coming from Sand Shell," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Uh-huh," everyone said together as they nodded their heads.

"Those bells are only suppose to ring if the town's going through a huge disaster, like a tidal wave or an earthquake," Twilight Sparkle said.

"But nothing like that is happening right now," Rarity said.

"Or at least not that we can see," Pinkie Pie said.

"We're close enough that we should feel or see if something's happenin'," Applejack chimed in.

It was that point that Godzilla was emitting low, predatory growls. These caught the ponies' off guard as they turned to the great kaiju.

"So what's his deal then?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Starlight Glimmer and Twilight Sparkle both gasped as they looked to each other.

"Twilight, you don't think..." Starlight Glimmer began.

"It couldn't be," Twilight Sparkle said.

Everyone else gasped when they realized what was being implied.

"But I thought they were all destroyed," Applejack said.

"They were!" Twilight Sparkle said. "All the kaiju that were documented have all been destroyed."

"Then why is Godzilla acting like this?!" Spike asked.

"And more importantly, why is Rough Sand Shell ringing party bells, but for the wrong party?!" Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"I don't know!" Twilight Sparkle said.

The group's conversation was interrupted when they heard Godzilla growling as he started to move. They all gasped as they looked on in horror. Godzilla lowered his hand and gently slid the ponies in his palm off and down on the sand. Rarity teleported the fillies and Fluttershy out of harm's way while everyone else scattered. Godzilla stood up as he let out a battle roar and began walking away towards Rough Sand Shell.

"Is everypony okay?!" Applejack asked as they group reconvened.

Everyone indicated they were fine before they all looked to watch Godzilla walking towards the village.

"What's going on?!" Sweetie Belle asked in concern.

"I don't know," Twilight Sparkle said. "But we gotta check it out." The princess looked to Starlight Glimmer as she said, "Starlight, can you watch Spike and the girls while we go with Godzilla?"

Starlight Glimmer nodded her head and said, "Absolutely."

"Aw, Twilight, can't I come?"

"No, you can't, Spike!"

"None of you can!" Applejack said. "So don't bother asking!"

"Let's move!" Rainbow Dash barked.

With that, the Mane Six all ran off to Twilight Sparkle's hot air balloon. They all hopped in, minus Rainbow Dash who untied the balloon's basket from the ground and then tied herself to it. Then Rainbow Dash took off into the air, dragging the hot air balloon with her.

"Land just outside the town!" Twilight Sparkle said. "I don't wanna land right in the middle of it!"

"You got it, boss!" Rainbow Dash agreed with a salute.

So, the blue pegasus pulled the hot air balloon holding her friends ever closer to an unknown danger that lurked ahead in Rough Sand Shell.

* * *

 **Now, first of all, I know I'm saying Godzilla is 335 feet tall in this story instead of 400 feet like in the previous. I decided I made him to big in that story and wanted to make him smaller here so maybe his interactions with ponies could be a bit more natural. Then again, you can only get so natural with magic little ponies and giant monsters. But anyways, yeah, the Godzilla of this series is in fact, 335 feet tall. No more, no less. I hope you guys still like the story anyways and if you do, please let me know with a review and as always, be sure to let me know of any mistakes I might've missed in proofreading so I may correct them. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	4. Chapter 4: Rough Tough Brawl

**ROUGH SAND SHELL:**

The usually calm streets of the small seaside village were wild with activity as ponies ran and screamed for their lives. Earlier the only thing that was drowning out the sounds of the crowd were the sounds of the bells' gongs echoing through the village. The ponies responsible for ringing those bells had since abandoned the bell towers and were fleeing with the crowd through the small town known as Rough Sand Shell. Throughout the town there were several ponies injured, ranging from fatal to otherwise and several structures had been crushed to several pieces.

Aesthetically, the village looked very similar to what a seaside fishing village would look like in the old times. Unlike humans, though, these ponies didn't really fish, for they had no need to since they were vegetarians. They usually dealt in other ocean related trades of goods. That was before this day when Rough Sand Shell fell victim to panic from a yet to be identified source.

Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all came running and flying as fast as they could on a pathway. It lead them to a grassy spot of ground several yards away from and slightly elevated above the town. From here they could see most of the village and what they saw made their jaws drop. The Mane Six could both see and hear the ponies rioting, running around, and screaming at the top of their lungs. They were also able to see some of the damage that had been done to the village, including one bell tower being knocked over.

"What's going on?!" Fluttershy asked concernedly.

"I don't know," Twilight Sparkle said. "I can't tell from here. But it's definitely something, that's for sure."

"Twilight... what if... _it is_...?"

"It's not, Applejack. It can't be."

"Then what else could it be?" Rarity asked.

"Anarchists?" Rainbow Dash suggested. The rest of the Mane Six looked to the pegasus with looks of disbelief thar she felt practically burning into her. "What?!"

"Look, regardless of what it is," Twilight Sparkle said, "we need to get down there and investigate it right away."

"Then let's not waste anymore time up here!" Applejack barked. "Get along, little ponies! Yee-haw!"

The Mane Six all ran and flew down the path that would eventually lead them to Rough Sand Shell. Even when they were just entering the small village, the group of mares could already feel in the air the terror of the wild running ponies.

"It doesn't take being in the thick of it to know this is a heck of a situation, does it?!" Rainbow Dash yelled over the screams of the crowd. '

"You said it!" Applejack replied.

"Twilight, what do we do?" Fluttershy asked.

"Give me a moment, I'm working on it. Hmm... Well, I suppose we could try getting some of these ponies' attent-"

Twilight Sparkle was cut off by a loud noise that rang out through the air all around. This strange, loud, very animalistic call made the Mane Six all stop dead in their tracks. It had the exact opposite effect on everypony else who's screams intensified as they tried to run or fly even faster than before. The animal call rang out again, this time accompanied by loud booming that shook the ground. These booms, while random at first, became a consistent pattern.

"Here it comes!" a random voice from the crowd managed to say loud enough to carry over the rest of the voices.

Only seconds later, the animal call sounded again, this time louder than ever as the source of the roar became visible to the Mane Six. The color drained from all their faces as they stared on in wide eyed shock and horror. They saw it, yet they still didn't believe it and they really didn't want to either. Out from behind several large huts and shops appeared a giant monster of a turtle. The huge beast roared out again and looked around for prey as it stomped into full view of the Mane Six.

The giant kaiju very closely resembled a giant mata mata turtle, sometimes also called a rock turtle. That was mostly due to the rough, jagged, sea rock-like texture of the turtle's shell and skin, which this giant shared. It was light blue in color and stood on four very large feet. The kaiju's front feet were actually a little bit bigger than its back feet. It had a long, stretched forth neck and yellow eyes, as well as several sharp pointed spikes on its face and larger ones on its shell that all curbed forward.

This giant of terror was truly a sight to behold and a creature not to be taken lightly. The forty foot meter in length and twenty meter in height turtle kaiju stomped forward as it roared out again. As it rampaged on, the kaiju's massive girth of a body smashed through structures such as houses, shops, and the like. Its huge feet kicked up debris into the air and any ponies close enough to all this were crushed to death or met similar fates. The giant turtle paid no mind to any of the destruction it caused as it looked on at the environment around him all the while staying on the move.

As this all transpired, the Mane Six were still frozen place where they saw this new monster for the first time. While it was mostly shock that kept them there, a tremendous amount of fear swept through them as well. Perhaps nopony in that group was more afraid at that point than Fluttershy. She was so scared, she couldn't bring herself to flinch or fidget or move in the slightest. Even after the monster had moved on, Fluttershy and the other ponies still looked on fearfully like they would stay that way forever.

Their eyes followed the giant turtle as he stomped on through the village, causing great destruction with every step he took.

"T- T- Tw- Twilight..." Fluttershy managed to stammer out.

"I saw it..." Twilight Sparkle said, "but I still don't believe it."

"Twilight... I thought you said there were no more kaiju," Rarity said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"There wasn't!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. "There weren't anymore kaiju... Or at least I thought there wasn't."

"I know we're in the middle of being scared and shocked and all," Pinkie Pie said. "But I just gotta say: _I totally knew it_! What did I say?! Undocumented kaiju running around! Just like I said!"

"But that's impossible!" Twilight Sparkle said. "Why would the ancient ponies document some kaiju and leave others out?"

"And why didn't this kaiju show up at the same time as those other monsters we fought?" Applejack asked.

"Look, it doesn't matter!" Rainbow Dash interrupted. "What does matter is that it's here now and it's causing a lot of harm to a lot of ponies!"

"Rainbow Dash is right!" Twilight Sparkle said. "We need to help these ponies get out of town, safely out of the monster's path."

"How are we gonna do that?" Fluttershy asked.

"We'll split up into two teams," Twilight Sparkle said. "We each go off and gather up a group of ponies and lead them to the path on the hill where they'll converge into one group."

"Right!" the other ponies said.

"Scatter and move out!" Twilight Sparkle said.

Though it had not been decided who would go with who, this group of ponies was so tightly knit that they didn't need to stand and discuss it. Without a word spoken, the group of ponies ran off into teams of two. Twilight and Pinkie Pie went off together while Rarity and Applejack went another way leaving Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to fly off elsewhere. As to be expected, it didn't take these teams long to find crowds of screaming ponies running around wildly all over the place. It was everyone of the Mane Six's hope they could calm the crowds down long enough for them to show the ponies the safest way out of town and away from the monster.

At the moment, though, it seemed like that was gonna be rather difficult to pull off. Everyone of the mares of the Mane Six looked around with uncertainty. They were starting to nervously wonder if they were fooling themselves in thinking they could get these crowds settled down enough to lead to safety. None of them allowed this doubt to keep them from trying, though because they knew all the innocent ponies' lives at stake were too important. So the mares of the Mane Six came up with their own way to get the crowds' attention.

Twilight Sparkle flapped her impressive alicorn wings and flew up into the air as her horn created a bright flash of light. She flew just low enough so as not to draw the attention of the turtle kaiju still stomping around in the distance. She also made sure the light wasn't bright enough to attract him and also that she had done it while his back was turned. Everypony stopped and gasped in horror, which quickly turned into wonder upon seeing the light. When the light faded and everypony saw it was an alicorn princess of Equestria, they gave their undivided attention to the royal pony.

"Alright, everypony, we're gonna help you!" Twilight Sparkle announced. "Just follow me and my friend and we'll lead you away from the monster and to safety!"

"Follow the bouncing ball!" Pinkie Pie called out as she started bouncing around randomly. "Or in this case, the bouncing pony."

The crowd turned away from the zipping and zapping pink pony bouncing around and looked to Twilight as if to ask if she was serious. Twilight Sparkle gave a small smile and a light blush of her cheeks in response.

"Just trust me," Twilight Sparkle said. "She may be... zany, but your safety is her top concern right now. And it's mine, too. Follow Pinkie Pie and I and we will lead you to safety, I promise."

Twilight Sparkle flew above everypony's head and Pinkie Pie bounced after her. Not seeing any other option, the crowd of ponies began following the princess and her Earth pony friend as calmly as they possibly could. It wasn't easy for them, though, which was understandable to Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie. Both were having a hard time containing themselves and keeping calm as well. They knew what they had to do, however, and fought on to see that their job got done right.

Elsewhere, Rarity and Applejack were having a tough time trying to get the masses' attention. That was when Applejack came up with her idea.

"Rarity, I need you to teleport a big blow horn to me right now."

"Say no more. I'm on it!"

Rarity's horn began to glow its light blue aura and only seconds later did a blow horn half the size of Applejack appear in front of the southern mare.

"Nice job, Rarity. Where'd you teleport this big boy from?"

"Pinkie Pie's mane."

Applejack's eyes widened in surprise as she tried to process what should be an impossibility. Before she could say anything, she reminded herself of something that she and her other friends have said many a time. _It's Pinkie Pie, don't question it_ , Applejack thought to herself. With that, the orange furred Earth pony pressed a hoof down on the large horn and sent its trumpet blaring out across the airwaves. This instantly got everypony in the crowd's full attention.

They all turned to see Applejack had climbed on top of a wagon so everyone could see and hear her when she spoke.

"Lookie here, everypony!" Applejack called out. "Now me and Rarity here are gonna help y'all get out of the village and lead ya to safety."

"If you wanted us to be safe, you wouldn't have blown that horn!" A shaken up pony from the crowd yelled.

"Yeah!" another pony in the crowd agreed. "Did you ever stop to think that horn could attract the monster?!"

"He's on the other side of town right now!" Applejack defended. "Besides, it was the only way I was ever gonna get any y'all's attention! Look, we're both with Princess Twilight Sparkle. She's here with the rest of our friends spread out across the town trying to get ponies out safely."

"It was a royal order by her," Rarity supplied.

"So if y'all will just come with us," Applejack said, "I promise you'll be safe. Cross my heart."

"How do we know what you say is true?!" a pony asked.

"Even if it weren't, we're offering you an escort to safety," Rarity said. "Has anypony else offered that yet? And can you risk just ignoring us and running around randomly like a bunch of chickens with your heads cut off?"

Those in the crowd looked to each other to consult on whether to follow the two mares or not. It didn't take them long to come to an agreement as they all turned back to Rarity and Applejack and nodded their heads.

"Alright, everypony fall in line behind Rarity and me!" Applejack said.

"Rarity and _I_ , darling," Rarity said. "A monster attack is no excuse for being improper with words."

Applejack simply rolled her eyes before she and Rarity began walking along. The ponies in the crowd did as instructed and fell in behind the two mares and followed them to what they hoped was salvation. Along the way, Rarity and Applejack, still in the front of the pack, moved all sorts of miscellaneous items and debris off to the side. Applejack bucked it away with her back legs and Rarity used her magic to levitate and teleport stuff away so the crowd had more room to move along.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were having their own problems trying to rally the ponies on their side of Rough Sand Shell. Rainbow Dash hovered a few inches off the ground with her front legs folded across her chest and an annoyed look on her face. She had given up trying to appeal to individual ponies whereas Fluttershy was still desperately trying and unfortunately failing.

"Um, excuse me- Wait! Oh, you, sir- Come back! Oh! Um, um, um- How about you three come with- Please! We're trying to help!"

Rainbow Dash's body was shaking with anger as she greeted her teeth and started growling.

" _Everypony, shut up and pay attention_!" Rainbow Dash shouted at the top of her lungs, sounding almost like a death metal singer. It had about the same vocal range, too it seemed since everypony immediately turned to the source of the scream and saw this grumpy looking pegasus. "Now listen up and listen good! Me and my friend, Fluttershy here are gonna lead you out of town and you're gonna follow us and like it!"

"I- If you wouldn't mind," Fluttershy managed to stammer out.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and continued on.

"Neither of us want to see any of you become snack food for the monster, which is why we're trying to lead you away from him. But the only way to do that is for you to follow us to safety. So, are you gonna do it?!"

Everypony instantly gathered around the two pegasi, to which they replied with pleased smiles. They then looked to each other and exchanged a high hoof.

"Alright, everypony, please follow us," Fluttershy requested politely.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew just above the heads of those at the front of the gathering crowd as they led them down the street. With all three duos now having amassed large followers, they led them in the direction of the path the Mane Six took to get into town in the first place. During the entire process there wasn't a pony that didn't fear a possible encounter with the giant turtle kaiju. This included the members of the Mane Six, who led the distressed ponies. They tried to put on brave faces and fight through their fearful feelings, but it was impossible at this point.

Nopony could escape from the widespread fear the presence of a beast such as a kaiju inspired. It wasn't helped by the fact that along the way, every group of ponies would ocassionally hear the noises of the monster's rampage. Whether it was something being crushed and destroyed or the roars of the kaiju and other noises it made. Every sound the monster made increased everypony's jitters, chills, and terror. What was even worse was when the ponies would catch a glimpse of the giant turtle stomping around randomly like a lost child throwing a giant sized tantrum.

Regardless of all the fear the kaiju inspired, the frightened members of the Mane Six pushed on leading their groups to safety. They still knew these ponies' lives were too important to let fear dissuade them or make them flee for their own lives. The Mane Six didn't abandon any of the ponies in their group and that, in turn, inspired those scared silly ponies to keep on following these mares who offered to show them the way. What was even better for the ponies was when one of their leaders would go through the crowd to checkup on them and see if any of them needed help with anything at all. This included Fluttershy grabbing a teddy bear a foal dropped and returning it to her or Applejack volunteering to pull an elderly couple's wagon for them.

What made it even better was that these acts of genuine kindness seemed to be inspiring other ponies in the crowd to do the same. Despite how terrified they were at the current situation, some ponies would stop to help others who were injured or struggling. Some would offer to help pull wagons and some of those owners would offer their wagons to help ponies with supplies or transport the sick and the injured. One pony even came up to Applejack and took over pulling the wagon she had been dragging so she could focus on leading the group. It was through this cooperation amongst the ponies that led them safely to the path that would take them out of town.

The crowds the three teams led all converged right outside the town and all began walking up to the small hill that would lead them safely away. Police officers took over leading the large crowd so the Mane Six could find each other and reunite. Once they found each other, they all gathered off to the side of the evacuating crowd. They stood and watched to make sure everything went right and nopony was left behind.

"Good job, girls," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Now if we could only get ponies that peaceful at rush hour," Pinkie Pie said.

"Forget it," Rainbow Dash said. "It must be a change in the planets' alignments or something, because during that time, ponies start to resemble ursa minors more than they do actual ponies."

"Well, thankfully that didn't happen here," Applejack said. "Or at least, we were able to stop it before it got too bad."

"Now all that needs stopping is that monster," Rarity said.

"Yeah, speaking of which, where's Godzilla?" Rainbow Dash asked. "He should've been here by now."

No sooner than after the rainbow maned pegasus said that did a deep, mighty roar ring out across the air. The ponies looked to the town where they saw the giant turtle kaiju had been stopped dead in his tracks. They knew he had not made the roar, for they recognized it from a completely different kaiju. They more so wanted to see the turtle's reaction to it, which looked to be complete surprise. The giant turtle looked to the south where the roar came from.

The Mane Six's ears picked up the footsteps of the mighty kaiju they had been waiting for. They finally looked to see the King of Monsters himself stomping along and making his way into the interior of Rough Sand Shell. Godzilla roared out again as he lifted his head into the air and waved his arms around like a wild animal ready for a slaughter.

"Well, you asked for him," Applejack said.

"Yeah, I did," Rainbow Dash said with a little giddiness in her voice.

"You seem awfully excited," Rarity pointed out.

"Of course I am," Rainbow Dash said. "I haven't gotten to see something this awesome since... well, the last giant monster fight we saw. It's been too long and I'm ready for the show!"

"Oh, my," Fluttershy said concernedly. "I was hoping all showings had been finished. I really don't wanna see Godzilla go through this again."

"Yeah, not to mention Equestria," Applejack said. "Well, Rainbow Dash can't wait for it to happen, Fluttershy don't want it to happen. What about you, Pinkie Pie?"

" _I have strongly mixed emotions_!" Pinkie Pie loudly screeched out. Her eyes were wide with the conflict she spoke of, yet there was a shaky grin on her face. " _On the one hoof, I did find it both exciting and yet terrifying when Godzilla fought another monster_! _Then there's all the destruction that comes with it_! _So I never know how to feel when watching a monster fight_! _I'm so... nerv-a-cited_!"

"What about you, Twilight?" Rarity asked.

Twilight Sparkle didn't answer at first, choosing instead to watch in silence as Godzilla walked on and approached the turtle kaiju. An intense look came on her face as she continued looking on.

"Godzilla's gonna do what he has to do," Twilight Sparkle said. "No matter how much he doesn't want to, he will; just like us... I will say, however, that I'm not looking forward to watching him do it."

* * *

 **ELSEWHERE:**

"Lord Isarem, we think we've found something!" Khaos Furry called out.

Within the cave that served as the master minotaur's quarters, Khaos Furry and her older brother, Black Lightning had been feeding their unicorn magic into a glowing crystal orb. They were hoping this magical item would help them track down a creature that had been in the collective care of the two unicorns and all the minotaurs that worked for them. This was so ordered done at the command of Lord Isarem, who had been sitting at his desk writing instructions on a scroll. Upon hearing the unicorn mare's voice, he ceased his writing, pushed back his big stone chair and stood up. He looked to see both Khaos Furry and Black Lightning looking to him while still concentrating on the spell they fed into the orb.

"We believe we've found Kamoebas," Black Lightning said.

"Yes, so I heard the first time," Isarem responded. "Well, let's see what you've found."

The minotaur in charge stepped down from the elevated stone his desk stood upon and made his way in between the unicorns. He looked to both of them before saying, "Well, show me."

"Of course, my lord," Black Lightning said.

The two unicorns and Isarem all looked to the crystal orb as the glow surrounding it seem to intensify. The lights of the unicorns' horns also brightened considerably as they magic beams they emitted intensified in power. This lasted for several seconds before the orb's light, the horns' auras, and the beams they were emitting lowered in intensity. With all the lights faded, Isarem was able to see an image had appeared in the magical orb.

From what he saw, there appeared to be a town, one that had suffered great devastation recently. The source of that devastation was revealed in the same image. There in the middle of the town was a giant turtle-like monster. Isarem smiled, though it was still plain to see he was incredibly annoyed by what he saw.

"There's our naughty little boy."

"Y- You're not upset by this, Lord Isarem?" Khaos Furry asked.

"Of course, I'm upset. That overgrown turtle is running amok in my town! But luckily, it _is my town_ , so at least he didn't stray far away from the island like I feared he would. Besides... a better world awaits those who lost their mortal forms in the rampage. May Paradise except their freed souls.

"Still, no one outside the island knows of his existence and to an extension, any aspect of our plan. Now, if only we could get his command chip working right again so we can get him back to his hiding spot under the island. I'll send someone to the lab and see how work on that is progressing."

Isarem was just starting to turn away when Khaos Furry cleared her throat, which got the minotaur of authority's attention.

"Actually, Lord Isarem..."

Black Lightning was trying to speak, but the words got caught in his throat and he couldn't get them out. It was his undeniable fear of the mighty minotaur that kept him from finishing what he was trying to say. It wasn't made any better when he saw the annoyance on Isarem's face. This expression looked, as did most minotaur facial expressions, like he wanted to rip something in half. Black Lightning really didn't want to end up being the thing Isarem ripped should it come to that.

"Well, what?!" Isarem barked out. "Get on with it!"

"Of course, my lord," Black Lightning stammered out fearfully. "Uh... You see..."

"That wasn't Seaside Hoof in the orb," Khaos Fury supplied.

The look on Isarem's face changed, so subtly it was missed at first. The two unicorns soon saw the change and it struck them with more fear than if they had looked a dragon in the eye. The look of mild annoyance was growing into anger.

"What do you mean?" Isarem asked with a little growl in his voice.

The tone and loud volume of the minotaur's voice made Black Lightning and Khaos Fury flinch back fearfully. They looked to each other questioningly, but then turned back to Isarem.

"Th- Th- That town... was a town..." Black Lightning let out a sigh before finishing, "was a town on the mainland."

Isarem's eyes opened as wide as they could as his anger intensified even further into pure fury.

" _What_?!" Isarem screamed. " _The mainland_?!... _As in Equestria_?!"

"Yes, sir," Khaos Fury said.

"It's a small seaside village known as Rough Sand Shell-"

" _I don't care what town where_!" Isarem shouted. " _It doesn't matter where Kamoebas arrived on the mainland_! _What does matter is the fact that he's there_! _And in a populated area_ , _which means now that he's most certainly been seen by outside eyes_! _That means that maybe someone could track his path here and possibly even discover the plan_!"

Isarem screamed out loud as he lifted his head to the ceiling of the cave. The hood of his robe fell back revealing his intense and furious facial expression. Also revealed was his larger than average bull horns, and the long black mane of hair he shared with the other minotaurs of his following. He grabbed the sides of his head as his eyes seemed to widen even further than what they should be able to. One of Isarem's eyes twitched as he heaved out heavy breaths and his heart pounded in his chest.

"How could this have happened?" Isarem let out in a whisper. "How could it have gone so sour?... _Ahh_! Those blasted Devonians! If I didn't know any better, I'd think they intentional left faulty equipment behind for us after we wiped them out! Because of that faulty equipment, Kamoebas has been left to be exposed to the entire world, which could ruin my plan!"

"Lord Isarem," Black Lightning said.

Isarem snapped his head in the direction of the unicorn stallion as he growled in irritation.

"Now what?!"

"It seems... we've picked up something else in the area," Black Lightning reported.

Isarem looked on in a mixture of irritation and confusion.

"What do you mean?" Isarem asked. "What something else?"

"Like... another monster, lord," Khaos Fury said.

"Another monster?!" Isarem asked as his eyes bulged. "You mean another one of those things escaped?!"

"It's... not one of ours, my lord," Khaos Fury replied. "It's... something... local to Equestria."

"What?!" Isarem screamed. "But that's impossible!"

"See for yourself," Khaos Fury said.

Isarem looked into the crystal orb and saw that Kamoebas appeared to be backing away while looking up at something even bigger than he was. As the monstrous turtle continued to walk away, the beast it was backing off from came into frame on the orb. Isarem couldn't believe his eyes at that moment.

"Oh my..." Isarem sputtered out. "You're right... By the might of Paradise's light, _what is that_?!"

So many things about this kaiju shocked and amazed Isarem. Besides the fact that it even exists, there was the fact that he had not known about it before. Could it be a monster the Devonians had made before they and the minotaurs of Pony Tale Island came into contact with each other? Isarem had to wonder this and more. Also unsettling was how much bigger and frankly, more powerful it looked to be than Kamoebas.

It even looked to possibly be even more fierce than the other monsters he had at his disposal. In panic, Isarem turned to the entrance of his cave.

"Guard!" Isarem shouted out. In immediate response, several armed minotaurs charged their way into the room. "Get down to the lab! Tell those fools working on reactivating the command chip that they had yesterday to do it! We need to get Kamoebas back here right now!"

* * *

As Godzilla stomped his way through the confines of the village, Kamoebas watched his approach as several thoughts ran through his head. What was this mighty looking creature in front of him? Where had it come from? Did this predator mean to do him harm? Kamoebas asked himself all these questions and many more as Godzilla stomped closer to him.

Kamoebas had seen many other giant kaiju like himself. But the majority of them would actually end up working with him rather than against him. In that moment, though, it was becoming more and more clear to Kamoebas that this new giant had harmful intentions towards him. This actually terrified the giant turtle since he knew he was less than likely to win a physical combat with this gigantic beast. Kamoebas was a twenty meter tall and forty meter in length kaiju whereas Godzilla was a hundred plus meter tall monster.

While size may not always matter, Godzilla was clearly the physically superior beast of the two. He seemed more determined, more ferocious, and just more overall. So many fearful thoughts and emotions ran through Kamoebas as he kept backing away, while Godzilla kept stomping forth and getting closer. There were only a few meters between the two kaiju before Godzilla finally came to a stop. Confused, yet still very cautious, Kamoebas tilted his head to the side as he let out a few questioning growls.

As Godzilla began roaring his reply to Kamoebas, far away, conversation broke amongst the Mane Six, who were watching this play out.

"What are they saying to each other, Fluttershy?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Are they gonna be friends and have a party and play and-?"

" _PINKIE_!" Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack collectively barked.

"Shutting up now," Pinkie Pie said.

"Anywho, what're they sayin'?" Applejack asked.

Fluttershy listened closely as the exchange of roars and growls went on.

"Godzilla's telling the turtle that he actually doesn't want to fight," Fluttershy reported.

"Aw, man," Rainbow Dash groaned.

"He's also telling the turtle that what he's doing is wrong," Fluttershy went on.

"Destroying the town and hurting ponies?" Applejack asked.

"Exactly... Now Godzilla's telling the turtle that he wants to give him the benefit of the doubt and think he wasn't intentionally trying to hurt anypony or wreck anything."

"What does that mean?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Well, he says," Fluttershy began, "he'll let Kamoebas go without a fight if he leaves Equestria and doesn't come back. He says Equestria is his territory and he doesn't like strange kaiju stomping in and wrecking everything."

"Well, at least G's being all tough guy about letting him go," Rainbow Dash said.

"Now what's happening?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

The Mane Six all looked tentatively at the situation playing out between the two kaiju. Godzilla looked down expectantly at Kamoebas waiting for his answer. The turtle kaiju stood in silence as he pondered over what to do next. There were several intense seconds of silence with not a movement to be seen. Godzilla and Kamoebas just stood, appearing to be frozen in time while the Mane Six watched intensely from afar.

After a certain amount of time passed, that it felt like forever, Kamoebas' expression changed as he body lightly shifted. Kamoebas lifted his head into the air and roared out defiantly. His head lowered as he gazed at Godzilla like a dog ready to pounce on another that tried to steal his bone. Godzilla was visibly taken aback by this turn of events, as were the ponies watching it all.

"Is he a nut case?!" Rarity asked in shock.

"He's totally crazy!" Rainbow Dash answered.

"A complete wacko!" Applejack agreed.

"Absolutely, indisputably coco in the loco!" Pinkie Pie added on.

"He's so much smaller than Godzilla!" Twilight Sparkle said. "Why would he refuse an offer to bypass a fight from a clearly superior opponent."

"Maybe it's a macho thing," Pinkie Pie suggested.

"You're not far off, Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy said. "Part of it, to me, is probably the kaiju's natural instinct to stand up and fight for itself despite the odds."

"Like the kaiju pride all the other kaiju we've seen seem to have," Rarity said.

"Exactly," Fluttershy replied.

"Plus, I think this monster might have a short pony- uh, kaiju complex," Pinkie Pie said. "Kind of like my uncle Jimmy Pie."

"Or my cousin Short Stem," Applejack said.

"Naming her that, her parents must've really hated her," Rainbow Dash said.

Any further banter amongst the ponies was cut off by the loud echoing battle calls let out by both Godzilla and Kamoebas. The Mane Six looked to see both kaiju raising their heads as they roared out loudly once more.

"Speaking of hate!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Get ready!" Twilight Sparkle said.

"Oh, I am!" Rainbow Dash said excitedly.

"Here it comes!" Twilight Sparkle shouted.

Godzilla and Kamoebas both roared a final time before charging forth at each other. Kamoebas was instantly regretting his decision. He knew there was a strong chance he'd come out of this conflict more than worse for wear. More than that, he knew he may very well end up dying because of his choice. But all that couldn't stop Kamoebas from charging into this fight, for what Fluttershy said before was correct. The internal pride nearly every kaiju seemed to have was forcing him not to back down, despite his foe clearly being the better of the two.

Kamoebas stood up on his hind legs as he and Godzilla prepared to crash into each other. As soon as the thunder clapping collision occurred, Kamoebas' regret over his decision to fight Godzilla intensified. Once both kaiju's masses crashed into each other, they instantly began ripping and tearing at each other with their incredibly sharp claws and teeth. Godzilla and Kamoebas both bit and swung wildly at each other, not caring what they hit so long as it ended up hurting the other in the fight. They kept on swinging and swatting and smashing and bashing each other in what seemed like an endless dual assault.

There seemed to be absolutely no strategy in the monsters' attacks on one another. They seemed even wilder than some other big predators more commonly found in nature like lions or tigers or bears.

"Oh my," Fluttershy said as she watched the fight go on.

Those animals usually have some sense of where to get their prey from and how to come up on them. This exchange of teeth and claws between Godzilla and Kamoebas was just barbaric. Or at least that's how it started and went on for a long amount of time. Then it seemed some resemblance of an attack strategy was taking shape. Both monsters began aiming their bites and occasionally their claw swipes at each others necks.

Because of their similar points of attack and how high up they were on each other, the two monster's open mouths would sometimes end up colliding with each other.

"Eww," Pinkie Pie said. "That's one kiss I would never, ever want."

"Indeed," Rarity said. "How revolting just to even think about it."

"No offense to Ziller," Applejack said, "but I sure wouldn't want a smack on the lips from any kaiju neither."

"I can't tell who's winning, can you?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Not yet," Twilight Sparkle replied.

Godzilla and Kamoebas went on with their vicious assaults while also pressing their weight against one another as well. This went on for a good long while before a sudden move by Godzilla changed things up. The atomic saurian shoved forth with all his might, pushing Kamoebas down on his back. The force of the push was so strong that he was instantly rolled back onto his belly after hitting the ground. The Mane Six all cheered Godzilla as he roared out to try and warn Kamoebas to stop fighting him.

The giant mata mata turtle paid no mind to Godzilla's requests and instead forced himself back onto his feet to continue the fight. Kamoebas roared out loudly as he charged forth and rammed the side of his shell into Godzilla's legs. The King of Monsters let out a short yelp as he was forced to take a single step back to brace himself. Godzilla roared out angrily as he grabbed a hold of Kamoebas' shell and one of the spikes on his head. He repeatedly lifted the turtle's body off the ground and slammed it back down for a total of six slams.

Each time Kamoebas' body connected with the ground, it created an Earth shaking rumble that stretched on well passed the grounds of the battlefield. When it was over, Godzilla kicked his foot into Kamoebas' underbelly for good measure. Though the blow was hard and it felt like he was gonna tumble over to his side, Kamoebas managed to brace himself and stay on his feet. The turtle kaiju quickly fought back as he stood up on his back legs and rammed his upper body into Godzilla's. Kamoebas then turned to face Godzilla properly as he began a flurry of claw swipes and bites similar to how the two had begun the fight.

Godzilla quickly grabbed a hold of Kamoebas' front legs and shoved them down. He released one of them so he could ball up his right fist and started punching it into the side of his foe's face. The great turtle howled out in pain with each thundering blow he took. This went on for seven punches before Godzilla stopped and wrapped his arms around Kamoebas' front legs. The entrapped kaiju's eyes widened when he felt his body being pulled upward and his lower feet coming off the ground.

Kamoebas roared in protest while Godzilla roared over him and began swinging him side to side through the air. Godzilla must've swung Kamoebas at least eight times before finally tossing him forth. The Mane Six watched in awe as Kamoebas went sailing through the air before crashing into the ground. Kamoebas slid on his belly for several more yards before coming to a complete stop. Godzilla lifted his head into the air and roared out before he stomped after his fallen foe.

Kamoebas was hurt from the throw he just took, but not enough that he couldn't get back up again. That's exactly what he did when he saw Godzilla coming for him. Kamoebas stood up on all fours before charging at his bigger opponent. This time Godzilla caught him coming in as he swung his left foot up to kick Kamoebas right in the face. The turtle monster was stunned by the attack, but he was able to quickly recover before standing up on his back legs and ramming into Godzilla.

The two monsters came at each other with another round of tooth and claw fueled assaults on one another. This time around was a little different, though, in that Godzilla wasn't as wild as before. He was much more subdued and seemed more focus on holding back Kamoebas and his attacks than actually attacking him. That didn't mean he didn't occasionally throw a mighty claw swipe or punch or even snapped his jaws into Kamoebas' flesh once or twice. While Kamoebas was much smaller than Godzilla, he was still a scrappy little kaiju and did everything he could to thrash around and fight with all his might.

Kamoebas was determined not to make this an easy fight for Godzilla. But Godzilla was still much bigger than him and had a lot more experience in fights and was also a lot stronger than the turtle he was fighting. The huge saurian demonstrated that incredible, legendary strength of his when he grabbed a hold of Kamoebas and tossed him up into the air. The spike shelled kaiju cried out in surprise, as did the Mane Six as they looked on in amazement at the feat of strength displayed by Godzilla. Before Kamoebas could even start falling back down to Earth, Godzilla spun around and smacked his tail against the giant turtle's shell.

Kamoebas shrieked out as he was sent flying far away through the air. The helpless kaiju sailed on until he hit the ground with a hard bounce. He instantly went rolling through the air before bouncing into the ground again. This process of hitting the ground and bouncing back up into the air continued on five more times before Kamoebas finally stopped bouncing. He skidded on his belly a few more meters before he finally came to a complete stop next to the waterside.

Godzilla let out a low moan, for his tail had collided with the jagged spikes that stuck out of Kamoebas' shell. He only took a second to examine his tail before deciding it wasn't worth it. Godzilla then proceeded to stomp off after his foe, who had fallen so far away.

"It looks like Godzilla's trying to lead the fight out of the village," Twilight Sparkle reported.

"A little too late, but what can you do?" Rarity said.

"Not much when it comes to giant monsters unfortunately," Applejack said.

"Godzilla's reached Kamoebas already!" Pinkie Pie let out.

It didn't take the Earth pony's pointing it out for everypony to see that Godzilla was almost right next to Kamoebas. Godzilla roared out mightily as his tail flung up into the air and slammed back down. He examined the fallen form of Kamoebas as he walked around the kaiju until he was standing right in front of him. Godzilla knew Kamoebas was still alive, but he didn't know how hurt he was or how much fight was left in him. It turned out to be enough fight for Kamoebas to suddenly lunge forth at Godzilla as he roared in anger.

Front feet stretched out in front of him, Kamoebas slammed into Godzilla and began biting and clawing at him once more. Godzilla responded in kind, swinging his own mighty claws at Kamoebas while also trying to bite into his neck. The two kaiju kept charging at each other during the whole brawl, smacking their bodies and occasionally their heads into each others. During the fight, Godzilla let out an extra loud short roar before shoving Kamoebas back. Godzilla then began throwing several rapid fire punches to his underbelly, head, and neck.

Each hit Kamoebas took felt like it was gonna punch right through him or was caving in his insides. The four legged monster stumbled back a few steps on his hind legs before thrusting forth and biting deep into Godzilla's left forearm. Godzilla let out a quick shriek of surprise and pain from his foe's surprise attack as he felt the turtle's teeth sinking into him. Godzilla thrashed and swung his arm around like crazy and though it took a long time, it eventually led to his left arm slipping out of Kamoebas' jaws. But almost as soon as Godzilla's arm was free, Kamoebas lunged forth and bit into it again, causing the atomic saurian to shriek out yet again.

The King of Monsters glared down at Kamoebas with intense anger and hatred. The fury he felt at that moment was akin to a fury he had not felt since the last major monster fight he had a long while back. With this new found intensity in him, Godzilla roared out as he lifted his arm into the air. Because Kamoebas did not release his bite, he went flying up into the air as well. Godzilla then swung his arm downward, again taking Kamoebas with it and sending him crashing into the ground.

Despite all this, however, Godzilla had not broken free of Kamoebas' bite. The fighting mad kaiju continued chewing, tugging, ripping, and tearing at it with all his might. Godzilla lifted his arm up into the air again and swung it outward. Kamoebas cried out in desperation as he felt Godzilla's flesh slip out of his mouth and he went sailing out over the ocean waters. He splashed down into the sea before rolling backwards onto his underbelly yet again.

The fallen kaiju did not get back up, nor did he even try to do so. Kamoebas laid there, half his body submerged and the other sticking out above the ocean waves. He was in a great amount of pain, so much so that he wondered if he should try retreating or not. He already knew choosing to fight Godzilla was a bad idea and he was regretting it like nothing else. His whole body felt like it was on the verge of collapsing after all the punishment he had taken and Kamoebas knew if the fight went on, he would take a lot more.

As he had contemplated before, the continuation of the fight could even lead to his death. Kamoebas was preparing to retreat when he heard the splashing of water and a large shadow fell over him. The turtle didn't even get a chance to look up before he felt Godzilla's hand reach down and wrap around his throat. Godzilla lifted Kamoebas up out of the water and pulled him in so the turtle could see his snarl up close and personal. Kamoebas whimpered a little as he felt Godzilla's claws digging into the sides of his throat, slowly but surely.

At that moment, Godzilla didn't care about morality or anything remotely close to it. He was nearly consumed by the anger he felt for all Kamoebas put him and Rough Sand Shell through and he was determined to end it. Godzilla let out a short roar before biting deep into the side of Kamoebas' neck, making him shriek out in agony. He was cut off when Godzilla put more pressure on the grip his hand and jaws had on the helpless kaiju. It became more painful by the second, for Godzilla's bite and choke kept getting all the more tighter.

The Mane Six appeared in a flash of light on one of the docks of Rough Sand Shell. Twilight Sparkle had teleported herself and her friends to the water's edge so they could get a better view and see the end of the battle. It was just when they appeared that the ponies saw Godzilla wrench his head back, pulling a chunk of flesh from Kamoebas' neck with him. At that point, all other noise was temporarily drowned out by the cries of Kamoebas. The sight of this made the Mane Six all scream a little bit, too.

"Dude!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "So freakin' gnarly!"

"More like gnarly and a half!" Pinkie Pie let out.

"You said it! Both of you!" Applejack said.

"Looks like tonight G's dinning on turtle soup," Rainbow Dash said.

Godzilla released Kamoebas' throat just as the kaiju king's back spikes began to glow a bright blue. Half a second later, a bright beam of light and energy, the same color as Godzilla's spikes, shot out of his mouth and struck Kamoebas in his exposed underbelly. The giant mata mata turtle instantly began shrieking as he felt the burning sensation of the beam and the force of it plowing through him as well. It was like an extremely heated drill was goring through a piece of wood, but a hundred thousand times worse. Kamoebas fell backwards onto his shell as the pain of Godzilla's breath consumed him.

The King of Monsters took two steps forward, just as his beam ignited over Kamoebas' body and caused a large explosion of fire, among other things. The flash of light from the explosion and the wind force of it made the ponies watching nearby all turn away and cover their eyes. Several pieces of Kamoebas went flying into the air, some burning and some not, before falling back down to Earth. When the Mane Six no longer felt the wind or heard the sounds of the explosion, they all looked back to see the aftermath. They all stared in amazement at everything that came as a result of the explosion Godzilla's beam created.

The carcass of Kamoebas laid on its back in a ball of fire as the water around him began to turn red. Godzilla lifted his head into the air as he roared out in victory over his now dead opponent.

"Godzilla's won!" Rarity proclaimed.

"Thank for the newsflash, Ace," Rainbow Dash said. "Not like we couldn't see it for ourselves."

For a moment after, nopony said or did anything. They all stood in place and looked on as they let all the events of what just happened truly sink into them. Godzilla stood in place as well as he looked down at what used to be Kamoebas. He began to wonder if there could've possibly been a better way for their encounter to have gone down. He pondered this and more as he looked down at his fallen foe with a slight hint of regret.

"So... what do we do now?" Fluttershy finally managed to ask.

"Well first of all," Twilight began, "I think we can all agree that the day we had planned of lounging on the beach is not happenin'."

"Mm hmm," everypony else agreed.

"Secondly," Twilight went on, "we need to get back to the beach and gather up Starlight, Spike, and the girls. Then we're all gonna head back home where you all will be dropped off before I head to Canterlot for a meeting with the princesses. After reporting this kaiju to them, I'll request teams to help with the refugees, the cleanup of what's left of Rough Sand, and to study this kaiju's body."

"Should Godzilla come back with us?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes," Twilight Sparkle answered. "I think that's probably best for right now... Because if this is a sign that the kaiju have indeed returned to Equestria... then it's in our best interest to prepare for the very worst... And that means we'll need all the protection we can get."

* * *

 **BAM! First kaiju fight, friends! This chapter was suppose to be released alongside the first 3, but proofreading was taking too long on this chapter and I really wanted to hurry up and get this out to the public. But anyways, I'm glad I finally got to post this 4th chapter now, too. I hope you all enjoyed it because I know I did. This is the first time I enjoyed reading one of my own chapters than I actually did writing it, though I still really enjoyed that. If you all enjoyed this chapter and even if you didn't, please let me know with a review after reading and don't hesitate to tell me of any errors I might have missed in this chapter while proofreading so that I can correct them to the best of my abilities. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	5. Chapter 5: As Luck Would Have It

There was a long period of silence within Isarem's quarters. Black Lightning and Khaos Fury stood frozen with fear and anticipation as they looked to the angry bull in between them. Isarem stood in place staring at the now blank globe, the images and light within it having disappeared since the unicorns stopped feeding it magic energy. The robed minotaur was breathing very heavily to the point where his chest was heaving as he did his best to control his flaring temper. He was also rolling a large stone in his right hand as he held it up to his face and had his left arm crossed over his chest.

Both Khaos Fury and Black Lightning knew it was only a matter of time before Isarem's boiling anger would give in and he'd go ballistic. They'd seen it many times before and despite their great magic, they still feared every tantrum their master threw. They didn't want to be there when he finally gave into his fury, but both unicorns were too scared to move, fearing even the tiniest thing they did would set Isarem off. For that reason and that reason alone neither Khaos or Black would budge despite the storm that was coming.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though their efforts would be in vain. At that moment, several minotaurs came bursting through the door, all of them appearing to be frantic over something. The two pony siblings' eyes widened in terror when they saw the minotaurs approaching Isarem and them.

"Lord Isarem, we have terrible news from the lab!" the minotaur at the head of the pack said. "The bulls at the computers said that the control chip-"

The minotaur was silenced when his ears just barely picked up what sounded like whispering hisses. That's when he noticed that it was Khaos Fury hissing at him and saw her shaking her head rapidly. She was trying her best not to be detected by Isarem as she gestured to the minotaurs that just walked in. The bull at the head of the pack saw the fearful look on Khaos Fury's face as she mouthed the words, "Code Three".

Every minotaur there knew exactly what that meant and instantly turned away to get out of the room as Khaos Fury gestured for them to do. After all the minotaurs left, slamming the door shut behind them, Khaos Fury let out a sigh of relief. She cut herself off, however, when she realized both her and her brother were still stuck in between the one they feared the most. Why didn't Khaos Fury and her brother leave with the minotaurs when they had the chance? Now they were still caught between a volcano waiting to erupt, that being Isarem.

Khaos Fury and Black Lightning both slowly turned their gazes back to Isarem and saw he was not breathing as heavily as before. He wasn't rolling the rock in his hand around as hard and as fast as before either. Was this a sign that Isarem had somehow found a way to control his legendary temper? Black Lightning and Khaos Fury couldn't tell, for Isarem has had delayed tantrums before. Only time would tell if he would be able to calm himself or would lose his cool, but eventually something had to happen.

"So... there's a beast out there that isn't one of ours?" Isarem finally let out. Despite the seemingly calm tone of his voice, the two unicorns were still very much frightened. "He's big... He's strong... He's powerful... And he's not one of ours? We have no control over him whatsoever?... Quite the contrary, he seems to be aligned specifically with the... _ponies_ of Equestria... And he managed to kill one of our assets.

"Hmm... Okay then... That leaves me with... actually, quite a few questions. Like, how did the Equestrians get their own monster and one so powerful? Did they make it or find it? Was he a Devonian reject? And if so, how did they get him on their side? Nopony I know of has magic enough to influence a kaiju that way... Not even an alicorn.

"Another question is how long have they had this kaiju? And how did they manage to keep it without us finding out?"

Khaos Fury saw the grip Isarem had on the stone in his hand get ever more tighter the entire time he was speaking. Sweat was practically pouring from her brow at this point. She knew now this was only the calm before the storm and that any second now Isarem would let loose. Unfortunately, her brother seemed to be ignorant to this at the moment.

"Well... L- Lord Isarem..." Black Lightning began, "E- Equestria, while a big country... is a long ways away... And what goes on there usually has no impact on what happens here at the island. But on the bright side, Kamoebas, while one of our kaiju, wasn't exactly our ace in the-"

Khaos Fury had been attempting to warn her older sibling, but it would seem to be too late. The warning came in the form of Isarem letting out a sigh that sounded more like one of the vicious growls of a kaiju. The instant he heard Isarem's breath of anger, Black Lightning silenced himself and froze back up in place again. It was like that for several moments where the three hoofed beings in that room stood in place, one deeply angered, the other two terrified of his wrath.

"Wh... What should we do now, my lord?" Khaos Fury managed to sputter out. "H- How do you want us to proceed?"

Isarem growled lightly and turned his glare upward as he began to think of what to do next. As he stood there thinking, Isarem's grip on the stone in his hand got tighter and tighter to the point where Black and Khaos heard it starting to crack. They saw Isarem's hand shaking as the sounds of the cracking got louder and they even started to see the cracks themselves. Finally Isarem's hand closed into a fist as the rock broke into several pieces that flew everywhere after a loud ' _BOOM!_ ' rang out. The two unicorns flinched back and covered themselves both from the flying debris and the horror of Isarem's anger that was sure to follow.

However, there was no burst of anger afterwards, much to Khaos and Black's surprise. They looked back to the master of minotaurs as he turned his hand over and scraped off what dirt and dust was left in his palm with his thumb. Isarem then began stroking his long goatee that hung off the tip of his chin while he continued thinking of what to do next.

"Well," Isarem said as snorts of smoke came out of his nostrils, "given these... _unfortunate_ developments... I'd say we have to seriously consider altering our plans... Perhaps even a drastic leap in schedule... Yes, that's probably it... I don't want to, but we have no choice."

Isarem walked back up to his chair and desk and sat down again before turning back to Khaos Fury and Black Lightning. "Change phase number three to number six."

Both ponies gasped in disbelief.

"But, Lord Isarem, that's only two away from the final phase!" Khaos Fury exclaimed.

"I'm well aware," Isarem said. "I made the plan, you know."

"Of course, my lord, but..." Khaos Fury couldn't believe she was talking to Isarem at that moment, but she couldn't stop herself. "We're not even close to being ready for that... Several important items in the plan are still not in our possession!"

"And who's fault is that!" Isarem shouted in his monstrous voice. "Hmm?!... I send you out time and again to find what we still need! I put you in charge of looking here! And yet still nothing! So, if anyone should be crossed here, it's me! You two have failed me in the long run of my purpose! Our purpose! The only purpose!

"Paradise can wait no longer! Her light calls to us all! What we're trying to accomplish here is too important to be messing around and wasting time! We need to work harder and push ourselves to the absolute limit... This cause deserves no less; it's the only way we will accomplish it... You both still believe in the cause, don't you, my little ponies?"

"Yes, my lord," both unicorns said as they bowed.

"It is with this cause that you showed us a light when we lived a shared life full of darkness," Khaos Fury said.

"Not just any light, my lord," Black Lightning said. "It was _the_ light. The one and only true light in a world shrouded in blinding shadows. Since then we could never have been happier. Of course the least we could do is give our full effort to serving this cause bestowed upon us by you, who was in turn bestowed by the light itself. It's been nothing but an absolute honor in serving the cause since then."

Khaos Fury detected heavy deceit in her brother's words throughout the whole time he spoke. She was thankful that Isarem did not seem to pick it up. It must be something a sibling is burdened with to know when their brother or sister is lying.

"At a young age, I was burdened with great purpose," Isarem said. "It was such a great purpose that even into my adult years I could not fulfill it on my own despite how hard I tried. And I tried _very_ hard, believe me. That is why I called for so many to join me in this cause... It may seem cruel and even evil to some... But what we're doing is for the greater good beyond all other goods.

"That's why the cause needs full dedication. I very much appreciate all the effort you two have put into the cause, truly I do. You came willingly when all other equines reacted with disgust and even fought back and had to be taken as forced labor. But despite all other ponies' relents, you two have remained forever faithful. For this I thank you... But I fear your efforts and dedications to this cause might be slipping."

Both unicorns' eyes widened in alarm.

"Absolutely not, Lord Isarem!" Khaos Fury exclaimed. "We are just as dedicated as ever!"

"And we're gonna prove it!" Black Lightning added. "We shall double our efforts a hundred times what they were before! We will go beyond and do more than our best because the cause deserves no less!"

"Hmm, mighty strong promises," Isarem said. The master of minotaurs was quiet for a few seconds as he seemed to be thinking about what to do or say next. "I only hope you can keep them."

"You have my word we can, lord," Black Lightning said.

"We swear by Paradise and the light," Khaos Fury said.

"Very well then," Isarem said. "Then be gone. Go forth and carry out my orders... _But don't you dare fail me again_."

"Yes, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury and Black Lightning said.

"Once we have finished relaying new orders to the masses, I'll start working the miners extra hard," Khaos Fury said.

"And I will begin planning stronger maneuvers against those ponies that dare keep us from what we need to serve the cause," Black Lightning said.

"Ah, yes... all those poor ponies," Isarem said. "It breaks my heart that we have had to treat them the way we have, both the slaves and the villagers. Truly I wish we didn't have to treat them like slave labor or enemy soldiers in a war... But they just won't see the light... One day they will, though.

"One day they will understand what we're trying to accomplish. They'll see that all the pain and suffering they go through now will only serve for the eternal peace and paradise that awaits all flesh and bone creatures. And on that day... when they're all living in splendor... they'll thank us."

"Yes, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury and Black Lightning said.

"Now, be gone with you," Isarem said as he waved the two ponies away. "Go forth, spread my word, and see that Paradise's will is done. I can only hope you and the rest of my coalition are as dedicated and work as hard as you two bolster that you will."

"It'll be even harder than that, we promise, lord," Khaos Fury said.

"We won't fail you," Black Lightning said. "Until next we meet, may Paradise shine its light on you, Lord Isarem."

"And may it shine for you as well," Isarem said.

With a final bow to Isarem, Black Lightning and Khaos Fury walked away and exited the master minotaur's quarters. As soon as the door shut behind them, the two unicorn ponies and the guards around the door winced as they heard a loud holler of anger. Isarem was finally throwing the fit he had been holding in for so long. Black and Khaos weren't going to stick around for it, though as they quickly began galloping away and down the tunnel. They didn't stop until the small hall opened up into the larger area where several minotaurs and enslaved ponies were hard at work.

The two siblings then stopped to catch their breath after running so fast and furiously to escape the wrath of Isarem.

"I can't believe Isarem's serious!" Khaos Fury said. "He knows we're nowhere near ready for phase six of the plan!"

"I kept saying it looked like that old bull was slipping," Black Lightning said. "Maybe Kamoebas' escape and the discovery of that other monster finally pushed him over the edge."

"Even so, I can't believe he's forcing us into such a drastic schedule change," Khaos Fury said. "This is totally gonna throw off the plan and have a negative effect on all the effort we put into it. He can't be serious!"

"Hey, it's fine with me," Black Lightning said. "At least now something big is _actually_ gonna happen."

"What?!" Khaos Fury asked in disbelief.

"You know, whipping these slaves around and fighting those ponies from the village has been fun and all," Black Lightning said. "But it's only served as small cookies for me. I've been sitting around waiting for the big score to happen. And finally, after all this sitting around and scheming, it sounds like that old bull's finally gonna give the go ahead."

"But it's practically doomed to failure!" Khaos Fury said.

"Relax, sis," Black Lightning said. "Even if it does, at least there'll be some big fireworks shows along the way to gawk at. That'll make it worth it to me and I expected the same would be true for you. Remember, we're not actually in it for the big revolution these horn heads are. We're just in it for the show. Or did you forget about that and actually start buying into this heap of hay?"

"N- No, big brother," Khaos Fury said hesitantly. "I- just... want things to go well for us."

"Well, all we have to do is sit on the sidelines and enjoy the show from a safe distance and we'll be fine," Black Lightning said. "I promise, Khaos."

"Thanks, Black. I won't back out on ya at the last second. I may be concerned, but I never let you down before, have I?"

Black Lightning chuckled a little before he said, "No, no, you haven't. Fair point, Khaos. Thanks for your following me unquestioningly for all these years."

"Of course, you're my brother."

The two siblings hugged each other closely for several seconds before looking out at their surroundings.

"Well, we better gather the masses and let them in on the change of plans," Khaos Fury said.

"Yeah and then I need to prepare our troops for the next several strikes against Willowbrook," Black Lightning said.

"May Paradise's light shine over us."

"Whatever, Khaos."

The two unicorns laughed before heading off to fulfill their duties.

"At least those ponies on the mainland still don't really know of the plan," Khaos Fury said.

"Yeah and it's still very unlikely they'll find out about it," Black Lightning said.

* * *

 **CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA:**

"And that's all I have to report for now, princesses," Twilight Sparkle said.

The violet coated mare had just finished relaying her report to her fellow alicorns about the incident at Rough Sand Shell she and her friends had witnessed. Twilight Sparkle stood near the edge of a small set of steps that led up a pedestal for the thrones of the royal sisters, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Above all others, these two regal ponies were the sole rulers over the entire land of Equestria. Among other responsibilities, they were also tasked with raising and lowering the sun and moon.

In the biggest throne of four sat the tallest of ponies, Princess Celestia. Her fur coat was pure white and her long flowing mane and tail were made up of the lightly tinted colors of pink, green, and blue. Her cutie mark was that of the sun, her eye color was pink, and her majestic wings and long horn were complimented by her regalia. She wore a gold and jewel encrusted crown upon her head and a golden yoke around her neck and chest with golden horseshoes to match.

In the smaller throne to her right, the only other one currently occupied, was her younger sister, Luna, princess of the night. Her coat of fur was colored a very dark blue while her flowing mane and tail were an ever slightly lighter shade of blue. Her cutie mark was a crescent moon in the middle of a black shroud and her eyes were an even lighter shade of blue than her fur coat or her mane. Her regalia consisted of clear crystal slippers, a black yoke of armor with the crescent moon on the front and a black crown.

Both princesses, who usually wore smiles or soft expressions of gentle authority, looked on grimly as they tried to take in what they just heard. At that moment, they felt almost exactly as horrified as when the first kaiju crisis of modern Equestria occurred not too long ago. The only difference was that this time, despite there only being one kaiju attack thus far, in a way, they felt worse. The memories of what the country and their subjects all went through were still very fresh in their minds. What they also remembered very well was how terrible it made them feel knowing all this occurred in their kingdom and there was nothing they could do to about it.

They had all the phenomenally amazing powers of an alicorn, but they paled in comparison to the greater god-like power of a hundred meter plus meter tall monster. Even worse was there were almost a dozen of them, which was far more than enough to overwhelm the forces the ponies had at their disposal. The kaiju had been forced by an almost demon-like pony to turn that astonishing power on Equestria and tried to raise it to the ground. Had it not been for Godzilla and other outside forces, Equestria would've surely fell. Now, Twilight Sparkle had just come in with urgent news of a new threat that could or could not potentially signal a second kaiju epidemic.

It was almost too much for the royal sisters to take. Their hearts felt like they were sinking lower than they had been in a very long time. Despite the distress and even the fear they felt, both princesses knew they had country to run, especially with an emergency like this. This was one time where both wished they didn't have such high authority. But both would still work a hundred and ten percent to use their positions in the best interest of their land and their subjects.

"So you say this new... _turtle_ kaiju was defeated by Godzilla," Princess Celestia observed. "But not before its rampage and the ensuing fight caused extensive amounts of damage to the village and more importantly, harm to its residents?"

"Yes, Princess Celestia," Twilight Sparkle answered. "That is, both the rampage and the fight damaged the city, but the fight didn't really have an effect on the ponies directly. We gathered up all the ponies that were... well, that were still alive. We gathered them up and led them out of town before the local authorities took over."

"Hmm," both princesses said thoughtfully.

"And where are those ponies now?" Celestia asked.

"Last I heard, they were transported to Las Pegasus where they're all currently seeking appropriate care," Twilight Sparkle said.

"And where is Godzilla now?" Princess Luna asked.

"He's in Ponyville staying in the open field by my castle," Twilight Sparkle answered. "We thought it would be a good idea to keep him close by should the situation escalate."

"Yes, a very wise decision indeed, Princess Twilight," Luna observed.

"Thank you, Princess Luna," Twilight Sparkle replied. "We also-"

Suddenly, Princess Luna, alicorn of the night let out a loud cry of anguish, unable to hold back her emotions any longer. "Why must we endure such evils time and again?! What has Equestria done to deserve this?! First all those ancient kaiju under King Sombra's control, now this random beast that nopony, past or present, has ever heard of!

"What in Tartarus is going on?! It's like a monster convention here!"

"Luna, my sister, calm yourself, I beg you!" Princess Celestia exclaimed. "I know what you're going through. I am going through the exact same thing that we've both had to endear before in the first kaiju crisis. But just like before, we must not let it break us! Equestria depends on us too much for us to let these things get to us, terrible as they are. We must be strong for Equestria, for its citizens, and for each other."

Luna looked to her older sister and saw that she did, indeed, feel the emotional turmoil as she herself was feeling. She saw Celestia's eyes tremble as her frown grew sadder by the second, and it almost felt like she could see deep inside that Celestia's heart was breaking. But she also heard the truth in Celestia's words about keeping their emotions in check during such a dire time because their country needed them to. Thus, inspired by her sister's heart and courage, Luna wiped away her tears and nodded in agreement as she tried to put on a brave face.

As the sisters shared a quick hug, Twilight Sparkle stood by and watched it all play out. She felt bad for both alicorns and had felt rather helpless when giving them her report. She didn't want to make them or anypony feel bad, let alone herself. But that seemed to be just what happened with her report to them. She saw it all clearly play out in front of her; it was almost unavoidable.

"I didn't mean to upset you two."

"Oh, no, Twilight, don't feel bad," Celestia said. "It wasn't your fault. This probably would've happened no matter who reported this to us. You were just doing what you knew needed to be done."

"Frankly, it was made better that you were the one to tell us," Princess Luna said as she sniffled away more tears. "I always hope to never get such news, but if I have to, I want it to be a pony I trust that tells me. I'm sorry it had to be you and that you had to see me like I just was. I'm also sorry you had to go through what was surely a horrible experience at Rough Sand Shell. Do know, though, that I'm still happy that, of all ponies, you came to us."

"Thank you, Luna," Twilight Sparkle replied gratefully.

"Now, what of the turtle kaiju's body?" Celestia asked.

"It's still laying where it fell," Twilight Sparkle said. "About a few hundred kilometers out to sea from what's left of Rough Sand Shell. Part of why I am here was to request some teams. One team to help handle the Rough Sand refugees, one to handle clean up of the village, and then one to examine the kaiju's body and give it a proper autopsy. Or that is, about as close as you can get to proper when dealing with a kaiju carcass."

"All of this will be handled immediately." Celestia turned her attention to her younger sister. "Luna, see to it that all these requests are taken care of and that the teams are assembled efficiently. Do this with the extreme attention to detail it requires."

"Of course, my sister, right away!"

Luna flew from the pedestal the thrones stood atop of and all the way down the steps right next to Twilight at the bottom. The two offered each other a quick bow of respect before Luna trotted off to carry out her task. Twilight Sparkle and Celestia only watched Luna leave before turning back to each other.

"I meant what I said earlier about sharing Luna's pain," Celestia said. "I remember all too well the horror and the agony my ponies suffered during the kaiju crisis. I also remember the feeling of knowing I could do nothing to stop it. My kingdom faced worse peril than it ever had before and I was powerless when everypony needed me the most. This time I was actually forced to take a backseat and leave the fate of everything in the hooves of others. I was a ruler who was made to look like a peasant by forces greater than myself and those that depended on me suffered as a result."

"It wasn't your fault, princess," Twilight Sparkle said, having walked up the steps to Celestia's throne. "Nopony could've stopped those kaiju by themselves. Even an ancient, powerful court of seven alicorns couldn't stop them. My friends and I who save Equestria on a regular basis were incapable of even slowing them down. It was only by all of us working together, you included, that we were able to summon someone who could defend us, that being Godzilla.

"Then all of us, again, you included, befriended Godzilla and even helped re-energize him enough to win the final battle. So you see even though it may have seemed like you did nothing, in actuality you and everypony else played a big part in saving Equestria before it could be completely destroyed. You came through when your subjects needed you the most, Princess Celestia. You didn't let them down, regardless of what the country had to go through. You managed to do what counted the most in the end."

Princess Celestia smiled at her former student gratefully as her eyes lit up.

"You have my utmost thanks, Dear Twilight Sparkle," Princess Celestia said in her motherly tone. "You have truly grown to be a fine young pony as I knew you would. As soon as I decided to start you on this path, I knew I was making the right decision. There was never a doubt in my mind."

"Never?" Twilight Sparkle asked in surprise.

Princess Celestia shook her head before saying, "Not even for a split second. And while you may sing my praises to raise my spirits, the fact is you are even more responsible for saving Equestria from the kaiju crisis than I am. You knew all about the threat when it started, you knew the solution to the problem, and you got closer to Godzilla than most other ponies. All this resulted in our fair land being saved... What of it _could_ be saved that is."

Princess Celestia's face saddened a little as she began to think of the casualties suffered during the kaiju crisis.

"Forgive me, Twilight Sparkle. I don't mean to make light of what you and your friends accomplished... It's just... it's incredibly difficult for a pony in my position to just forget... the unfortunates of the destruction to the land we could not avoid and those poor souls lost to it."

"I understand completely, Celestia. To be honest, there isn't a day that goes by where I haven't thought of all that myself since it happened. I haven't been able to forget the things I've seen... which led to the nightmares of things I didn't see, but knew were still happening all around me... It was horrible."

"Now it appears as though it's all gonna start again," Princess Celestia said as her head lowered in despair. "I don't know if Equestria will be able to survive another kaiju epidemic, Twilight Sparkle... I- I don't know if _I_ can go through it again. My emotional state was nearly destroyed the last time this happened. It happened over six months ago and Equestria has barely begun to heal."

"Please, remain calm, Princess Celestia," Twilight Sparkle begged. "We don't know that this is actually the start of a second kaiju crisis. I mean, it could be an isolated event. It... It may not even be a real kaiju. We don't know for sure if it was a creature made by the Devonians. It could be a new species indigenous to the planet or a previously undiscovered prehistoric species making a comeback."

"But either way, there could still be other giants out there," Princess Celestia said. "Whether they be more turtles or other giant species, it's still not only possible, but very likely considering the last encounter Equestria had with giants, right?"

Twilight Sparkle hesitated with her answer. She had so many thoughts and emotions running through her at the moment that it almost felt like they would overwhelm her. She was afraid she would do a repeat performance of Luna's previous emotional breakdown. Princess Celestia's attitude towards the situation, while completely understandable, wasn't helping Twilight's state of mind at all. But, as she had many times, Twilight Sparkle stuck it out like the trooper of a princess she had become.

"It is possible there may be more monsters out there," Twilight Sparkle said. "How likely it is I can't say for sure, nor can I say for sure if this is truly a kaiju or some natural born freak that crawled out of the depths of the planet's oceans. What I do know is we can't let its appearance get to us. We need to stay strong and rational through this, no matter how hard it is."

"You're very right, Twilight Sparkle, and so we shall," Princess Celestia said. "One thing that absolutely needs to be done once everything you requested is handled is that we need to start tracing the monster's path here. We must assemble an analytical team to try and see if we can fully backtrack the monster's journey and see where it was coming here from and possibly we're it came from in general."

"Absolutely, Princess Celestia, I was just thinking the same thing. I'd like to be the head of that team and the autopsy team for the monster if that's okay with you."

"Hmm," Princess Celestia let out thoughtfully. "I may need you to handle other affairs here. If I were to send you as co-head of the team, would you be willing to hand off the reins to another should I need to call on you?"

"Yes, princess," Twilight Sparkle said. "Anything you need me to do, I'll do it. I assume you already have somepony in mind?"

"Yes, a doctor," Princess Celestia said. "Well, actually, _the_ Doctor."

"Doctor who?" Twilight Sparkle asked in confusion.

"No, that's Whooves," Celestia corrected.

"Oh, I see," Twilight Sparkle said. "I kind of know him from Ponyville. He's a bit eccentric, but still a good choice as a team leader."

Twilight Sparkle followed Princess Celestia as she got up from her throne and walked towards a window that overlooked Canterlot and the countryside beyond. The violet alicorn clearly saw the nervous uncertainty that was still in her former mentor's eyes. Twilight Sparkle gently placed a supportive hoof on Celestia's shoulder. This made the white furred mare of the sun look to her fellow princess. The two smiled to each other in a mixture of many emotions, mostly gratefulness, support, and yet a hint of fear.

"Don't worry, Celestia, it won't be the same this time. For one thing, we have Godzilla here already and he's ready to go when we need him to."

"I know we can count on him. I remember how he practically threw himself into those last few battles to defend us. While he may have had help from others like him, in the end it was still him that saved us... I only hope he can do so again."

"He will, princess, he will. And this time, should it come that we truly need him to fight off another kaiju wave, he won't be alone. We'll be ready this time."

"I will let Luna know of your inclusion in the teams to Rough Sand Shell. Until such time as the teams are assembled or I need you for other purposes, I would like you to return to Ponyville. Right now I feel that is where you are needed the most."

"I think you may be right, Celestia. But let me say again, anytime you need me or any of my friends, including Godzilla, we're all here for you."

"Understood and very appreciated. Thank you again, Princess Twilight Sparkle. And tell your friends I say thanks to them as well."

"I will, my teacher."

"Twilight, no need-"

"I'll always feel the need because to me, you'll always be my mentor, even if someday what you said about you learning from me comes true."

The two alicorns smiled to each other before sharing an emotional embrace. When the hug ended, Celestia gently pointed her former student to the door. Twilight Sparkle did as Celestia instructed and made her way out of the throne room. Even after Twilight had long since left, the princess of the sun was looking out the window at her country. She let out a soft sob before wiping away a few freshly formed tears.

Even with the new found hope and confidence given to her by Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia couldn't help but feel concerned for Equestria. But because of Twilight's influence, it was easier to push those negative feelings back and have a little more faith in Twilight, Godzilla, and all the others.

"Good luck to you, Twilight, and all my little ponies," Princess Celestia said. "Good luck to you as well, Godzilla... Good luck to us all... for I feel as though we may need it sooner than expected."

* * *

 **SAN FLANKCISCOLT BAY, 3 DAYS LATER:**

Thunder Jack looked out across the body of water that was the bay at the incredible, amazing, unbelievably large city that was San Flankciscolt. Staring at such an amazing sight as the city was, Thunder Jack felt mixed emotions. On one hoof he was amazed by the large, metropolitan feast of the eyes, the likes of which he had not seen since he was a small child. On the other hoof, he was feeling somewhat aggravated and annoyed both from being on the seas for so long and his arrival in Equestria being somewhat delayed.

The small ship he was on was originally suppose to make dock in Rough Sand Shell. That all changed when the ship was intercepted by Equestria's authorities and redirected to San Flankciscolt. Apparently the small village went through a recent disaster that crippled it to the point where it was, for the moment, uninhabitable. Thunder Jack didn't get all the details of exactly what happened since the authorities were talking with the captain and first mate and not him directly. Either way, Thunder Jack wasn't happy since he knew this meant it would take him longer to get to the mainland.

What made it all the more frustrating was that this delay was keeping him from completing his mission faster. He had been sent by the ponies of his village on Pony Tale Island for a very important meeting with the highest authority in Equestria, the royal sisters. From this meeting, the ponies of the village called Willowbrook were hoping to settle a conflict with the mighty minotaurs who ruled the island with an iron fist. The species' new found aggression and hostile takeover had the potential to take effect even beyond the island's borders. Because of all this being on the line, Thunder Jack took his mission all that more seriously, which was why he was so upset with the delay.

Thunder Jack was a little bit happier, though since it looked like he was finally gonna be able to put his hooves back on land. During the voyage he switched back and forth from being out on the ship's deck and below within the vessel's interior, occasionally assisting the crew in both areas. During the entirety of the ship's final approach to port, Thunder Jack stayed out on the deck. He leaned against the wooden railing on the ship's starboard side and gazed at the wonder that was the modern big city, San Flankciscolt.

Thunder Jack had seen cities like this before, but not in a very long time, since he was nine in fact. Now he was turning twenty five and seeing a sight like San Flankciscolt after such a long gap of time was quite stunning to say the least. What mattered most to Thunder Jack was not the city itself. It was knowing that actually putting his hooves on its shores would be the next stepping stone in finishing what he had set out to do. He kept his focus on that mission and that mission alone despite what he may encounter in his first trip ever to Equestria.

As soon as the ship docked in the bay, Thunder Jack gathered up his duffle bag of supplies and set out for the city streets. As the small island pony walked on, he couldn't help but gaze around at the wonders of the city for a little sight seeing. He gazed up at all the huge skyscrapers that easily dwarfed any of the huts both from his village and the minotaur run town on his island. Even some of the smaller shops were bigger than the wooden structures built from the ground up on Pony Tale Island. Even more amazing was that only a few seconds after arriving Thunder Jack had already seen more ponies than there were back home on the island.

There were even more ponies on one sidewalk than there were minotaurs on the entire island, or so it appeared. That was an even greater shock to Thunder Jack since he was so used to minotaurs being the dominant species in terms of population numbers. It was just unbelievable the amount of traffic there was on and off the streets. Thunder Jack used to complain about how crowded it was in Seaside Hoof whenever he would go into town. He swore that day he would never do so again after seeing what it was like in a big city on the mainland. It was beyond belief for Thunder Jack how many ponies there were.

Unfortunately not a lot of these ponies seemed to be very friendly. After Thunder Jack got a hold of himself, he started going up to ponies in the many busy crowds of the city streets to ask for information. None of them even bothered to stop and listen to him, though. Mostly what he got was somepony turning their head to sneer in annoyance without ever stopping a hoof and walking away. Despite the rudeness of the city ponies, Thunder Jack persisted and kept trying because his mission was too important to let those who were rude stand in his way.

"Um, excuse me could you-? Ma'am, would you-? Excuse me, sir, if you wouldn't mind-? Sir, please- I- I need-"

"Maybe I can help you with what you need?"

Thunder Jack's eyes widened in surprise at having somepony actually volunteer their assistance. He looked to see a small Earth pony mare looking to him with typically big, adorable pony eyes and a friendly smile.

"That would be fantastic," Thunder Jack replied. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome, sir," the mare replied. "My name is Coco Pommel."

"And mine is Thunder Jack. Most ponies just call me TJ."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, TJ."

"And it's especially nice to meet you, Coco Pommel. Again, I have to thank you. I was beginning to think I'd never get anypony's attention in this place. That was really nice of you to offer your help."

Coco Pommel blushed lightly as she smiled to the big stallion.

"It's no problem, TJ. Yeah, ponies in the big city can be a little... well, snobbish a lot of the time. At least in all the big cities I've been to so far. I don't actually live here, I'm just in town on business. Anyways, how can I help you?'

"Oh, right, do you know where I can find transportation?"

"Transportation to where?"

"To Canterlot."

"Ooh, Canterlot's a long ways away from here."

"I know, I saw that on my map. Unfortunately it didn't say anything about how I should get there from here, though."

"Well, you could always try to take the train. That's how I got here to San Flankciscolt. But you could also try the airport. It's a bit more expensive, but you're pretty much guaranteed to get to where you're going faster. Train schedules are always in flux in these parts, but airport schedules are almost completely consistent save for a few exceptions."

"Hmm," Thunder Jack let out as he pondered his options. "I think I'll try for the airport... Where is that exactly?"

"Oh, here." Coco Pommel walked up and turned so she was standing right next to Thunder Jack as she pointed a hoof. "You wanna keep walking this way down mane street until you see the street sign for two forty fourth. Then you wanna turn left on that street and follow it until you see the sign for sixty eighth avenue then take that on the right. When you reach the junction between sixty eighth and trotting way, you should be able to see the airport."

"Thanks, Coco, I appreciate it."

Thunder Jack offered a grateful smile before he started trotting off for mane street.

"You could try and catch a cab there!" Coco Pommel called out.

"No, that's okay," Thunder Jack replied. "I don't mind walking. It's good for the hooves and legs. Take care of yourself, Coco."

"You do the same, TJ!"

Thunder Jack followed his new friend's directions to the letter, the journey of which ended up being five miles long. _Okay, maybe I should've taken a cab_ , Thunder Jack thought to himself. _Ah, who am I kidding? It takes even longer to get to Seaside Hoof from Willowbrook. But there aren't nearly as many pushy ponies on the way, though._

Indeed, there were still many an unfriendly equine filling up the sidewalks and streets of San Flankciscolt. They would either try to shove passed Thunder Jack or moved out of the way with a scoff. While this made the trip to the airport feel even longer, Thunder Jack didn't let it deter him from getting there. Eventually he arrived at his intended destination and saw the runways and landing pads of the airport spread out far and wide. There were several chariots, helicopters, and flight garages spread out across the area, as well as ponies working on or in them all.

Thunder Jack made his way across the large area that made up the airport while being careful to stay off active runways. He walked on until he reached one of the smaller flight garages. The large double doors that led inside were wide open, so Thunder Jack just walked in.

"Hello," Thunder Jack called out as he walked through the garage's interior. "Is anyone here?"

The tan coated stallion looked around, but seemed unable to find anypony. He did come across a rusty old, worn out looking chariot. _Ooh, maybe this isn't the place for me after all_ , Thunder Jack thought to himself.

"What do you want?!" a voice suddenly called out.

Thunder Jack spun around in surprise to see two gray furred pegasus stallions looking at him. As they approached, they seemed to look as grumpy as the one who spoke sounded.

"What are you doing here?" one of them asked.

"Well, out with it!" the other one demanded.

"Yeah, uh..." Thunder Jack began. "I was wondering if uh, maybe I could charter a flight to Canterlot?"

"Canterlot," one of the pegasi sneered.

"Heh, why you wanna go there?" the other asked mockingly. "You the next alicorn princess they're whippin' up in their factory or something?"

"Uh, n- no," Thunder Jack said in shock at these ponies' rudeness. "I- I'm just going on... official business."

"I see," the pegasi said at the same time.

"Well, you came to exactly the wrong garage," one of the ponies said.

"Or the right depending on how you look at it," the other one said.

"We don't get much business nowadays."

"That is, this garage in particular."

"So we'd be willing to fly anypony anywhere."

"We're also cheaper than the other garages here, too."

"Problem is we'd be flying you in that."

The two pegasi pointed to the hunk of junk chariot Thunder Jack saw when he first came in.

"It's the only one we got."

"Like we said, we'll fly ya, but... fly at your own risk."

"We'd seriously be flying in _that_?" Thunder Jack asked in disbelief.

"What did ya expect, the starship Enterprise?" one of the pegasi asked.

"I have no idea what that is," Thunder Jack replied. "But either way, I'll take it."

" _Really_?!" both pegasi asked in disbelief.

"Sure," Thunder Jack replied. "You said you were the cheapest guys here and unfortunately, I'm kind of on a budget. Plus, you were the first ones I came across and I don't want to try looking for options. So, how much?"

"Gonna cost ya eighty seven bits," one of the pegasi said.

"That's cheap?!" Thunder Jack asked in amazement.

"Everyone else around here is usually a hundred and forty," one of the pegasi replied.

"That's cheap...er," Thunder Jack conceded. "Alright."

Thunder Jack pulled out some bits and handed them to one of the pegasus ponies. The two flight pilots looked down in amazement at the bits one of them held. They hadn't seen real money in such a long time, nor had they eaten a decent meal. They briefly considered running away to quickly get something to eat. The pony holding the bits snapped out of it when he saw the other pegasus reaching for the bits.

He reacted fast by slapping the other pony's hoof away.

"Ouchie!" the other pegasus said as he pulled away his hoof.

"Don't be getting greedy on me now, Feather Brain," the first pegasus said. "These are my bits now, too, selfish."

"I'm sorry, Soft Wing," Feather Brain said sincerely.

"Eh," Soft Wing replied as he stored the bits away in his pocket.

"Not to break up the love fest, but how soon can we be ready to takeoff?" Thunder Jack asked.

"Well, how soon can you get your flank in that chariot?" Soft Wing retorted.

"Fair enough," Thunder Jack said.

All three ponies made their way over to the rust bucket of a chariot. As the pegasi tied the chariot's harnesses around themselves, Thunder Jack got into its seat. It wasn't the least bit comfortable and actually seemed to hurt to sit on in more ways than one. The sit was uneven, it felt like something was poking into Thunder Jack and overall it was like sitting on a lumpy rock.

"Give me strength," Thunder Jack muttered.

"Alright, mate, we're off!" Soft Wing called out.

"Gre- _Ahh_!" Thunder Jack screamed as he felt the jolt of the chariot rolling forward.

Soft Wing and Feather Brain ran with all their might, never stopping as they exited the garage. Then the pair began to flap their mighty pegasus wings to try and take flight. Thunder Jack let out a soft cry of surprise as he felt the chariot leave the ground to take to the air. The slightly startled Earth pony looked to his pilots flying upward before looking to the ground getting further away and then back to the pegasi again. The pegasi didn't stop ascending until they, the chariot, and the pony that occupied it were at an altitude of twenty thousand feet.

As the pegasi flew on through the sky Thunder Jack looked around in amazement. Despite the chariot seat still being uncomfortable, the stallion was surprised to find he was enjoying himself. He had never gone flying before and especially not this high up. He looked down at the city below and gaped in awe and wonder.

"Wow," Thunder Jack said. "It's even cooler looking at the city from this- Huh?!"

The Earth pony was alarmed to find several very large sections of the city had been reduced to rubble, a sight he missed while on the streets. Several buildings had either been partially or completely destroyed along with several other things that made up the debris scattered about. Construction workers and equipment were moving around at almost rapid fire speed trying to get everything cleaned up and rebuilt. Seeing the images of large city blocks destroyed to such a great extent was beyond a shock to Thunder Jack. It almost felt like his heart was in his throat, even more so than it had from the flying.

"Uh, hey, guys!" Thunder Jack called up to the pegasi.

"Don't distract the pilots!" Feather Brain called back.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I gotta know something!" Thunder Jack replied. "What's up with all the destroyed stuff down there?! What happened?!"

The two pegasi looked at each other in confusion as though Thunder Jack was talking like a crazy pony.

"What do you mean, what happened?" Soft Wing asked in annoyance. "You know what happened."

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking," Thunder Jack replied with similar annoyance.

"You have to know," Feather Brain said. "It was all over Equestria, both the news and the actual thing."

"What thing?!" Thunder Jack insisted.

"You really don't know?" Soft Wing asked.

"No, I'm not from Equestria," Thunder Jack explained. "I just got here from a place faraway on a boat."

"Oh," both pegasi stallions said.

"Tell me everything!" Thunder Jack insisted.

* * *

 **WOOT, WOOT! New chapter, baby! Yeah, boyyyyyyeeeeee! Lol So, the plot thickens... or not depending on how you look at it. Anyways, yeah, I'm still working as hard as I can on getting this story out for you all to enjoy. I hope you all like it so far. And if you do, as usual I request that you try leaving a review after reading to let me know what you think so far, whether it's a positive or negative (so long as it's constructive) review. Also don't be afraid to let me know of any errors I missed be they spelling errors, grammar errors, or otherwise so I can correct them to the best of my abilities. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	6. Chapter 6: I'm TJ

**4 HOURS LATER:**

"Hey, Jack, wake up!" Soft Wing shouted. "We're almost there!"

"That's _Thunder Jack_ ," the Earth pony mumbled as he tried to fully awaken. "Just call me TJ."

"Whoever," Soft Wing responded.

Thunder Jack moaned as he started rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before stretching out his forelegs and letting out a loud yawn. Too late did he hear the buzz of a bug that flew into his wide open mouth and down his throat. Thunder Jack coughed and gagged while he grabbed at his throat and the pegasi laughed in amusement. After a few moments of gagging with disgust, Thunder Jack's eye widened.

"Wait, did you say we were almost there?!" Thunder Jack asked as he turned to the pegasi.

"Yeah, you can see the castle up ahead from here," Feather Brain replied.

Thunder Jack looked passed the pegasi pulling the chariot he sat in, stretching it out to the side to get a good view. Indeed, Thunder Jack could just barely make out the castle sticking out of the side of the mountain ahead. Thunder Jack was surprised to see how high up it was in comparison to the altitude they were flying at. The stallion looked down at the ground below, though it made him feel sick to do so. He noticed something strange in that the ground seemed to be closer than it had been when a little while ago when he was awake.

"We're lower than we were before aren't we?" Thunder Jack asked.

"Yup," both pegasi replied.

"We went low to avoid a giant flock of phoenixes," Soft Wing explained.

"It's the time of year for their migration," Feather Brain added.

"Oh, I see," Thunder Jack said. "Probably a good move on your parts."

"Heh, there's doubt?" Soft Wing replied.

"We've also slowed down quite a bit haven't we?" Thunder Jack observed.

"You try pulling a stupid chariot with a stupid pony in it for four hours straight!" Soft Wing spat back.

Thunder Jack turned his full attention to the giant mountain that they were getting ever so closer to. More precisely, as impressive a sight as the mountain was, Thunder Jack was gazing at the capital city of Equestria. Even from as far away as he was, Thunder Jack could tell the city was incredibly beautiful. What was especially eye fetching was the center piece that stuck out over all else in the city, that being the castle. It was here where the princesses lived and because of that, it was exactly where Thunder Jack needed to be.

"So... it all comes down to this," Thunder Jack said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Since it would still be a little bit before they arrived at Canterlot, especially with the pegasus ponies' reduced speed, Thunder Jack turned his attention downward. He gazed in admiration at the wide open area of grassland and the like that stretched on as far as the eye could see. There were many trees scattered around, several large opened fields, a few dirt roads, hills, and so on. It was actually very beautiful and reminded Thunder Jack of a few parts of Pony Tale Island. It even started to make him feel a little homesick and brought to mind thoughts of time spent with his family in those kinds of areas.

Suddenly Thunder Jack's full attention was stolen by a small town built right in the middle of the grasslands. From how high up he was, he could barely make out all the ponies walking around. The town almost looked like Seaside Hoof, save for the fact that it was inhabited by all ponies instead of sharing it with minotaurs. As to be expected with such a small town, there weren't nearly as many ponies as in the big city Thunder Jack and the pegasi had left behind. Unlike San Flankciscolt, it didn't seem too crowded and cluttered at all and the population seemed perfect for the town, despite how small it was.

Seeing this made Thunder Jack feel even more homesick than before. While Seaside Hoof mostly consisted of minotaurs now, there were still several ponies that lived in the town. He knew some of those ponies and a few actually grew to become friends of his. They weren't especially close or anything, but he always did enjoy seeing and talking to them whenever he went into the minotaur ran village.

All of a sudden, Thunder Jack's attention was stolen yet again, but twice in a row this time. The second eye stealing sight nearly made him jump out of his seat, which he was thankful he didn't do. But what the young Earth pony stallion saw was still that incredible to him. First he saw that beyond the town there was a stunning castle. Then he saw that not too far away from that castle was a mighty looking beast.

It reminded him very much of the evil creatures from his island home. Yet, for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling this beast was somehow different from those creatures. Even beyond having a different outer appearance, there was something else divergent about this monster. While Thunder Jack would usually do his best to avoid giant monsters such as the one he saw, he suddenly remembered something his pilots had been telling him about earlier.

"Hey, guys, what town is that down there?!" Thunder Jack inquired as he pointed down.

"It's Ponyville," Feather Brain replied.

"Yeah, we had to slightly alter course because of the migration," Soft Wing said.

"We were hoping you wouldn't notice," Feather Brain said. Soft Wing reached over and smacked his fellow pegasus in the back of the head. "Ouchie! I hate it when you hit me!"

"Then keep your mouth shut, you dodo head!" Soft Wing said. "Why don't you try using it for something useful like-"

"Do you guys see that monster down there?!" Thunder Jack interrupted.

The two pegasi jolted a little before looking below for the monster Thunder Jack spoke of. They both gasped in terror when they spotted the kaiju outside of Ponyville. Their hearts nearly stopped as did the beating of their wings. Luckily they were both able to get that under control before the chariot and them could start falling.

"Sweet Celestia," Soft Wing whispered in fear.

"Is that the monster you were telling me about?" Thunder Jack asked. "Is it the one that saved Equestria?"

Both pegasi were silent at first, for their fear blocked out all sounds except the beating of their hearts. Only a few seconds later did Thunder Jack's words resonate into their minds. A few more seconds later and their brains actually started looking for answers to the question.

"You know... I- I think that is," Feather Brain said. "I remember seeing pictures of him in the papers. Y- Yeah, that's him!"

"Come to think of it... yeah!" Soft Wing agreed. "That does look like him."

"Whoa!" all three stallions said together.

"How about that castle?" Thunder Jack asked. "Do you know who's it is?"

"Eh, I don't know," Soft Wing replied. "Probably the last princess that came out of the factory. I don't know her name, like Sprinkle Winkle or something."

"All I know is that the castle belongs to the newest alicorn princess," Feather Brain replied.

"Take me down there!" Thunder Jack said with urgency.

"What?!" the two pegasus pilots said in unified surprise.

"Take me down to Ponyville!" Thunder Jack insisted. "Take me to the princess's castle! I want to ask her about the monster!"

"You're crazy!" Soft Wing said. "He may be a hero, but we ain't getting anywhere near that thing. It could still be dangerous."

"Besides, you chartered us for Canterlot, not Ponyville," Feather Brain said.

"I'll pay you extra if you'll just take me down to Ponyville right now!" Thunder Jack demanded.

The two pegasi's eyes widened as they looked to each other. Their expressions seemed to be questioning one another on what to do next. Only seconds later did they come to a silent agreement as they smiled and nodded their heads.

"Okay, we'll take you to Ponyville," Soft Wing said.

"But we're only gonna drop you off on the side of town opposite from where that kaiju is," Feather Brain added. "After that you're on your own and you'll have to walk."

"Fair enough, you got a deal," Thunder Jack responded.

In what seemed like no time at all, the two pegasi had descended from the sky and landed in a not so gentle manner just outside the town limits.

"Last stop," Soft Wing announced loudly. "Here you are, now get out."

Thunder Jack moaned as his head titled from side to side. His eyes seemed to be rolling around in their sockets and parts of his face were pulled back from the fast descent.

"I think I got me some whiplash," Thunder Jack said.

"Yeah, yeah, not our problem," Soft Wing said. "Out!"

"Okay, okay!" Thunder Jack spat back. "I'm going. Sheesh, never met ponies this rude before."

Thunder Jack continued to mumble as he got out of the chariot. He was incredibly thankful he didn't have to sit in that piece of garbage any longer. After he had his hooves on the ground, Thunder Jack pulled his duffle bag out of the chariot.

"Alright, here you are," Soft Wing said.

"Now pay up the extra bits you owe us," Feather Brain demanded.

Thunder Jack only replied with a dark glare before pulling out some bits and handing them over. Feather Brain tried to grab them, but Soft Wing slapped him away and grabbed the bits for himself.

"What did I say about being selfish?"

"I'm sorry, Soft Wing. I don't know what came over me."

The two pegasi looked down at the bits devotedly before slapping each other a high wing.

"Well, looks like this is the end of the line," Thunder Jack said. "Thank you gentlecolts both for bringing me this far. Know that the part you played in my task was a significant one and will be noted in the annals of time."

"Whatever," both pegasi said.

"I really hope we never see you again," Soft Wing followed up.

"Me, too," Feather Brain added.

Then, without warning, the two rude and crude ponies flew upward laughing all the way. Thunder Jack watched them as they flew off back to San Flankciscolt.

"I hope a dragon burns their flanks on the way back," Thunder Jack muttered angrily. He then turned to Ponyville before letting out a sigh. "Well, I'm not gonna make any progress standing here and cursing two numb skulls. Time to get the hooves moving again."

With that, Thunder Jack made his way across a road path that led into Ponyville. Almost as soon as he entered the town limits, did the stallion feel more welcomed than he had in any other part of Equestria he'd been to. He even felt more welcomed in Ponyville than he did on parts of his own island home. He hadn't even conversed with a local pony yet; it was just the atmosphere of the place. It seemed so friendly, so comforting, so loving; it all just seemed right.

"Hey, there, stranger, welcome to the neighborhood."

Thunder Jack looked to see a gray coated pegasus mare smiling at him from above. He took notice of her bubble themed cutie mark and more so her uneven eyes. For some reason everything about this mare screamed adorable to Thunder Jack.

"Hey, there, miss," Thunder Jack said.

"Oh, you can just call me Derpy," the pony introduced. She continued on as she gently landed in front of Thunder Jack, "I'm Derpy Hooves."

"Well, then nice to meet you, Derpy. I'm Thunder Jack. You can just call me TJ, though."

"Whoa, cool name."

"Thanks. _Yours_ is beyond cute."

"I know," Derpy Hooves said proudly. "Nice to meet you, TJ. You're not from around here are you?"

"How can you tell?" Thunder Jack asked.

"I've lived in Ponyville all my life," Derpy Hooves explained. "I've met everypony that lives here at least once at some point. A lot of the ponies here are my friends. But I've never seen you until today. Unless... Nope, nope, never before."

"I see," Thunder Jack replied. "This Ponyville sure looks like a great place to live, I gotta say."

"It is for the most part," Derpy Hooves said.

"Say, I got a question for you," Thunder Jack said.

Before he could ask what he wanted to, a loud, mechanical whirring noise filled the air. While it confused Thunder Jack, it made Derpy's eyes light up like the Fourth of July.

"He's back!" Derpy Hooves proclaimed happily. "Sorry, can't talk anymore. Gotta go meet my coltfriend! Nice meeting you, though, TJ!"

"Uh..."

Thunder Jack didn't get in any words before Derpy Hooves was flying off at full speed. She ran into a few things along the way, but nothing seemed to slow her down and there wasn't any serious damage done.

"Nice meeting you, too," Thunder Jack said even though the gray mare was long gone by now. "Well, that was an... unusual first meeting... But at least it was a friendly one. Things are starting to look up for me already. Wonder if that Coco pony's from here... Eh, doesn't matter right now. Onward to the castle."

Thunder Jack trotted along and made his way further into town looking to get to the castle on the other side. As was expected, the further into town the Earth pony got the denser the traffic became. But, unlike in the city where it seemed like it was too much to handle, the traffic here was surprisingly calm. Nopony seemed to be in that much of a rush to get to where they wanted to go and none of them got in anypony's face about anything. They all had carefree, life loving smiles on their faces as they gently walked along minding their own business.

As Thunder Jack walked on, he came across a massive farmer's market right in the middle of town square. It was busy with business with ponies lining up to buy whatever was on sale. Just like before, however, it didn't seem too crowded and the environment wasn't hostile at all. Everypony seemed as patient as could be. From the buyers to the sellers all was at ease.

It almost seemed like a dream come true.

"Either I came on a really good day... Or I need to have the family mail my stuff out here while I find a house for sale," Thunder Jack observed.

Thunder Jack stopped right in the middle of everything when he saw how good of a view he had of the castle from where he was. He also got a better look of the kaiju, who now seemed to be sitting next to the royal structure. Seeing the kaiju that much closer was a rather intimidating thing for Thunder Jack, so much so that his knees started shaking. Thunder Jack noticed this and tried to get them to stop.

"Knock it off, boys," Thunder Jack demanded. "I'm scared, too, but it's for the family back home, so shush."

 _Maybe I should try getting more information from the locals before just walking up to the gates_ , Thunder Jack thought to himself. He looked around for which pony seemed the most approachable. It honestly seemed like he could go up to anyone of the ponies in the streets and they'd calmly give him the same amount of time. Instead of that making the decision harder, Thunder Jack just walked up to the two closest ponies.

"Excuse me," Thunder Jack called out.

The two mares he approached, a unicorn and an Earth pony, both looked up with a tiny bit of surprise. Their faces soon changed to welcoming smiles as they walked up to the stranger.

"How can we help you, sir," the mint green colored unicorn asked.

"You can just call me TJ," Thunder Jack said.

"Alright, nice to meet you, TJ," the unicorn said.

"Very nice," the lightly yellow colored Earth pony agreed. She then pointed to her friend. "She's Lyra."

"And she's Bon Bon," Lyra said as she pointed to her Earth pony companion.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Thunder Jack said in a friendly manner.

"Likewise we're sure," Bon Bon said.

"So, what can we do for you, TJ?" Lyra asked.

"Well, I was wondering about that castle?" Thunder Jack said as he pointed.

"What do you want to know about it?" Bon Bon asked.

"Well, first of all, would you be able to tell me which princess lives in it?" Thunder Jack asked.

"Well, sure," Lyra said. "That particular castle belongs to Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"Twilight Sparkle?" Thunder Jack asked in confusion.

"You've never heard of her?" Lyra asked sounding equally confused.

Both she and Bon Bon looked the part as well.

"Not really," Thunder Jack said. "The one princess I know about for certain is Princess Celestia."

"You're not from Equestria are you?" Bon Bon asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Thunder Jack asked in amusement.

"Yeah, kind of," Bon Bon said with a chuckle.

"To bring you up to speed, there's four alicorn princesses now," Lyra said.

Upon receiving this new information Thunder Jack looked about as shock as he probably would've been if he found out he was a mare instead of a stallion.

"Whoa, really?!" Thunder Jack asked in amazement. "You've gotta be kidding me! Four alicorn princesses?!"

"Yes," Lyra and Bon Bon said together.

"And one of them is from right here in Ponyville and lives in that castle," Bon Bon said.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle," Lyra reaffirmed.

"Yeah, I get that now," Thunder Jack said. "What about the kaiju?"

"You mean, Godzilla?" Lyra asked.

"Is that the name of the kaiju at the castle?" Thunder Jack asked.

"Yes, it is," Lyra and Bon Bon said together.

"Whoa," Thunder Jack said. "Godzilla... That's gotta be like... the greatest name in the history of... well, history."

"I don't know, some ponies think Lyra Heartstrings is a pretty great name, too," Lyra said.

"Oh, I didn't mean any offense," Thunder Jack said alarmingly.

"Relax, I was just playing."

Lyra and Bon Bon let out a few laughs of amusement before Thunder Jack eventually joined in.

"You got me," Thunder Jack admitted. "Anyways, that's the kaiju that saved Equestria?"

"Yeah, he is," Lyra said enthusiastically.

"You better believe he is," Bon Bon added. "He saved us all from eleven different kaiju."

"Yeah, I heard," Thunder Jack said. "Still fascinating as all get out, though. Now this Godzilla, he's... the princess's pet?"

Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon let out laughs that were even louder than the ones before.

"No, no, no, no," Lyra said.

"Nopony owns Godzilla, he's his own person," Bon Bon said. "He comes and goes as he pleases of his own freewill."

"Usually he lives in the ocean around Equestria's coast," Lyra Heartstrings said.

"I see," Thunder Jack said. "How would somepony go about trying to arrange a meeting with Princess Twilight Sparkle about Godzilla?"

"Hmm," the two mares said as they pondered the question.

"Maybe try and do it through one of her closer friends?" Bon Bon suggested.

"Her friends?" Thunder Jack asked.

"Sure," Lyra Heartstrings said. "She has this regular posse of ponies she hangs out with. They're all really super close, almost like family."

"No surprise after what they've all been through together," Bon Bon said.

"Ooh, there's two of them now!" Lyra said as she pointed. Everypony looked to see two mares walking along through the crowds like everypony else. "Those two ponies are Applejack and Rarity. They're some of the ponies in Twilight's regular social circle. Maybe try asking them."

"Okay, I'll give that a shot," Thunder Jack said enthusiastically. "Thanks for your help, you two. I really appreciate it."

"No problem, TJ," Lyra said.

"It was a pleasure," Bon Bon said.

"Bye for now," Lyra and Bon Bon said together.

"Goodbye to you, too, Lyra and you as well, Bon Bon," Thunder Jack said before he started walking away.

"He was _so_ checking us out," Lyra said with amusement.

"Can you blame him with two cutie patooties like us?" Bon Bon said, feeling equally amused.

"I can understand with you, Bon Bon. You're a real catch."

"I don't know, you're pretty... well, pretty yourself, good lookin'."

The mares gave each other somewhat saucy smiles as they looked to each other.

"That's such a nice thing of you to say, Bon Bon."

"That's what _best friends_ do, Lyra."

The two bumped the sides of their flanks before they resumed what they were doing before.

"We're both pretty hot, though," Bon Bon quickly added.

"Of course," Lyra agreed. "We're gorgeous."

Thunder Jack was making his way over to the two mares identified to him as Applejack and Rarity. He was surprised to find how nervous he was starting to become at the thought of engaging them. It was weird, especially considering how well he had been doing up to that point. Could it be the pressure of the mission finally getting to him since he was so close to reaching his goal? Regardless of what the answer could be, Thunder Jack pushed on through it and continued walking up to the two mares.

"Uh... ex- excuse me," Thunder Jack managed to stutter out. He was alarmed to find he was starting to perspire when the two mares turned to him. "A- Are you Rarity and Applejack?"

"Why yes, we are," the white furred unicorn said. "I am Rarity and this great Earth pony here is Applejack."

"Howdy, stranger," the orange furred pony said with a southern accent. "A pleasure to meet ya."

"Likewise," Thunder Jack said. "My name is TJ."

"TJ?" Rarity asked. "Interesting name. Does it stand for something?"

"Uh, yeah, Thunder Jack."

"Nice name," Applejack said.

"I could say the same for you two," Thunder Jack replied. "Um, are you the same Applejack and Rarity associated with Princess... Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yes, indeed," Applejack said.

"The very same," Rarity said. "Not to mention we're the only Applejack and Rarity that we know. Though, I think you can agree I'm a rarity in more ways than one."

The flirtatious pony winked at Thunder Jack, making him freeze in place.

"Uh..." was all the Earth pony could say.

His face began to feel warm as it turned red. Both mares began giggling, unable to contain their amusement at Thunder Jack's reaction.

"Don't feel too foolish, TJ," Applejack said. "Rarity here flirts with everything that has a heartbeat."

"I do not!" Rarity let out defensively.

Applejack only replied with a chorus of laughter at Rarity's agitation as her face started to turn red.

"Anyways," Thunder Jack said, "I was wondering if maybe you two cold help me setup a meeting with the princess?"

"I suppose we could do that," Applejack said. "Twilight ain't here right now. But she did send us a message saying she should be back sometime later today."

"And sometime soon at that," Rarity added.

"So, I'd say we could probably do that for ya," Applejack said.

"That depends on what you need her for," Rarity said. "So, what _do_ you need Princess Twilight for?"

"Well..." Thunder Jack said nervously. "It... kind of has something to do with... Godzilla."

Rarity and Applejack looked to each other before quickly turning back to Thunder Jack.

"What about Godzilla?" Applejack asked.

"Yes, please do enlighten us," Rarity said. "What is it exactly that you want with Godzilla?"

"I would love nothing more than to let you both in on that," Thunder Jack said. "But I would like to do it at the same time I'm telling the princess. I don't mean to seem shady or rude or anything like that. It's just that it's a very long story and I hate to repeat myself. I mean it, I _hate_ to repeat myself."

"You just did, partner," Applejack said flatly.

Thunder Jack stared blankly for a second before huffing with a bit of annoyance at himself.

"Look, trust me," Thunder Jack said, "I wouldn't be asking for this meeting if it wasn't important and I can assure you, it really is. Several ponies' lives are involved, maybe everypony's."

Applejack and Rarity looked to each other questioningly as they thought of how to proceed.

"You really think meeting with Twilight about Godzilla is that important?" Applejack asked.

"I wouldn't have come here otherwise," Thunder Jack said. "I come from an island far away. I left my entire family back there and I fear for them every second they're not in my sight. I even fear for them when they are. So, please."

Applejack listened very carefully to Thunder Jack's words as he said them, paying attention to his inflections, his tone, and his pitch. She also studied the stallion's facial features and body language even after he was finished talking.

"He's telling the truth," Applejack said.

"Really, how can you tell?" Rarity asked in surprise. Applejack just gave her deadpanned look to which Rarity chuckled in reply. "Oh, right, sorry."

"It's all good, Rare," Applejack replied. "But yeah, trust me. He's on the level."

"Well, in that case, we'd be more than happy to arrange the meeting for you, Thunder Jack darling," Rarity said. "Uh, TJ, that is."

"Hey, you can call me whatever you want so long as I can finish what I came here to do," Thunder Jack said with a smile.

"Don't let some of the other ponies in Ponyville hear you say that," Applejack warned. "They might start calling you some pretty strange things."

"Oh my," Thunder Jack replied.

The three ponies shared a quick laugh.

"Well, come on then," Rarity said. "As luck would have it, we were just on our way to the castle."

"Sounds good to me," Thunder Jack said. "Lead the way, my fine maned friends."

"Ooh, you really like our manes?" Rarity asked as the three started walking.

"Sure," Thunder Jack said.

"What about my fur coat?" Rarity asked.

"Well... it's rather shiny," Thunder Jack said.

"He noticed my new conditioner!" Rarity said giddily. "See, Applejack? I told you ponies would see the difference!"

"He's the only pony so far, Rarity," Applejack said flatly. "None of our friends noticed either... But that's only because you've always gone to great lengths to take care of yourself. That's something everypony always respects."

"Ohh, you sweetheart," Rarity said gratefully.

"Hey, guys!" a voice called from above.

The three looked up to see a light blue pegasus flying overhead.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash," Applejack called up.

"Hello, darling," Rarity called as well.

"S'up?" Rainbow Dash asked as she lowered herself to the ground.

"Right now you are," Applejack said.

"True," Rainbow Dash said.

"Whatcha doing out here?" Applejack asked.

"We thought you were waiting at the castle for us," Rarity said.

"I was, but then I had to go out and pick something up for Scootaloo," Rainbow Dash explained.

"What's that?" Applejack asked.

"Her sketch pad filled with planned stunts she hasn't tried yet," Rainbow Dash explained."Did you guys get the snacks?"

"Yup, right here," Applejack answered as she looked to her saddlebag.

"Sweet," Rainbow Dash said. It was then that she took notice of the big Earth pony following close behind. "Who's this guy? Is he some new admirer of yours, Rarity?"

"Uh..." Thunder Jack stuttered.

"Well, he did say he liked both our manes," Applejack said.

"And he marveled at my fur," Rarity boasted.

"Still going on about that new conditioner?" Rainbow Dash asked flatly.

"Well, he took notice," Rarity replied with only slight irritation.

"So, does the new guy have a name?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm TJ," Thunder Jack said. "It's nice to meet you, Rainbow Dash."

"Nice to meet you, too, TJ."

"So, are you a friend of the princess's, too?" Thunder Jack asked.

"You better believe it," Rainbow Dash said. "I'm friends with all the princesses."

"We all are," Rarity added on.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but we're _kind of_ a big deal," Rainbow Dash boasted.

"I should think so having friends in such high places," Thunder Jack said.

"Oh, that's not the only reason," Applejack said. "Truth be told, there's several things about us that make us so great."

"That could be said for anypony, though," Rarity said.

"Yeah, but I still got a feeling it applies especially for you bunch," Thunder Jack said.

"Well... aren't you charming?" Rarity observed.

"I just try to talk right to ponies is all," Thunder Jack said. "You know, treat others the way you want to be treated and such."

"Right on," Applejack said.

"So, how long have you been in Ponyville?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I just got here about an hour ago," Thunder Jack explained.

"And you already met some of the top mares in town and got them to take ya for a walk?" Rainbow Dash asked with mock admiration. "You must be a real smooth talker."

"I- Uh-"

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but chuckle a little at Thunder Jack's stuttering.

"It's always fun messing with new ponies," Rainbow Dash said with a big smile on her face. "So, whatcha in town for?"

"He's here to talk with Twilight about Godzilla," Rarity said.

Rainbow Dash looked to Thunder Jack with renewed interest.

"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked suspiciously. "What about Godzilla? 'Cause if you're just a crazed fanboy, G don't do autographs... But I do, though."

"He's here on some kind of official business," Applejack said.

"Like what exactly?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"He hasn't told us yet," Applejack said.

"But he's going to," Rarity said. "He said he has every intention to do so. He just wants everypony there at once for him to tell it because it's a long story and he hates to repeat himself."

"I _hate_ to repeat myself," Thunder Jack reaffirmed.

"Is that so?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes, indeed," Thunder Jack replied.

"Well, I guess I could see how that would be annoying," Rainbow Dash said. "I mean, saying the same thing over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and-"

"You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?" Thunder Jack asked flatly.

"Yep, sure am," Rainbow Dash before she started laughing.

"You must excuse Rainbow Dash here," Rarity said.

"No, I don't mind," Thunder Jack said. "I get the exact same treatment back home with my family. But I always dish it back out at them. We're goofs like that."

"That's cool," Rainbow Dash said. "So, is there anything you _can_ tell us ahead of the meeting with Twilight?"

"Only that the fate of the world could depend on this meeting," Thunder Jack replied.

"Is it Monday already?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I take it you've dealt with this stuff before?" Thunder Jack inquired.

"Eh, once or twice," Rainbow Dash said.

Despite appearing nonchalant at first, Rainbow Dash turned to the other two mares with questioning urgency. They all looked around at each other as if to converse in silence, as they have done on many an occasion. After a little bit they all looked back to Thunder Jack. While they were trying to be friendly with the newcomer, his claims of his meeting with Twilight holding the fate of the world were more than strange to say the least. They all wondered what he could mean by that and if he was actually being as honest as Applejack thought he was.

"I want to thank you all for agreeing to escort me to the castle," Thunder Jack said.

"It's no problem," Rainbow Dash said.

"No really, I appreciate it a lot," Thunder Jack said.

"It's our pleasure, darling," Rarity said.

"Especially if what you said about the fate of the world ends up being true," Applejack said.

"Oh, it is, trust me," Thunder Jack said. "And so far, you three have trusted me even though you didn't have to. You took me seriously when other ponies would probably leave me in the dust... Or would possibly do worse judging from some of the ponies I met before arriving in Ponyville. My point is, I appreciate you putting your faith in me and so will the world one day. Thanks again, girls."

"Well, treat others as you'd like to be treated, isn't that right?" Rarity said.

Thunder Jack replied with a small, amused smirk. The group had been moving the entire time they had been talking and it was only a short time later when they left the town limits behind. Now they were making their final approach to the castle. Ordinarily, Thunder Jack's full attention might've be taken by the royal structure. This time, however, it faced stiff competition from the much larger and even more impressive sight that was Godzilla.

Right now he was sitting down and actually seemed to be sleeping.

"I... didn't think anyone could sleep like that," Thunder Jack stuttered. "I heard it was bad for your back. I remember one of the rare times I fell asleep standing on my hooves, I went down instantly, face first in the mud... Everyone laughed... It wasn't funny."

"I don't know, dude, that sounds pretty funny," Rainbow Dash said as she and the others tried to fight back laughter.

Thunder Jack frowned at the mares' response as he grumbled a little. His attention was taken again when Godzilla exhaled a large breath of exhausted air.

"Wow, even his sighs are mighty," Thunder Jack observed.

"He makes everything he does look mighty," Rainbow Dash boasted.

"I could see that," Thunder Jack said. "Now, let me get this straight. He has his own free will? He does things like protect and serve because he wants to? No other reason?"

"Well, yeah," Applejack said.

"Because he feels it's the right thing to do," Rarity explained.

Thunder Jack let out a small whistle.

"What are the chances?" Thunder Jack asked.

At that moment, Godzilla's eyes only slightly opened as they peered around at his environment. While Thunder Jack gasped and took a step back, the three mares he accompanied smiled up and waved at Godzilla. The best responded in kind before his eyes started closing again. The large eyelids of the large beast opened up again when they spotted Thunder Jack with his friends. It almost seemed like he was glaring a warning at the Earth pony stallion before his eyes closed and he went back to sleep.

Thunder Jack kept his eyes on Godzilla the entire time he and the three mares walked up to the castle's doors. As if they somehow felt the group's presence, the giant double doors opened up completely by themselves. While Thunder Jack stared in amazement, his female companions acted like it was just another thing. That shocked Thunder Jack even more, for he had not seen something like this before.

 _Why are you getting all caught up in this?_ Thunder Jack thought to himself. _You've seen a lot of crazy stuff yourself. You know that... This is all still pretty cool, though._

The group stepped inside the castle to behold an amazing sight that Thunder Jack had not yet seen. The Earth pony stallions marveled at the interior of Twilight Sparkle's castle, for he had never seen something so amazingly beautiful up close. The most he was used to was the inside of small wooden huts and shops. He had never been in a place like this before, even for the brief time he lived in a city area as a foal. Seeing something like the inside of a castle now at the age of twenty five almost gave Thunder Jack a case of culture shock.

"Nice digs," Thunder Jack said in awe.

"Pretty sweet, isn't it?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"You can say that again," Thunder Jack replied.

The foursome of ponies made their way through the large room up a big set of stairs and then down a wide hall. The entire time they walked Thunder Jack was looking around in utter amazement at everything he saw.

"You know, this castle looked smaller on the outside," Thunder Jack said.

"You're not the first pony that's said that," Rainbow Dash said.

"There's a stallion in town that boasts the inside of his home is bigger," Rarity said.

"I find that hard to believe," Thunder Jack said.

"So do we," the three mares said together.

"So... do you all... live here with the princess?" Thunder Jack inquired.

"Nah, we just hangout here a lot is all," Rainbow Dash said.

"Only other one that lives here is Spike," Applejack said.

"What about Owlowiscious?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about him," Applejack replied.

"And what about Starlight Glimmer?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Didn't she start living here, too?"

"I guess I'm just used to it being the bunch we've known longer is all," Applejack said.

"If the princess is renting rooms to ponies, do you know where I can makes reservations?" Thunder Jack asked jokingly.

He was pleased to see his joke got a reaction out of his escorts as they all let out light laughter.

"Not on your life, sport," Rainbow Dash said.

"Well, who knows?" Rarity interjected. "Maybe Twilight wouldn't mind having a stallion as cute as you around."

"Starting your flirting early, Rare?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"She started as soon as we first met TJ," Applejack said.

"Who asked you two?!" Rarity said defensively.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack both snickered as they slapped each other a high hoof.

"You're too easy, Rare," Rainbow Dash commented.

The group came upon a set of double doors that, while not as big as the castle's entry doors, were still pretty huge.

"I wonder if the designer of this castle was compensating for something," Thunder Jack said.

"We've been wondering that ourselves, TJ," Applejack said.

Rarity used her magic to open up the doors to reveal a small rotunda room. It was here where seven crystal thrones were setup around a crystal table. At the moment those thrones and that table were being used by a group of ponies and a baby dragon to play cards.

"Go fish, Spike," Scootaloo said with a with a confident smirk that matched the swagger in her voice.

"Aw, man," the young dragon said as he picked up a card from the deck. His eyes suddenly lit up when he saw which card it was he had in his hand. "Hey! That was the card I needed to win! Ha, ha! Read 'em and weep, ladies!"

Spike slapped down two sevens, which were, indeed, the final cards he had. Everypony looked down in disbelief and let out a groan of disappointment while Spike got up on the table and did a victory dance.

"Dang it!" Scootaloo let out. "Can't a pony catch a break?! I haven't won a hoof yet!"

"I'm just glad it wasn't Pinkie Pie who won this time," Sweetie Belle said.

"Especially since she won the last eight hooves," Apple Bloom said.

"Well, I've been having fun despite not winning so far," Fluttershy said in her soft, gentle voice.

" _I was cheated_!" Pinkie Pie screeched out in a shrill voice that made Fluttershy jump back and scream in fear. The pink pony pointed a hoof at Spike. " _J'accuse_! You have committed scandal and cheated!"

"I did not!" Spike defended.

"Oh, okay," Pinkie Pie said in her normal high pitched happy voice. "La, le, la, le, la!"

"Howdy, everypony!" Applejack called out.

Everypony gasped as huge smiles came on their faces. They looked to see the southern mare accompanied by Rarity and Rainbow Dash along with an Earth pony they hadn't seen before. At the moment they paid him no mind as they instead gathered around their friends and family members.

"You're back!" Spike said happily.

"And we couldn't be gladder," Starlight Glimmer said as she beamed.

The bunch of ponies showered each other further with warm greetings all at the same time.

"Here's your sketch pad, squirt," Rainbow Dash said as she handed it over.

"Thanks, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo said. "Sweet, I can't wait to try these all out! Now it's a matter of choosing which one to try first."

"Sorry we took a little longer than expected," Applejack said. "We picked up a little _something extra_ on the side of the road on the way back."

"More precisely, _somepony_ ," Rarity added.

Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash stepped aside as Thunder Jack walked up to everyone.

"This is our new friend, Thunder Jack," Applejack announced.

"Hello, everyone," Thunder Jack said warmly with the friendliest smile he could muster.

Everyone else greeted the pony with a hi or a hello or a similar greeting.

"It's really nice to meet you, Thunder Jack," Fluttershy said warmly.

"Please, just call me TJ," Thunder Jack requested as respectfully as possible.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Fluttershy said in panic, yet still somehow sounded calm. "I didn't mean to disrespect you."

"No, you're fine," Thunder Jack said with less calm urgency. "There was no disrespect at all. It's just a nickname I've gone by... ever since I can remember actually."

"Oh, that's nice," Fluttershy said sincerely. "My name's Fluttershy."

"That's a cute name," Thunder Jack complimented.

"Well, howdy-doody, TJ!" Pinkie Pie called out as she jumped in front of the stallion. Thunder Jack was even more stunned when the pink mare grabbed one of his hooves and started shaking him around like he was paper weight. "It's really nice to meet you! It's always nice to meet a stallion! I mean, I've met hundreds of stallions!

"But it's always nice to meet a new one! It's always nice to meet a new mare, too now that I think about it! Anyways, my name is Pinkie Pie, which I think you'll agree is also a cute name! TJ's a pretty cute _nickname_! But I also like-"

"PINKIE, HEEL!" the rest of the ponies in the room said.

Pinkie Pie suddenly froze up as her eyes widened. Thunder Jack fell to the floor feeling as dizzy as a foal that just got off a merry-go-round. Pinkie Pie looked to her friends with slight disappointment.

"Aww, but I wanted to share my favorite nicknames," Pinkie Pie protested.

"If you kept going, ya would've taken his foreleg off," Rainbow Dash said.

"Besides, every nickname's your favorite," Applejack added. "If you had done that, we'd be here all day."

Pinkie Pie thought about it for a moment before saying, "Yeah, I guess you're right. This chapter's running long enough as it is."

Everypony looked to the pink mare in confusion before deciding not to question it seeing as how it was Pinkie Pie. Instead, they all turned to Thunder Jack to check and see if he was okay. Starlight Glimmer helped gently pull to the stallion back up to his hooves. He was still rocking and moaning a little as he tried to get his bearings.

"TJ, ya dead?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"Yeah, mare," Thunder Jack managed to say. "Ohh, if I didn't have whiplash from the ride over here, I certainly have it now."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Starlight Glimmer said.

"Pinkie Pie's kind of the eager beaver of the group," Spike said.

"No, that's okay," Thunder Jack said, now feeling mostly better. "I like that kind of drive and energy. It's sorely missing where I'm from for the most part."

"Well, glad I could help ya by shaking ya around," Pinkie Pie said.

"That part I didn't care for," Thunder Jack said with an apologetic smile.

After everyone shared a quick laugh, Applejack said, "Well, let's introduce ya to the rest of the pack. This here is my little sister Apple Bloom."

"Howdy, TJ, nice to meet ya," Apple Bloom said.

"Likewise, Apple Bloom," Thunder Jack said.

"This here is Rarity and Rainbow Dash's little sisters, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo," Applejack went on.

"Together with Apple Bloom, we are..." Scootaloo began.

"THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" the three little fillies shouted together.

"Our mission in life was to find our cutie marks," Apple Bloom said.

"Now, having got them, we dedicate our lives to helping other ponies find theirs!" Sweetie Belle added.

"Or helping them rediscover what the lost meaning of their mark is, among other cutie mark problems!" Scootaloo added.

"YEAH!" the CMC shouted together.

"Oh, my gosh, it's too adorable!" Thunder Jack shouted. "You're trying to assassinate me with their cuteness, aren't you?!"

"No, they're just naturally like that," Fluttershy assured.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders all smiled innocently as halos appeared over their heads.

"And this here is Princess Twilight's number one assistant, Spike," Applejack said.

The young dragon stepped forward as he held out a hand and said, "It's really nice to meet you, TJ."

"Uh... Nice to meet you, too, Spike," Thunder Jack said as he extended a hoof. After the two shook, Thunder Jack looked Spike over for a moment. "So, you're a dragon, huh?"

"Yes, I am," Spike said proudly. A quick look of concern crossed his face. "That's not a problem is it?"

"Not at all," Thunder Jack said. "If anything, it inspires me how diverse your group is. Pegasi, Earth ponies, unicorns, a _kaiju_ , and now a baby dragon. It's fantastic. Plus, having a dragon on the team will always make it that much more awesome. I'm just glad you aren't like how I heard dragons typically are."

"Propaganda!" Spike defended. After a few seconds, he begrudgingly added, "Okay, it is mostly true."

"Chin up, Spike," Thunder Jack said. "It's not always a bad thing when you're the exception and not the rule. If anything, it makes you a better individual dragon... In more ways than one."

Spike smiled in appreciation, which Thunder Jack returned in kind.

"You already met Fluttershy and... Pinkie Pie," Rarity said. "This filly right here is the newest member of our social circle and we couldn't be happier to have her. This is Starlight Glimmer."

Starlight smiled somewhat shyly as she extended a hoof.

"Nice to meet you, TJ," Starlight Glimmer said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Starlight," Thunder Jack replied as he accepted her hoof. "I don't mean to be forward, but I got a feeling you're gonna go places... Big places like I'm assuming most of the other ponies in this room have."

Starlight Glimmer blushed a little as she looked away. She turned her shy smile back to Thunder Jack as she said, "You really think so?"

"Yeah, I can tell," Thunder Jack said reassuringly.

"Well... th- th- thank you, TJ," Starlight Glimmer said.

"Okay, now you've been introduced to everyone," Rainbow Dash said. "Now are you ready to spill the beans and tell us why you're here?"

"Why would he have to spill the beans to tell us that?" Pinkie Pie asked. "It'd be a waste of perfectly good beans. And I really like beans. _Don't spill them_!"

"It's just an expression, Pinkie!" Starlight Glimmer reassured her.

"Oh..." Pinkie Pie said. "Well, now I just feel silly... Ah, who am I kidding, I _am_ silly."

"But why are you here?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Yes, won't you please tell us?" Fluttershy requested.

"With all due respect, I prefer to wait until Princess Twilight was here," Thunder Jack said. "You're all welcome to sit in on our meeting, of course."

"He's got this thing," Applejack said.

"He hates to repeat himself," Rainbow Dash explained.

"I _hate_ to repeat myself," Thunder Jack asserted.

"Ugh," Pinkie Pie grunted as she dived towards the ground.

"Pinkie Pie, what're you doing?" Spike asked in confusion.

"Trying to catch the running joke!" Pinkie Pie explained. "But boy, he's a fast one."

Everypony stood in confused silence for many a moment before they were finally able to get passed their friend's randomness. They looked to see Thunder Jack was now at the window looking out at Godzilla. Everypony else gathered around to stare as well. It was still hard for Thunder Jack to fathom the fact that this kaiju was not only Equestria's protector, but also a really close friend to the entire country. It made him glad and he couldn't be happier about it, but it was still just as strange and unusual.

Everypony could see the looks of awe and wonder as he gazed in admiration of the King of Monsters.

"Pretty sweet, isn't he?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"You said a mouthful," Thunder Jack replied.

"No, she didn't," Pinkie Pie said. "She just asked if Godzilla was sweet."

"Ignore her," Rarity said. "Sometimes she..."

"I noticed," Thunder Jack said with a chuckle. "Like, I said, that's cool. I'll admit I actually find her... _eccentricity_ a little refreshing and actually charming... Did I use that last word right?"

"Yes, darling, you used it quite well," Rarity said.

"Thanks," Thunder Jack said. "So... He really just protects you just to protect you 'cause he's your friend? I'm sorry, it's just amazing to me."

"Where ya from, partner?" Applejack asked.

"A little island west of here called Pony Tale Island," Thunder Jack said.

"Ponytail Island?" some of the other ponies asked in confusion.

"Yes, but that's tale as in fairy tale," Thunder Jack explained.

"I thought you said it was Ponytail," Pinkie Pie said in confusion. "Fairies don't even have tails. Jeez and some ponies say I'm coco in the loco."

"Never mind her, we get the idea," Apple Bloom said.

"So, Pony Tale Island, huh?" Spike asked with interest.

"Yeah, you ever heard of it?" Thunder Jack asked.

Most ponies said that they never heard of the island, except for one.

"Maybe," Rainbow Dash said. "I think I may have heard of it once or twice when I was a lot younger."

"Oh, I see," Thunder Jack said. "Well, I'm not surprised you all don't know a whole lot about it. Let's just say... most folks there like to keep island business... on the island. Save for our overseas trading of course."

"Oh, you trade overseas?" Starlight Glimmer inquired.

"We have to," Thunder Jack explained. "That's the only way we ponies on the island can make our living... Those of us that are still living that is."

The rest of the group looked to each other questioningly.

"What do you mean by that?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's part of the reason I came here," Thunder Jack said. "You see... most folks that want island business to stay on the island... will do whatever they can to keep it on the island. I was surprised I was actually able to get here without facing some sort of opposition. I'm lucky to be alive."

"It's really that serious?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"Worse than that actually," Thunder Jack said. "That's why I stopped off here. I saw the castle and... _this big guy_ you call Godzilla while I was on my way to my originally intended destination. I figure I can kill two birds with one stone. I talk to a princess like I was suppose to and see about getting big boy here to possibly help us out."

"You shouldn't kill any birds with any stone, TJ," Fluttershy said defensively.

Thunder Jack's eyes widened in alarm as he turned.

"No, Fluttershy, I didn't mean it literally!" Thunder Jack explained. "I would never do that! It was just an expression."

"That's not a very good expression," Fluttershy replied. "I don't like it."

"Then I won't use it anymore," Thunder Jack said sincerely. "You have my word."

Fluttershy flashed a smile of gratitude while Starlight Glimmer walked up closer to Thunder Jack.

"So you really think the situation on your island is so urgent that it requires a force like Godzilla to come in and solve it?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"Oh, I know it is," Thunder Jack replied. "I was there, not from the beginning mind you, but long enough to see that... yeah, it's gotten _that bad_."

"Oh, my, how horrible," Fluttershy said.

"You don't know the half of it... yet," Thunder Jack said. "But like I said, I promise to tell you all everything when the princess arrives."

"Thanks for trusting us enough to let us all in on it," Applejack said.

"It's all good... just like you," Thunder Jack said. "You're all great ponies, I can tell."

Everyone smiled in appreciation while Rainbow Dash flew up above Thunder Jack at the same time.

"You bet we are," Rainbow Dash boasted. "We're awesome ponies with an equally awesome kaiju by our side. No matter how the bad situation on your island is, I'm sure Godzilla would be able to handle it. He fought a whole army of kaiju, ya know."

"I do," Thunder Jack said. "I heard all the stories of his great feats on my way over here. They all sounded to amazing to believe... Now seeing this magnificent sight of a kaiju in front of me, I can tell it's all true."

"Then you should know he's ready to do anything and everything," Rainbow Dash said. "I'll bet whatever you have going on at your island is nothing compared to what G went through with those kaiju."

"Well... you'd be surprised," Thunder Jack said with a knowing tone in his voice. All of a sudden, the stallion was surprised by a small shadow quickly passing over the window he and the others were at. "What was that?"

While Thunder Jack was alarmed, the others all seemed overjoyed by the shadow. Soon it was revealed why when a small mare flew up to Godzilla. Thunder Jack looked on in disbelief. He knew he was seeing her, but he still didn't believe his eyes.

"That's her?" Thunder Jack asked in amazement. "That's Twilight Sparkle? That's the princess?"

"Yup, the one and only," Applejack said.

"Unless you count the other three princesses," Pinkie Pie said.

Thunder Jack gazed on as Twilight Sparkle flew up to Godzilla and greeted him by rubbing a hoof under his chin. Godzilla's eyes shut as he took pleasure in the alicorn's scratching.

"Whoa," Thunder Jack said. He then tilted his head to the side. "For some reason I thought she'd be taller."

"Usually alicorns are," Rarity said.

"Oh," Thunder Jack said.

He thought he heard Twilight Sparkle saying something to Godzilla, though he couldn't make it out. Thunder Jack saw Twilight cease her scratching as she pulled back a little. Both kaiju and alicorn smiled to each other before Twilight hugged the end of Godzilla's snout. When the embrace ended, Twilight Sparkle suddenly disappeared, which made Thunder Jack's eyes widen a bit.

"Where did she go?" Thunder Jack wondered.

He was answered when a puff of purple smoke appeared next to the table in the middle of the room. Everypony looked to see Twilight Sparkle emerge from the cloud of smoke with a warm greeting smile on her face.

"Hey, everypony."

"Hi, Twilight," everyone else minus Thunder Jack said.

The whole group, again, minus Thunder Jack, ran up to Twilight Sparkle and greeted her lovingly. Thunder Jack chose to wait for the group of friends to finish with their pleasantries before introducing himself to the princess. During that brief amount of time, he enjoyed how happy everypony in the princess's social group seemed just to be in each other's presence. It reminded him a great deal of his own group of family and friends back home, which made it all the more heartwarming.

Once everyone was finished they all stepped back to give Twilight some space.

"So, Twilight, how goes things down at Rough Sand?" Spike asked.

A semi-annoyed look came over Twilight Sparkle's face as she rolled her eyes.

"Well, it was certainly something," Twilight Sparkle said. "Instead of being in charge of the one team I wanted to be, I ended up having to run the whole operation from a strategy tent. That meant having to turn over full control of the autopsy team to the Doctor while I over saw all of the teams' progress. Then I didn't even get to finish doing that because I had to go to Canterlot for some princessing business.

"Ugh! Sorry, don't mean to dump this all on you guys. It's just so annoying sometimes when your being a princess keeps you from doing the things you want to do."

"I can see that," Starlight Glimmer said.

"Thanks," Twilight Sparkle said. "Anyways, from what I was able to see, it looked like everything was actually progressing ahead of schedule."

"Well, that's good news at least," Fluttershy said.

"It was probably because they had a great pony leading them," Applejack said with a wink.

"Aww, thanks, AJ," Twilight Sparkle said gratefully.

"Hey, Twilight, I know you were just complaining about it," Rainbow Dash said. "But we need you to do more princessing right now."

The alicorn raised an eyebrow as she gave her friend a curious look.

"How so?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Come on up to the front, darling," Rarity called to the back of the pack.

Several ponies stepped aside as Thunder Jack made his way over to Twilight Sparkle. Surprise crossed the alicorn's face while Thunder Jack greeted her with a pleasant smile.

"Who's this?" Twilight Sparkle inquired.

"This is Thunder Jack," Rarity said.

"But you can just call me TJ," the Earth pony said. "Uh, that is, if you feel so inclined, Your Highness."

Small giggles filled the air, all of which came from those around Thunder Jack.

"You can just call me Twilight. I'm not that kind of princess."

"Of course, You High- I mean, Twilight," Thunder Jack said.

"It's nice to meet you, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said as she extended a hoof.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, as well, Twilight," Thunder Jack said.

He took Twilight's hoof in his and bowed in respect. Again everyone let out small fits of amused laughter.

"Like I said, not that kind of princess," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Oh, right," Thunder Jack said as he smiled and blushed with embarrassment. "Just trying to be respectful is all."

"I appreciate that," Twilight Sparkle said. "So, how can I help you?"

"It's not just about how you can help me, princess," Thunder Jack said. "It's how you can help my village, the ponies who live in it, the island it's on, and possibly the whole world."

"Is that so?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yes, indeed," Thunder Jack replied. "I'm not from Equestria, you see. I came here from a little island called Pony Tale Island. And I hear you've had some problems here recently in Equestria."

"Pony Tale Island?" Twilight Sparkle said thoughtfully. "I think I might've heard of it once or twice before. Problems in Equestria you say?"

"Yeah, _big_ problems," Thunder Jack said. "As in _monster-sized_ problems."

"You mean the thing with the kaiju?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Exactly," Thunder Jack said.

"Well, I gotta say those problems have been pretty much taken care of... for now at least," Twilight Sparkle said. "So what does my helping you have to do with our kaiju problem?"

A dead serious look came over Thunder Jack's face as he said, "Because right now my island is facing a _very_ similar problem... Only it could end up effecting beyond our borders."

Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the group looked at Thunder Jack in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Right now, my island is under attack by a group who has control of several large monsters like the ones Godzilla fought here in Equestria," Thunder Jack explained.

"WHAT?!" the rest of the room cried out in disbelief.

"It's true," Thunder Jack said. "This group has been terrorizing our island for over four decades. But only recently did they reveal a secret weapon they had in the form of several large creatures you would call kaiju."

"Sweet Celestia!" Rarity said in amazement.

"This group... are they... aliens?" Twilight Sparkle asked with uncertainty.

Thunder Jack gave the princess a confused look of his own.

"No... they're minotaurs," Thunder Jack answered. "Were the kaiju here made by aliens?"

"Mm hmm," everyone else answered.

"Whoa," Thunder Jack said. "That's bizarre."

"Just about as bizarre as somepony saying a group of minotaurs have control of a group of giant monsters," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth," Thunder Jack insisted.

"I knew minotaurs could be a bit much, but I didn't think they could be down right evil," Fluttershy said.

"Some of us have had... _bad experiences_ with minotaurs ourselves," Rarity explained. "Still... it's nothing like what you're suggesting."

"Hey, I just thought of something!" Starlight Glimmer said in realization. "What if the kaiju that attacked Rough Sand Shell a few days ago came from Pony Tale Island?!"

Everypony gasped at the mere suggestion.

"Wait, what?" Thunder Jack asked in confusion.

"Well, smash my apples into sauce, Starlight might be right!" Applejack exclaimed.

"That would explain it," Rarity said.

"That kaiju left Pony Tale Island and somehow made its way here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Then it proceeded to cause havoc and mayhem," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Like a kaiju do," Pinkie Pie said.

"But if the conflict is on Pony Tale Island, why would-" Twilight Sparkle began.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Thunder Jack interrupted. "Backup a minute here! With my sincere apologies, princess, what are you all saying? There was a kaiju attack just recently?"

"Yeah," everyone else said.

"About three days ago," Fluttershy said.

"We thought that's what you were talking about," Spike said.

"No, I meant the thing with the lizard, and the spider, and stuff," Thunder Jack said.

"With all due respect, darling, that was over six months ago," Rarity said. "That's hardly a recent event."

"It was the only one I knew about that happened in Equestria," Thunder Jack explained. "Now you're telling me an attack happened only three days ago?"

"Yes, indeed," Applejack responded.

"Three days ago, a giant turtle creature attacked Rough Sand Shell and completely destroyed it," Twilight Sparkle explained.

"Then G came in and whooped its sorry shell!" Rainbow Dash chimed in. "He made turtle soup out of that son of a-"

"That would explain why my port was changed!" Thunder Jack exclaimed. "I was originally suppose to land in Rough Sand Shell. But I guess it was unfit to receive boats because of the kaiju incident. It totally makes sense now...

"Wait, did you say it was a giant turtle?!... Was it a mata mata turtle?"

"It sure looked like it," Fluttershy said.

"Then it was Kamoebas," Thunder Jack said. "It had to be. He was the only turtle looking monster the minotaurs had under their control. But then why would they send him out so far to attack a place like Equestria?... It doesn't make sense, especially since they've been trying to keep a low profile and restrict all activity exclusively to the island."

"You're telling the truth aren't you?" Twilight Sparkle said in realization.

"Then there really is a secret kaiju related thing happening on an island far away that we didn't know about?" Starlight Glimmer said in amazement.

"I really wish I was making this up... but I'm not," Thunder Jack said. "What's worse is that even prior to this attack, we had reason to believe that they were gonna turn all their forces on the rest of the world... and that includes all of their kaiju."

"Twilight, we have to take this up with the princesses!" Spike said urgently.

"Absolutely," Twilight Sparkle said. "Listen, TJ, would you be willing to save the rest of your story for a meeting with the princesses? That way we'd all be able to hear the whole thing at the same time they did."

"Sounds more than great to me," Thunder Jack said assuredly.

"Especially considering your thing," Rarity said.

"Huh?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"He hates to repeat himself," Applejack explained.

"I _hate_ to repeat myself," Thunder Jack said.

"There it goes again!" Pinkie Pie said as she dove for the ground.

"The echo that's followed us since we got here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No, the running joke that followed you," Pinkie Pie answered. "Though now that I think about it, they could be one in the same. Darn, I almost got 'im that time."

"I was originally gonna meet with Princess Celestia to speak on this situation," Thunder Jack explained. "But when I saw your castle and Godzilla sitting next to it, I figured I should stop off here about it, first."

"You made the right move, I think," Rarity said.

"I agree," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'm confident they'd be more willing to accept an audience with you if we were there to request it than if you went by yourself. Usually they accept our requests for a meeting no matter what they may be in the middle of."

"Well then, let's not just stand around here talking about making the meeting and get down to doing it!" Rainbow Dash encouraged.

"I'm most definitely with Rainbow Dash on this," Thunder Jack concurred.

"Then let's hurry to the train station," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Apple Bloom, you and your friends head home for the farm soes that Granny and Big Mac can look after y'all," Applejack said.

"Aww." the Cutie Mark Crusaders let out in disappointment.

"Can't we come?" Sweetie Belle begged.

"No, not this time," Rarity said sternly.

"Now you best get along, ya hear?" Applejack demanded.

"Yes, Applejack," the CMC said together.

"I'll stay here and look after them and Godzilla both."

"Thank you, Starlight Glimmer," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Of course," Starlight Glimmer said. "And good luck to you all."

"I'll tell ya all about what ya miss, squirt," Rainbow Dash reassured.

"Alright, thank you," Scootaloo replied.

With that the Mane Six, Spike, and Thunder Jack made their way out of the castle and to the train station.

"Wait a minute!" Thunder Jack blurted out on the way. "I just realized something!"

"What?" Twilight asked as she and the others looked to the stallion in urgency.

"I've been repeating myself this whole time by telling ponies to call me TJ," Thunder Jack let out. "Hypocrisy thy name is Thunder Jack!"

The Mane Six and Spike all looked to each other in uncertainty and confusion.

"I don't know about this guy," Rainbow Dash whispered.

"I think he's fun," Pinkie Pie said.

"He may be somewhat eccentric, but he's good," Twilight Sparkle said. "I can tell."

"That's what he said about us," Pinkie Pie said. "This looks like the start of something beautiful... Or something not so beautiful. Let's see how the story goes."

* * *

 **Here it is, the next chapter of the story. I honestly think I may need to come back to this one. I don't know, it's always hard for me trying to introduce an original character I made up into... well, any part of the story. Though I'm posting this now because I feel the positives outweigh the negatives. I hope you all feel the same way. Please leave a review after reading no matter what ya got to say and don't be afraid to let me know of any mistakes I may have missed so I can correct them to the best of my abilities. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	7. Chapter 7: The Tale of Pony Tale Island

The train ride over from Ponyville to Canterlot was mostly spent in silence. Or at least it would've been if not for Pinkie Pie, who was carrying on in her hyperactive ways. While everypony else sat with quiet anticipation, the pink Earth pony couldn't help singing, dancing, talking, and overall goofing around at breakneck speed. Her usual set of friends had grown partially numb to it, having been the victim of Pinkie's shenanigans on many occasions. There were other times, though that it still got to them.

At first TJ found Pinkie amusing and actually thought it was inspiring that somepony could face even the darkest of possibilities and have a smile on her face. Later on, however, the novelty of Pinkie's shenanigans wore off and began to grate on TJ's nerves. Even later still, as the train was making its final approach to the Canterlot station, the Earth pony stallion was amazed to find he was enjoying Pinkie's randomness yet again. Somehow, the high rush of energy displayed by Pinkie Pie managed to become charming once more, which TJ actually considered a good thing.

The rest of the ponies had all wanted to speak amongst each other, TJ included. Yet none of them could bring themselves to strike up a conversation. Instead they chose to just sit in their train seats looking thoughtfully out the window or around the train car. If their sights crossed one another, they would always be sure to flash a friendly smile or something of the sort.

Everypony was thankful when the train finally pulled in at the station and the conductor called for all who were going to Canterlot to depart. As soon as the announcement came, Pinkie Pie settled down as best as she could. She still had a big smile on her face as she hopped alongside the rest of her departing friends. It wasn't long after that the group left the train station and were making their way into the city.

"TJ, welcome to Equestria's capitol city, Canterlot," Spike said as he waved his arm through the air.

Even after getting off the train, TJ had not said anything. He was too busy looking around at the train station, for it was interesting to him having never been there before. Now that he was seeing the city itself, he was all the more amazed at the spectacular sights the country's capitol had to offer. It was more incredible than he could've possibly imagined. It had all the designs, sophistication, and regality among other things that a royal city should have.

At the same time, however, there were a few things that gave it some of the modesty of a small town, part of that being the smaller shops. Also, there were many modest looking ponies similar to TJ himself mixed in with the high class, elite ponies walking the streets. These small, subtle deversities helped to make Canterlot all that more of a great place to TJ.

"Wow," TJ managed to say in astonishment. "I never knew it would be this beautiful."

"Most ponies don't until they see it for themselves," Twilight Sparkle said.

"And we're about to go meet the two ponies that run this whole city?" TJ asked in disbelief.

"And the whole country, too," Twilight Sparkle answered.

"I think you'll find they are quite fetching beauties themselves," Rarity said.

"I'll bet," TJ said enthusiastically. "Uh, that is... Uh... Yeah."

The Mane Six and Spike all shared a quick chuckle.

"Come on, y'all, let's not waste anymore time on the sight seeing," Applejack said.

"Are you sure we can't do a little more?" Pinkie Pie whined.

"Pinkie, you've been here before, a lot of times," Rainbow Dash said.

"So?" Pinkie Pie asked in confusion.

This in turn confused the rainbow maned mare who just walked on with the rest of the group. Along the way, TJ kept looking around and marveling at all he saw. The only exception was some of the finer dressed ponies. They displayed certain snobbish attributes that were very off-putting, especially to someone seeing them for the first time. TJ had met several snobs before, but none like the high society type he witnessed on those streets.

It was balanced out because for snob on the streets, there were three ponies with actual manners and class among other things. From the average everyday street ponies, to even some of the better dressed ponies who looked like they'd probably be snobbish. The population of decent citizens of Canterlot definitely outweighed those not so decent ponies. TJ was surprised to see a sharp dressed pony wave and call a greeting to the Mane Six from a distance, which they, of course, responded to in kind.

"Good day to you, girls! So nice to see you out and about looking lovely as ever!"

"Thanks, Fancy Pants," Twilight Sparkle called back.

"You're looking rather divine yourself, darling," Rarity added.

"Why thank you, my dear," Fancy Pants said. "I hope you all have a pleasant rest of the day."

The Mane Six and Spike wished the same for Fancy Pants as they started walking off in a different direction. A short time later, a trio of regular unicorn mares greeted the group as happily as if they were their own family. The Mane Six and Spike all responded in kind with both groups talking to each other at the same time for a short period.

"We're all going to get something to eat!" a blue unicorn mare said. "Wanna come?"

"We'd like to, Minuette," Twilight Sparkle replied. "But right now we're here on official business."

"Oh, okay," Minuette replied. "Maybe next time?"

"You can count on it!" Twilight Sparkle said. "See you then, girls. Bye!"

Both groups bid each other farewell before they continued off on their way again.

"Friends of yours?" TJ asked.

"We met in grade school," Twilight Sparkle explained.

"Cool," TJ replied. "And the Fancy Pants dude?"

"He's just a nice pony we met," Fluttershy said.

"Also very cool," TJ said. "This whole place is pretty cool actually."

"Which do you like better, Canterlot or Ponyville?" Rarity asked.

"Now, that's not fair," TJ said. "Well... if you had to twist my leg and make me choose, I'd probably say Ponyville. That's just for the fact that there ain't no snobs there."

"Ain't is not a word, darling," Rarity chimed in. "The words you were looking for were, isn't any."

"Okay then," TJ said, feeling unsure of how to properly respond.

 _Looks like I might have been mistaken_ , TJ thought to himself. _Eh, don't think like that. She's a good pony._ TJ shrugged it off and just smiled as the group kept walking along.

"Either way, both places are great," TJ said. "I actually wouldn't mind spending some extended time in either place to be honest. Maybe I could do that when this is all over... Provided the outcome goes the way I'm hoping, that is."

"There'll be time to think about that later," Twilight Sparkle said. "For now, let's get to this meeting with the princesses first, shall we?"

"Of course," TJ agreed. "Absolutely. Let's go... Wow!"

The Earth pony was shocked to see that they had already arrived at the front gates of the castle. Like every other building he had seen of Canterlot thus far, it was a spectacular sight. The difference here was that everything else in the city paled in comparison to the royal structure. Several of the buildings seemed to be somewhat loosely based off the castle in trying to capture its royal flavor. But while imitation was the most sincerest form of flattery, nothing else came close to the mostly white and gold home to the princesses of Equestria.

"It... It... Is this... the castle home of the princesses?" TJ finally managed to let out.

"The one and only," Fluttershy said.

"Unless you count the one abandoned in the Everfree Forest," Pinkie Pie said.

"And we don't," Rainbow Dash added.

"Who goes there?" a royal guard pony called from the top of the gate.

The Mane Six, Spike, and TJ all looked up at the guards on the lookout built atop of the castle gate as they looked back down.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle and the Council of Friendship with guests," Twilight Sparkle called up. "We're here to meet with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna on official business."

"Of course, Your Highness," the guard called back down. "You shall be admitted in at once."

"Thank you, good sir," Twilight Sparkle replied respectfully.

Only a short time later, the gate to the castle was opened and everypony walked into the courtyard.

"I can't believe it," TJ proclaimed. "I never thought I'd ever get to go inside one castle or meet a princess. Now you're telling me I get to go inside two castles and meet three princesses all on the same day?! What's next, a trip to meet the alicorns above?!"

"Don't forget your getting to see Godzilla," Fluttershy said.

"That's right!" TJ said.

At that moment he looked like a nine year old in a candy store.

"Well, it looks like somepony's having a good time," Rarity said.

TJ took notice of the others and saw the amusement they were getting from his giddiness. This made him smile sheepishly as his face turned red.

"Sorry," TJ said.

"Ah, don't be like that, TJ," Rainbow Dash said. "Rarity was just pulling your leg is all."

"Besides, you're being pretty adorable right now," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I can't help it," TJ admitted. "After so many years on the island, I never ever thought I would come close to doing or seeing anything like... well, all of this! Now that I am, it's... almost overwhelming."

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess this all could be a lot for somepony in your position to take in," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Especially when you came here with something extremely important," Applejack said.

"Well... yeah," TJ said. "But you know what, Applejack, everypony actually, I may be gawking at everything I see, but I'm not gonna let it get in the way of me doing what I gotta do."

"That's the spirit, TJ, boy!" Rainbow Dash said supportively.

"Yeah, keep on keeping on, brother!" Applejack said.

"Right!" TJ said. "And with ponies as great as you're all being right now, I know nothing will stop me from- Ooh!"

TJ's words were stopped by the attention stealing sight of the castle's interior. Even though it was just the entrance hall, it was still an incredible spectacle. It was even more amazing than the first room of Twilight's castle that he saw before. TJ walked into the center of the room and spun around a few times as he tried to see everything it had to offer. It was a true feast for the eyes and TJ's eyes couldn't help but take it all in.

"Holy cow!" TJ let out. He had a big, silly smile on his face that matched the excited tone in his voice. "How can nopony go crazy every time they step hoof in this place?! It's amazing!"

This time, Spike and the Mane Six were just, flat out busting a gut. They couldn't get over TJ's child-like joy he was getting from all the sights he was seeing. He took notice of their further amusement at his actions and just stood there while they got their laughs out. When it was over, Rainbow Dash walked up to TJ.

"You know, TJ, you seem to get pretty easily giddy and distracted for somepony with a mission as serious as yours."

"I _have to_ , Rainbow Dash. Everyday for as long as I can remember, I've needed some sort of distraction to keep me from going insane. Everything me, my family and my friends have gone through with these minotaurs has been tearing us apart physically, emotionally, and psychologically. It's been ripping at our psyches for the last several years! If we don't find little things to keep us from being driven mad, well... I guess you get the picture."

"Absolutely, dude, fair enough," Rainbow Dash said. "I can totally relate."

"We all can, actually," Applejack said. "It's not always been easy going through what we do. In fact, I think all of us have had our own mini-meltdowns... Even me. But we usually end up finding something that makes it worth going on and helps us keep our cool."

"Usually it ends up being each other," Fluttershy added.

"As well as close family and other friends, too," Rarity said.

"That's almost exactly like what it's like with my own family and friends," TJ said. "We usually count on each other for comfort in the darkest of times. However, now that I'm out here, I'm on my own. I left all my family and friends back on Pony Tale Island. So I need to find other ways to distract myself... Not completely, mind you, but just enough."

"Well, I wouldn't say you have no friends out here at all," Spike said. "I mean, we're pretty much your friends now."

TJ's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked to the Mane Six and Spike.

"Really?" TJ asked in amazement.

"Sure!" Pinkie Pie said. "I mean, if you want us to be that is."

"Of course!" TJ said. "You can never have too many friends! Or at least that's what I always think."

"Nice thinking," Applejack said.

"But we've only just met," TJ said.

"Darling, we pretty much became your friends the moment you met us," Rarity said.

"That's kind of how we roll," Rainbow Dash said. "You know, being the Council of Friendship now and all."

"Friendship is magic," Fluttershy cutely added.

"So you see now, TJ?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "You don't need to feel alone or get yourself distracted so easily while you're here. We'll be here for you if you need us."

TJ had a big, appreciative smile on his face as he tried hard to fight back tears.

"Thank you..." TJ managed to say. "Thank you all so much." The Earth pony cleared his throat and breathed a relaxing breath. "Still, I have to admit... This castle and almost everything else I've seen so far has been pretty great to gawk at."

"You see anything else you like, darling?" Rarity said as she struck a pose.

"You know what..." TJ began. "Now that we're friends, you're flirtiness and such shenanigans will not work on me any longer."

"Oh, I think they will," Rarity said as she stepped in closer and gave TJ her bedroom eyes.

"Duh..." was all TJ could say as he felt himself getting hot under the collar.

"Good day to you, ponies of friendship," a voice called out.

TJ allowed himself a sigh of relief before saying, "Saved by the bell."

Everypony looked up to see an Earth pony from the royal guard coming down a huge flight of stairs.

"Ah, Steel Trap," Twilight Sparkle said. "Nice to see you again."

"It's a pleasure to see you once more as well, princess," Steel Trap said as he bowed. "It always is, Your Highness."

"Again, I'm not that kind of princess," Twilight Sparkle said in a friendly manner. "Besides, we've known each other too long for that."

"Forgive me, pri- I mean, Twilight," Steel Trap said. He returned to his hooves before continuing. "The princesses have been informed of your arrival and wish to see you all immediately. So if you will just follow me to the throne room, we'll make that happen."

"Sounds good," Twilight Sparkle said. "Lead the way, Trap."

As the group proceeded to follow the royal guard, TJ found himself getting both very excited and yet nervous at the same time. _I can't believe I'm actually gonna do it_ , TJ thought to himself. _I'm gonna meet the princesses... I'm gonna finish my mission successfully..._

 _But does that mean we'll finally win? What if they don't help? Of course they will, they're good ponies. Or at least these mares say so and they seem decent enough. More than decent actually._

 _Then why do I still feel so unsure? Is it a sign? Will this plan not work? Will they turn out not to be so friendly? What about Godzilla?_

 _What if he doesn't help? Oh, sweet horse apples, what the-_

TJ's crazy train of thought was interrupted when he felt a gentle hoof touch his back. He looked to see Fluttershy smiling at him supportively like a mother might do for a child. TJ worked up a smile to give Fluttershy in response, though it wasn't a very strong one.

"What's wrong, TJ?"

"Nothing, Fluttershy, nothing at all. Why would there be something wrong? After all, I've met some great ponies and made friends with them. Now you're helping me to see the princesses like I was suppose to do."

TJ stopped when Fluttershy gave him a knowing look. It wasn't stern or demanding or invoked any sort of authority. It was just a sort of cutesy look, one that only Fluttershy could pull off and still get the same results as if she demanded the truth forcefully.

"Please, TJ, I can tell you're nervous," Fluttershy said in her regular, calm voice.

"What makes you say that, Fluttershy?" TJ asked.

"Because you're speaking at a rapid pace that usually indicates distress. Also your body language and movements have been extremely antsy and jittery. Finally, you're perspiring a lot and your eyes look like they're about to pop out of your head."

"Is that so?" TJ asked.

"I'm the queen of being nervous, TJ," Fluttershy replied. "Trust me, I can always tell when somepony else is feeling it."

TJ finally let out a sigh before saying, "Okay, you got me. But then, I've always gotten nervous about big tasks like these that have been given to me."

"How often do you get big jobs?" Fluttershy asked.

"On an island facing the problems ours is, a _lot_ ," TJ said. "Most of the time, the jobs are _way_ more dangerous than this one. But none of them will ever come close to how important this current job is and I don't want to screw it up. I won't act like I screwed up all of my previous assignments because I haven't, only a few here and there. Yet none of that ever seems to calm my nerves, because I'm always afraid that I just _might_ screw up. Pathetic, isn't it?"

"Not really," Fluttershy said. "Everypony gets nervous at one point or another."

"Yeah, well I seem to get nervous all the time," TJ said.

"So do I," Fluttershy said. "I'll admit I'm almost nervous everyday. Not for the entire day, mind you, but sometime during the day. Then again, there are days when I'm nervous all day. Depends on a lot of things, like how I wake up and whether it seems like I may go on a dangerous adventure or something.

"The point is, everypony's been nervous. Even great ponies like Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack here. Even the princesses we're about to see have been nervous."

"Really?" TJ asked.

"Of course," Fluttershy said. "They run a whole country, so how could they not get nervous at some point. But none of them let their nerves stop them from doing what they knew they had to do, so neither should you. Besides, it sounds like you don't really do that anyways. Why start now?"

TJ's nervous jitters, twitches, and the like were all gone now. They were replaced by a beaming smile full of gratitude.

"You know, your friends must be really lucky to have you," TJ said.

"I know I'm lucky to have them," Fluttershy said. "Without them, I don't think I would've ever gotten over my own nerves."

"You sure helped me get over mine," TJ said.

"That's what friends are for," Fluttershy said.

"Friends are for a lot of things," Pinkie Pie chimed in. "But that is one of them. No need to be a worried murry, TJ! We've got your back!"

"Always," Spike said while riding on Pinkie Pie's back.

TJ's smile turned to a look of confusion before he turned to Fluttershy.

"So, wait, are you nervous right now?" TJ asked.

"Of course!" Fluttershy let out in a tone just above her usually calm voice. "We're going to visit the princesses about a matter concerning the fate of the world! How can a pony not be nervous?!"

"But... you're keeping cool?" TJ asked.

"Yes," Fluttershy said, sounding like her pleasant self again. "All my friends are here."

Fluttershy beamed happily the rest of the way to the throne room. It wasn't long until TJ followed suit and was smiling just like Fluttershy. A short time later, the Mane Six, Spike, and TJ reached the doors to the throne room. While all of them felt varying degrees of nervousness, it wasn't nearly enough to let it bug any of them.

TJ couldn't help but let out a gasp as the large, golden double doors opened up to reveal the long, wide opened hall of a throne room. TJ took notice of a long red rug that led from their side of the room all the way down to the other. It was there where the the thrones of the royal sisters stood elevated above floor level on a golden pedestal. Even more importantly, it was where the princesses of Equestria themselves were currently occupying said thrones. Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's faces lit up when they saw the Mane Six and company on the other side of the room.

"How nice to see you all," Princess Celestia called from across the room.

TJ was beginning to feel all his fears, nerves, and jitters return at rapid speed. Luckily, they were all quickly cut off once more when Fluttershy placed a supportive hoof on TJ's shoulder. The stallion looked to his pegasus friend with gratitude while she kept looking on as supportively as possible. This allowed him to walk along with the rest of the group to the side of the room where the princesses sat on their thrones.

On the way, TJ was unable to keep himself from gazing at the royal alicorn sisters with utter amazement. They were more incredible than he could've believed. Their appearance was more in line with what he was imagining when he first met Twilight Sparkle. In addition to being very beautiful, they were quite regal and powerful looking as well. To him, they looked like they could move the sun and moon, which, of course, they could.

In addition to all of that, though, both alicorns looked quite approachable as well. Despite their royal statures, they also had this air about them that almost made them seem motherly in nature. They also seemed like the kind of pony you could just walk up to on the street and strike a friendly conversation with. In that way they reminded TJ of the ponies from Ponyville and even some of the better ponies back home. This mix of qualities made TJ feel already like both princess ponies rightfully deserved their royal titles.

With all this in mind, along with the fact that they were friends with the friendliest ponies TJ knew in Equestria, he found himself able to ease his nerves even more so than before. TJ still stayed at the back of the pack, though where he would wait until he was called on. Once the group was close enough, they all bowed in respect at the bottom of the pedestal that held the royal thrones. TJ was stunned when he saw the princesses respond to the groups' full body bows with their own small head bows. Either they really were the closest of friends or the princesses were really respectful rulers; though it probably could've been both.

"Twilight, how nice it is to see you again so soon," Princess Celestia said.

"Even better is that you brought all your friends along with you this time," Princess Luna added.

The members of the Mane Six and Spike all spoke in agreement that it was nice to see the princesses, too, as was usually the case. A somewhat concerned look crossed both princesses' faces after the greetings and pleasantries were finished.

"While it is always nice to see you and your friends, Twilight, I can only assume you haven't come for a social call," Princess Celestia said.

"Not so soon after we sent you home and having brought along all your friends as well," Luna added.

"I'm afraid not, princesses," Twilight Sparkle admitted. "But I will say this visit may shed a little light on a few things."

Intrigue crossed both royal sisters' faces as they looked on.

"Is that so?" Princess Luna asked.

"Yes, Princess Luna," Twilight Sparkle reassured. She, Spike, and the rest of the Mane Six then looked to the back of the group. "TJ, come on."

The Mane Six all stepped aside as the Earth pony from far away walked up to the front of the group with Twilight. The alicorn sisters all looked on with even greater interest at this new face.

"Well, who do we have here?" Princess Celestia asked, sounding almost more pleasant than Fluttershy.

"This is Thunder Jack," Twilight Sparkle introduced. "But he'd prefer it if you just called him, TJ."

"It's a nickname that was given to me back home," TJ managed to say, though sounding slightly nervous as he said it. "Uh... Your Majesties."

Celestia and Luna found themselves unable to hold back a few giggles.

"And just where do you come from, TJ?" Princess Celestia asked.

Princess Luna followed up with a quick wink, one that confused TJ slightly.

"Uh, a little island almost eighty miles to the west," TJ answered. "It's called Pony Tale Island."

"Pony Tale Island, you say?" Celestia asked.

"Yes, have you heard of it?" TJ asked.

"Indeed, I have," Princess Celestia answered. "Equestria used to do a lot of overseas trading and exchanging with the island. That seems to have downsized a lot over the years, however. I always wondered why."

"Well... what I have to say today will partially explain that," TJ said.

"TJ's come here with incredibly important information," Twilight Sparkle explained. "It could potentially unveil a big conspiracy... and also explain the most recent kaiju attack in Rough Sand Shell."

From that point on, Celestia and Luna were in full form with both of them taking the meeting very seriously. It was easy to see their change in attitude by looking at them. Even then it seemed like it could be felt in the air as well.

"Is this true, TJ?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Yes, princess, it most certainly is," TJ said.

"He's already told us bits and pieces of his story," Twilight Sparkle explained. "He wanted to save the whole thing for this meeting because he has a thing. He hates to repeat himself."

"I-"

"Let's not start that again," Rainbow Dash said, cutting off TJ.

"Aw, but I was sure I could catch it this time," Pinkie Pie protested.

"Will you please share with us your full story now, TJ of Pony Tale Island?" Princess Luna requested.

"Of course, Your Highness," TJ said. He then cleared his throat before he began his tale. "Several hundred years ago, both pony settlers and minotaur settlers happened to come across a small island on the same day at the exact same time. They were both looking for a home they could call their own and where they could be free. Despite the warrior-like nature of the minotaurs and the rocky relationship both races had with each other back then, both the minotaurs and the ponies put their differences aside.

"They agreed to share the island and make their homes there as one group. Together they explored the island and eventually built a town full of homes and shops of all kinds. It was even the minotaurs that suggested naming the island, Pony Tale Island. It was because the island was somewhat shaped like a ponytail and also because of how much the minotaurs enjoyed the stories the ponies of the island told. Along with the highly successful overseas trading business the population developed, all seemed secure.

"The ponies and the minotaurs both enjoyed an era of peace, harmony, and friendship together that seemed like it would never end."

"I am aware of this tale," Princess Celestia said. "I always did like it. Just the thought that two very different races could come together and form such a peaceful paradise of a life with each other. It warmed my heart deeply. Why, in some ways it reminded me a lot of how Equestria was first founded, with exceptions of course.

"I always wanted to visit the island and see the full glory of the minotaur and pony population myself, but unfortunately, I never had the time."

""Well, be thankful you never did," TJ said. "From here on out, the story changes to one of tragedy. According to the stories, some fifty years ago there was a huge and instantly noticeable change amongst the minotaur side of the population. At first no one on either side ever said anything about it. It seemed like there wasn't really much to say. It was more so a feeling in the air.

"The minotaurs still acted like they always had, but there was still something different. It almost felt like there actions and words were... hollow. It was like they didn't mean anything they were saying or doing. It was like they were doing it all because they felt they had to for some reason, like it was an act and a bad one, too. It was very awkward and made the ponies feel uncomfortable.

"They tried to keep up like everything was still good, though. They were hoping it was just a wrong feeling that would pass and everything would be the same again. It never was, though. In fact, the opposite happened and things got worse. The minotaurs slowly started pulling back the curtains of their charade and began to act more antagonistically to the ponies.

"It was weird because the changes were both so subtle and yet so noticeable at the same time. They stopped greeting ponies kindly and even slowly overtime stopped interacting at all, except for occasional glares and grunts and stuff like that. There were also several small things they'd do to let us know they were taken over charge of things. It was like martial law was unofficially declared by the minotaurs.

"It was strange even for minotaurs who are known to act like brutes. This was something else entirely. Businesses and shops that were previously co-ran by both species were taken over by the minotaurs with great hostility. Any pony ran businesses were slowly downsized by force until there were only a few scattered throughout the town. It got to the point where the minotaurs nearly ran the whole place and the ponies were treated even worse than second class citizens.

"Oh, my, how horrible," Rarity said frightfully.

"It gets even worse," TJ said. "They still never said anything about why they were doing what they were doing. They didn't even acknowledge it at all, though it was still clear who was running things. And then what was worse... overtime, ponies began to... _disappear_."

"What do you mean by that?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Exactly what I said," TJ replied. "Ponies began to disappear from the town. At first ponies were frantic about it, but the minotaurs quickly shut down any notions of trying to do something about the disappearances. They, again, very subtly, imposed their greater will over the ponies. While everypony figured out it was the minotaurs making ponies disappear, they felt there was nothing they could do and eventually they stopped trying.

"That is, until a small group of ponies decided to leave on their own. That group ended up becoming the tribe my mother and father lead. Now, they didn't leave the island, of course. The minotaurs would never actually allow anypony to leave the island. I'm surprised we still have an overseas trading business to be honest.

"Rather than leave the island, we left the town of Seaside Hoof and struck out into the Willowing Forest to find our own place where we could belong. The forest covers nearly eighty eight percent of the island, at least I think it does. We had our trials and tribulations exploring it of course, both from the forest itself and from the hostile forces of the minotaurs. They may have let us leave, but they made sure we knew they weren't happy about it. We didn't let them stop us, though and eventually we did find our place.

"There was a big opening in the middle of the forest where there weren't as many large trees. We settled there and eventually built up a small village we ended up calling Willowbrook. It was from there where we did most of our bigger things, save for keeping our boat in town . It was also from there we made a pact to fight against the minotaurs. That included finding out why they had changed and getting them to stop oppressing ponies by any means necessary.

"We would restore peace to the island and do anything and everything to do it. That included actual physical confrontations should it come to that."

"I'm assuming it did?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Of course it did," TJ said. "While they may be subtle in the town, out in the forest they held nothing back. They came at us with everything they had or at least it sure felt like it. As we swore to do, we fought back... but that didn't always end so well for us. At first, nine times out of ten, we would get our flanks handed to us.

"Even when we scored a victory, we just barely made it by the skin of our teeth. They were more organized and more adapt to combat of all kinds. No surprise seeing as how they're a warrior species and they could clearly best anyone. Or at least that's how it was at first. Things began to change.

"We learned from our defeats, got ourselves more organized. We thought of how we could better ourselves when fighting the minotaurs, then put our strategies into action. It was a rocky transition at first, but it showed signs early on that it would pay off. Slowly, but surely, we began to rack up some wins against the minotaurs. And I mean, real wins, not just the barely survived type, though we still had those days and even days when we still lost.

"But even then, we were getting wins, we were actually winning. It felt good and actually gave us a ray of hope. We even got bold enough to plan, smaller and very subtle incursions into the town. It was our hope that we would show the ponies still in Seaside Hoof the ray of light we were seeing by picking up wins against the minotaurs. It seemed to be working... at least for a little while.

"One day, we all saw a bright light touch the top of the island's volcano. It was an unnatural light not made by the mountain itself. None of us had any idea how bad an omen it was. We're convinced it was connected to what happened next. These... _kaiju_ as they've been called began showing up randomly in the forest whenever somepony would go for a walk or try to go to town. It wasn't long before they started showing up with minotaurs and their trained timberwolves by their sides.

"Seeing that and knowing the minotaurs had such power on their side nearly crushed my tribe. Needless to say, we started losing again and big time. They would send the kaiju to do damage to our village, but they would never do full attacks that could wipe us out. It was strange, because we all knew straight up that even one of those kaiju was more than enough to take us out. I can only guess it's some sort of head game they're playing with us.

"If that was the case, it worked. Our hope had been all but shattered and it seemed like there wasn't any sign of it returning. That is until this day."

TJ's tale had nearly ended and so far everypony was looking completely grim about it. They all felt that this stranger from overseas was telling the truth, but the truth he spoke chilled them to the bone. They all had nothing but the biggest sympathies for the poor suffering ponies of Pony Tale Island. And while they came to despise the actions of the minotaurs described in TJ's story, they were also very afraid. A force like this minotaur movement accompanied by a group of kaiju sounded like it could spell certain doom for any who opposed them along with innocent bystanders.

"What is it about this day that makes you so hopeful?" Princess Luna asked.

"Because when I came here to Equestria, I was only suppose to seek audience with you for assistance in this matter, You Majesties," TJ said. He then looked back at the Mane Six and Spike and smiled before turning back to the royal sisters. "But then I found this great bunch of ponies... and their awesome dragon friend... and their especially awesome kaiju friend. So with that all said, I come before you now to appeal to the decent ponies in you, Your Majesties. I hope... I pray... I beg of you... that you would please... please help me and my family, my whole island in this, our most desperate hour."

TJ dropped down on his knees before he proceeded on with his plea.

"We've been fighting this fight for so long. It's made us tired, worn out, taken more than its toll on us. Ponies are dying everyday because of the _pure evil_ that is this minotaur... dictatorship. It also more than exhausts our resources to keep the fight going. Some days we have less food and water than it takes to run a school house. But we keep fighting against the oppression that comes from these minotaurs because we believe it is right, that we have right on our side.

"But more recently, we've begun to suspect that these fiends that walk on two hooves will soon turn their resources on the rest of the population around the world."

"I can believe that," Rainbow Dash said. "Especially since they already sent one of their big bad boys to attack Equestria."

"I don't think that was their doing," TJ said. "There was absolutely no strategy involved in that. I truly believe if they were going to attack Equestria, they'd send more than just Kamoebas. And as I've said, these minotaurs are master planners. I believe that was an incredibly unlucky isolated incident where the minotaurs temporarily lost whatever control they have on that particular kaiju. Then it went out on its own and somehow ended up here.

"You all know what happened after that."

"Mm hmm," some ponies said while others simply nodded their heads or looked on.

"But even so, I still believe their plans involve a diabolical invasion across the globe," TJ said. "No one who has that much power and is that evil won't try to impose both beyond his own borders. History has already taught us all that."

"Yes, this is true," Princess Celestia said.

"So, I beg you again, oh powerful and wise princesses," TJ said as he lowered his head. "Please, please, please see it in your hearts to offer my island assistance in this most darkest of times. We are your humble servants reaching out a desperate hoof hoping you will accept it and pull us up through our darkest hour."

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna looked to each other before than looking to the Mane Six and Spike. They all looked back to the princesses and it was easy to tell by the looks on their faces what they were thinking. Different feelings and emotions shined through more than others on the faces of certain ponies. Some more so conveyed sad sympathy for the islanders' plight, while others more so conveyed anger and determination to put a stop to it. Luna and Celestia felt all this as well and thus silently came to a decision.

"Please, rise, TJ," Celestia said. TJ did as was requested and looked on at the princesses hopefully. "I know what it means to be desperate in a dark hour. All of us here do actually, both as individuals and as residents of the great land of Equestria. We've gone through the most darkest of times."

"I was consumed by the shadows of evil," Luna said.

"And, despite how much I didn't want to, I ended up banishing her far away because of it," Celestia said, just barely able to keep a straight face.

"We ended up saving her from those shadows, though," Twilight Sparkle said. "But then we ended up facing many more forces of evil along the way. This includes, a lord of chaos, a power hungry magic stealer, and even a whole army of changelings... And then the kaiju came."

Everypony shuddered at the mention of the evil beasts as memories of their rampage surfaced in their minds.

"That one was the worst disaster Equestria has ever had to face," Princess Luna said.

"Unlike these other forces who we cut off just as they were beginning and stood a chance against... we could do nothing against those giant demons," Princess Celestia said. "There were too many of them... They were too big... And they were far too powerful to be stopped... At least by us.

"But Twilight Sparkle came through for us with a solution. That solution came in the form of Godzilla, having been summoned from another dimension. Then it was thanks to Fluttershy coming in contact with him first that the great Godzilla became Equestria's greatest ally... and, in a way, it's dearest friend. But still... the memories of what Equestria had to endure during that period are still very fresh. Both in the mind and across the land where their rampage ensued.

"I don't ever want my country or my subjects to ever have to go through that again."

"San Flankciscolt got it the worst," Rainbow Dash said. "Believe me, I know. I was there."

"We all were that day, along with others," Applejack said.

"I've seen the destruction that befell San Flankciscolt," TJ said. "That's where I landed when I first came to Equestria. The minotaurs are gonna make the whole world look like that if we don't stop them!"

"And so we shall," Princess Celestia said.

TJ's eyes lit up like a colt on Hearth's Warming.

"You mean...?" TJ managed to say.

"Yes, TJ, my new friend," Princess Celestia said. "We will grant your request for aid against this menace your people have faced on their own for far too long. Based on what you've told us, I also believe these minotaurs mean to turn their power against the rest of the world."

"Even if they weren't, nopony should have to face terror like that alone," Princess Luna said.

"Yahoo!" TJ shouted at the top of his lungs as he jumped up in the air. "This is amazing! I cant believe it! Thank you both, oh most noblest and wisest of pony princesses!

TJ stopped himself when he noticed everypony was watching him. He straightened up, cleared his throat, and then smiled and blushed with embarrassment.

"I beg your pardons," TJ muttered out.

"Not at all," Twilight Sparkle said. "We all get what you're going through right now, what you have gone through before, _and_ we've got a good idea of what you'll be going through later."

"Twilight speaks the truth," Princess Celestia said. Her smile was soon replaced with a dead serious look. "But indeed, we will help you and all the ponies on Pony Tale Island. We will send the best of our forces to deal with this minotaur menace... That is, if they would be so willing as to volunteer."

Princess Celestia looked passed TJ, who followed her gaze to see she was looking at the Mane Six. They were all nodding their heads and speaking in agreement.

"Of course we'll go," Rainbow Dash said.

"Ponies need our help and we're gonna help 'em," Applejack said.

"You know that's right," Pinkie Pie said.

"Absolutely," Rarity said.

"You?" TJ asked in disbelief. He then turned to the royal sisters. "Them?"

"But of course," Celestia said. "As has been stated before, these six here, since they came together as friends, have been the most responsible for keeping Equestria safe from evil's grasp."

"Now we want to do the same for you and Pony Tale Island," Fluttershy said.

"We're hard workers who take every task we're given seriously," Twilight Sparkle said. "We will do just the same with this task, TJ, I promise you. We won't let you down."

TJ smiled to his friends before saying, "Well, we'll take all the help we can get. And who better than Equestria's finest? Thank you all _so much_! I can't begin to describe how much this means to me and what it'll mean to my village! This... This is just great!"

"Think nothing of it, darling," Rarity said.

"We would help a fairy trying to flap her way home if we could," Applejack said.

"I actually think we did do that at one point," Pinkie Pie said.

"Oh yeah, that's right, the breezies," Fluttershy said in remembrance.

"Well, there you go," Applejack said.

"Thanks again, everypony," TJ said. "The ponies of Pony Tale Island will be lucky to have you. Now that just leaves one more thing... Godzilla."

"Godzilla's not a thing, he's a someone," Fluttershy said.

"Sorry, poor choice of words," TJ said. "Still, now there's the matter if he will help or not."

"We actually could order him to help and he'd do it," Princess Luna said.

" _Really?!_ " TJ let out in astonishment.

"It's true," Twilight Sparkle said. "Godzilla recognizes our reigns as princesses who rule over the country and he follows as such as if he were a normal pony citizen himself."

"G's an awesome, upstanding citizen like that," Rainbow Dash boasted.

"However, we prefer to ask him to do something rather than give him orders," Princess Celestia. "We do it as a courtesy to both a near and dear friend and a fellow royal himself."

"The King of Monsters!" Rainbow Dash boasted even louder.

"He was official crowned in a ceremony by Twilight," Applejack said.

TJ looked to Twilight Sparkle who only smiled on at the developing situation.

"Whoa," TJ said. "This is some heavy stuff, bro... So, I'd have to ask him?"

"I'll do it," Fluttershy said.

"Fluttershy is Godzilla's best friend in the whole world," Rarity said. "Part of the reason is she can actually understand him... She can talk to animals."

"Oh, is that so?" TJ said. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Doolittle."

"Doolittle?" Fluttershy asked in confusion.

"Just a story I know," TJ said. "I'll tell it to you when we have some downtime. Anyways, so you're gonna ask Godzilla, right?"

"Of course," Fluttershy said. "And I don't mean to excite you anymore than we already have, but I know for a fact Godzilla's will say yes. He'll agree for the same reasons we all did."

"Oh, my gosh," TJ said. "I mean... I'm so pumped I could go through the roof!... Which I won't, for the record."

"Yeah, that's Pinkie Pie's gig," Rainbow Dash said.

Everypony looked to see Pinkie Pie was even more hyped up and excited than TJ had been. She was squealing and screaming with excitement and bouncing around and jumping up and down off the walls and ceiling. Finally she ended up crashing through it leaving a big hole.

"See, told ya," Rainbow Dash said.

"Hey, cool, a skylight," TJ said.

"Fifth one this week," Luna said.

"All Pinkie Pie?" TJ asked.

"All Pinkie Pie," Luna and Celestia confirmed.

"Typical," TJ said.

"Eh, what're you gonna do?" Celestia said.

"I'm wondering if we should also send a group of soldiers to help in this mission as well," Princess Luna suggested.

"I would personally say let's not," Twilight Sparkle said.

TJ turned to the violet alicorn with a look on confusion as he said, "What? Why?!"

"We don't need anypony else putting their lives on the line of it isn't necessary," Twilight Sparkle said. "Right now I don't think it is. Anyways, I figure all the forces Equestria will have left when we leave should remain here. In case the plan does go sour and the minotaurs do release their forces worldwide like we suspect they plan to do, Equestria will need all the protection it can get."

"I guess you're right, Princess Twilight," Princess Luna conceded.

"I guess I can see where you're coming from, too," TJ begrudgingly admitted.

"Besides, with us and the G-Dude there, we're all the island's gonna need!" Rainbow Dash said boastfully. "We'll be unstoppable just like before! It'll be even better since it'll all be happening in a more secluded and tighter place like an island!"

"Well, that depends," Twilight Sparkle said. "There's still a whole town of minotaurs we'll have to deal with. They'll be tough enough on their own being natural militant born warriors and all. But then there's the added factor of the kaiju. How many are there, TJ?"

"Before Godzilla did in Kamoebas, we only ever saw three," TJ said. "Now with that turtle dead, there's only two."

"Really?" Twilight Sparkle said. "That's all they have?"

"That's all they need," TJ said.

"Well... with all due respect, darling... Godzilla defeated eleven kaiju," Rarity said. "At least that's how many we saw him defeat during the kaiju crisis. For all we know, he could hold even more victories we're unaware of.

"And he did it nearly singe-handedly with only small assistance here and there," Spike said.

"But you don't understand," TJ said. "These kaiju are bad news."

"No, _you_ don't understand," Rainbow Dash said. "Godzilla is greatness personified! So don't worry, TJ, my dude. He can handle your big, bad kaiju, waijus."

"What sort of beasts are these kaiju?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Well... there's one the minotaurs call Hedorah," TJ said. "He's... How can I describe him?... Uh... Basically, he's sludge. He's a living, breathing blob of sludge. He is pollution incarnated in a physical body. He pollutes the air by releasing toxic fumes that could choke a horse. Or in this case a pony."

"That sounds like one nasty dude," Applejack said.

"Oh, believe me he is," TJ said. "He can also change shapes to resemble different things. Anything the sludge from his body touches, it instantly starts burning away at. That includes the woods of our trees... and the flesh on our bodies."

"Whoa!" almost everypony said in unified, shuddering disbelief.

"Wow, he really _does_ sound a nasty dude," Rainbow Dash said.

"He's even nastier in person," TJ said. "Seriously, he's nothing but trouble for the whole world if the minotaurs let him loose."

"What about the other one?" Spike asked.

"Oh, him," TJ said. "As unbelievable as it may sound... sometimes I think this one's even worse than Hedorah... The minotaurs call him... Solomon. The best way I can describe is he is the most imposing bits of a gorilla, a gargoyle, and a bat put together. But he also also a very skeletal looking face. It was almost as if he only had his red, pupil-less eyeballs and his fangs in a skull head."

"Oh, my... how horrible," Rarity said.

"Both those monsters really do sound like bad news," Pinkie Pie said.

"Believe me, they are," TJ said. "I know they could tear our whole island apart if the minotaurs only decided to let them."

"So then why don't they?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"I have no idea," TJ said.

"Hmm," Twilight hummed as she pondered the possibilities. "My only guess could be that you might have something they want."

"What could that be?" Applejack asked.

"Well... I couldn't tell ya," TJ said. "But anyways, the point is they're all there and we've all agreed their intentions aren't exactly good. My question now is when do you all want to start heading back to Pony Tale Island so we can deal with these guys?"

"Immediately," Twilight Sparkle said. "Right, princesses?"

"Absolutely," Princess Celestia said.

"Because we know how serious you girls take these things, we will allow you to proceed at your own discretion," Princess Luna said.

"Then like I said, we'll get going now," Twilight Sparkle said. "We'll head back to Ponyville and pack up what we need for the mission and allow Fluttershy to get Godzilla. Then we all make our way out to Pony Tale Island. TJ, do you have transport back there?"

"Yes," TJ answered. "The boat that brought me here is waiting in the harbor at San Flankciscolt to take me and whoever I bring with back to the island. It'll wait for as long as we need it to. It won't leave without me... and to an extent, you all."

"Awesome," Rainbow Dash said.

"Then it's settled," Princess Luna said.

Both alicorns came down from their thrones to stand at the same level as everypony else. It was then that TJ truly understood how tall they both really were, especially Celestia.

"You all just heard the details for yourself," Princess Celestia said in a serious tone. "Therefore, you all know what you're getting yourselves into."

"Well, we got a good idea," Applejack said.

"I don't think we'll really know until we actually get on the island," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Regardless, you all know there will be a great danger that comes with the journey you are about to undertake," Celestia went on. "You're all very brave to volunteer so willingly. Equestria has been lucky to have you all and so have I."

"I as well," Luna added.

"With that in mind, I want to wish you all the best of luck on this quest," Princess Celestia said. "It will test your strength, your hearts, your courage, and spirits. And that's why I know Pony Tale Island is in great hooves. May the alicorns above watch over you all."

Everypony bowed respectfully to the royal sisters.

"Thank you, Celestia, and you, too, Luna," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Now go show those minotaurs why Equestria is in as good shape as it is!" Princess Luna said encouragingly.

"Alright, ponies, let's show them what we're made of!" Rainbow Dash shouted out enthusiastically.

"HOORAH!" the rest of the Mane Six, Spike, and TJ said together.

With that, the Mane Six, TJ, and Spike all turned away from the princesses and headed out to prepare for the quest of a lifetime.

* * *

 **Well here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. And to those wanting the "BIG" stuff to happen soon, don't you worry. The big stuff is coming and it will be glorious... in more ways than one. ;) Until then, I still hope you liked this chapter alright. Feel free to let me know with a review whether you liked it or not. And as usual don't be afraid to let me know of any spelling or grammar mistakes I may have missed in proofreading so I can correct them. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	8. Chapter 8: Come Sail Away With Me

Twilight Sparkle was loading up the last few items she planned to take with her into her final of twelve bags. Spike had just brought those items over while TJ stood by and watched it all happen. He felt awkward being in the princess's room while she was packing, despite her having been the one who said he could come in. Since he had entered, TJ tried to keep his eyes from doing their usual curious scanning of the environment around him. To him since this was someone's private area where they slept, it shouldn't be gawked at too much despite being invited in.

There were some things he couldn't help himself with, though, like a huge poster that stood out with its rather huge, purple font that read, "I LOVE BOOKS". TJ's attention was taken back when he heard Twilight Sparkle's last suitcase being snapped shut.

"Thanks for your help, Spike," Twilight Sparkle said.

"You know I'm always good to help my favorite princess," Spike said lovingly.

"Well, it's always appreciated," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Well I would appreciate it if you'd appreciate by letting me go with you guys," Spike said.

"No, Spike, we've been over this," Twilight Sparkle said. "This is way too dangerous. It's the same reason Rarity and Applejack aren't letting their sisters come along. No other friends, family, or pets neither."

"But I'm more than that," Spike said. "I'm your number one assistant."

"And I want you to stick around to still be my number one assistant," Twilight Sparkle said. "That's why you're not going and that's final!"

Spike looked on with a disappointed expression. _Who's gonna make sure you stick around?_ Spike thought in his head. He looked to TJ, who met with a supportive smile.

"Don't worry, Spike," TJ said. "I'll make sure nothing happens to Twilight and that she's back here with you in no time."

"Thanks, TJ," Spike said. "I'm holding you to that."

"You have my word," TJ said. "And look at it this way. I'm sure Starlight will need some help around this place with things like watching the owl and stuff like that. Just be sure and run as tight a ship as Twilight does."

"Heh, that'll be impossible," Spike said. "But I'll try at least."

"That's the spirit," TJ said.

Both stallion and dragon looked as Twilight Sparkle placed all her bags on a baggage cart using his levitation magic. She then turned and walked over to the two.

"Ready, TJ?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"As I'll ever be," TJ replied.

That was when Twilight Sparkle raised an eyebrow. She noticed that TJ seemed to be running on fumes ever since she met him and was just barely able to keep up appearances sometimes. He was exhausted from all he had done and been through and it was concerning Twilight.

"You know, TJ, if you need to rest, I'm sure the other girls wouldn't mind waiting," Twilight Sparkle said. "If we explain things to them, we could wait-"

"I'll rest when we reach Pony Tale Island," TJ said. "I'll rest for real when this whole minotaur and kaiju business is over. Whether it's on a mattress or in a dirt bed, I'll wait 'til I've finished my part in all this."

Twilight Sparkle looked at him with concern and a bit of discomfort.

"That was kinda dark, don't you think?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

TJ noticed the discomfort his words gave the princess, so he tried to counteract it with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry," TJ said. "It's just that I've been at this for so long."

"No, I understand," Twilight Sparkle said. "It can't be easy having to put up with something like that for so long. You start getting some ideas of how it would end, particularly for you... TJ... how hard have you thought about...?"

"Twilight... Let's just go meet up with the others at the train station," TJ said.

The alicorn paused for only a moment. It was as if TJ already knew what she was gonna ask and was trying to avoid answering it. After a second or two, she decided not to pursue an answer.

"Sounds good to me," Twilight Sparkle said.

"You want some help with your bags?" TJ offered.

"No, I got it," Spike insisted. " _I am_ the number one assistant after all."

Spike strained himself to a great extent trying to push Twilight's baggage cart all by himself. After a few moments of the cart not budging, Spike felt it finally starting to move. He looked to see TJ pulling it along as Spike pushed.

"Let's do this together, partner," TJ said with a friendly smile.

After a moment, Spike responded in kind before saying, "Alright, I can deal with that. Teamwork _is_ one of the most important things. Especially with what you guys are going to do on the island, right?"

A slightly sad look crossed TJ's face as he said, "Yeah... I guess so."

Neither Twilight nor Spike seemed to notice TJ's tiny change in demeanor, so he decided not to draw any attention to it and swept it under the rug. By the time they reached the train station, TJ's normal demeanor had pretty much returned. The stallion's eyes widened to nearly twice their normal size when he saw how many ponies were at the station waiting for them.

"Whoa, I knew you guys probably had a lot of friends, but dang!" TJ said.

"They aren't just friends," Twilight Sparkle explained. "They're family... _Our_ family."

"Wow... that's beautiful, not to mention pretty darn awesome," TJ said.

"It really is," Twilight Sparkle agreed.

"You're all really lucky to have each other," TJ said.

"I was just about to say that," Twilight Sparkle replied.

"Well, you know what they say, great mind think alike," TJ said.

Twilight, Spike, and TJ greeted everyone warmly while everyone greeted them the same way.

"We all pretty much said our goodbyes to each other," Applejack said. "Everyone was just waiting so they could say goodbye to you, too, Twilight."

"Aww, thank you, everypony," Twilight Sparkle said.

The group all spoke at the same time as they gathered around Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and TJ. Among those there were the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the whole Cake family, the Apple family, and Starlight Glimmer. Before the goodbyes could begin, Twilight Sparkle decided to check on something.

"Fluttershy, I'm sure I already know the answer to this, but what did Godzilla have to say?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"He's already on his way to the West Beach," Fluttershy said. "He says he'll meet up with our ship when we're all out at sea."

"How will he know which ship is ours?" TJ asked.

"He just will," Fluttershy replied.

"Trust us, he really will," Applejack assured.

"That's good enough for me," TJ said. "So long as it gets done, I don't care which way we do it."

"I've got to say I was a little worried," Fluttershy said. "Godzilla seemed... rather excited to be fighting giant monsters again. It was something I had never seen in him before."

"Well of course G's excited!" Rainbow Dash chimed in. "He hasn't seen any action in a while. I know I'm looking forward to busting some evil heads together! Big time!"

Everyone looked to Rainbow Dash with uncertainty while Applejack leaned into Fluttershy.

"You get the feeling we should be worried about Rainbow Dash going into this one?" Applejack whispered.

"I'm still a little bit more worried about Godzilla to be honest," Fluttershy replied. "What do you think, Pinkie Pie? Should we be more concerned about Godzilla or Rainbow Dash?"

"Yes," Pinkie Pie whispered in reply.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders gathered around for a shared hug with Twilight Sparkle.

"Thank you for everything you taught us in Twilight Time, Twilight," Sweetie Belle said.

"We appreciate everything we've learned from you," Apple Bloom added.

"And we hope you'll teach us more in the future!" Scootaloo wrapped up enthusiastically.

"I'll always be here when you need me, girls," Twilight Sparkle said.

Twilight moved over to the Cake family and hugged Mister and Misses Cake while she rubbed noses with their twin foals before kissing them on the head.

"You be sure and lookout for yourself over there, dear," Mrs. Cake said.

"And everypony else as well," Mr. Cake added.

"We always do," Twilight Sparkle said.

Up next came the Apples Family. Twilight Sparkle hugged Big McIntosh and then kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm gonna miss you, Big Mac," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yup," Big McIntosh responded. "Same to you."

"Be sure and take care of things here," Twilight Sparkle said. "We're all counting on you."

"Yup," Big McIntosh said. "Just like we're counting on you to bring everypony... bring them home safely."

"You have my word," Twilight Sparkle assured.

Big Mac turned to TJ and replaced his smile with a stern expression.

"You're the pony with the problem my sister and her friends gotta solve?" Big Mac asked.

"There's a bit more to it than that," TJ said. "But basically, yeah."

"Then I'm holding your personally responsible to see to it they come back safe and sound," Big McIntosh said.

"We all are," Mr. Cake said.

"As one stallion to another, I swear on my life," TJ said to Big Mac. "I swear to all of you, I'll lookout for them like they were my own family."

"See that you do," Big Mac said.

"Yup," TJ replied.

While Big McIntosh gave TJ an uncertain look, Twilight Sparkle had moved on to hugging Granny Smith.

"Now, I know you fillies have done a whole lotta crazy things like this before," Granny Smith said. "So I'll try not to make a big fuss about you going to do it again. But you girls are special. You hear that now? You're special. We all know it, which is why we keep saying we want you to take care of each other as best you can."

"Thanks, Granny," Twilight Sparkle said. "Thanks to all of you. We swear, this will be no different than all the other times. Just like before, we're gonna beat the bad guys, come out on top, and make the world a safer place. And we're gonna do it together like best friends should!"

"See that you do," Granny Smith said. She then looked to TJ. "And you see to it you keep your word and look after our girls like you promised. Like I said before, these fillies are special to us and we expect you to treat them no different."

"Ms. Smith-" TJ began.

"Oh, don't be so formal," Granny Smith interrupted. "Call me Granny."

"Okay," TJ replied. "Granny, I've got a feeling this whole experience is gonna bring us all closer together. We may even end up becoming best friends. I sincerely hope that happens. But no matter what, I will do everything within my being to make sure these girls are safe.

"They're doing a great service by even agreeing to come along. The best I can do is spend their time on the island in servitude to them. Whether it be small things or protecting their lives, no matter what it is, I will do it for them."

"And I'm sure they'll appreciate having a handsome young stallion like yourself be the one to do it for them," Granny Smith said with a sly smile.

"Duh..." was all TJ could say as he began to blush.

The rest of the ponies all laughed out loud at TJ's embarrassment. While the Earth pony stallion rolled his eyes in annoyance, Twilight Sparkle had moved on to Starlight Glimmer.

"A part of me wishes I was going with you on this mission, Twilight," Starlight Glimmer said.

"Your time is coming soon, Starlight," Twilight Sparkle said. "But it isn't now. This is too big of a mission and I don't think you're ready yet."

"I think you're right," Starlight Glimmer agreed. "Still, it doesn't feel right standing back while you and the rest of your friends are risking your lives for the whole world."

"We're used to it by now," Twilight Sparkle said. "These are the roles we've been given to play in life. Crying about it won't help anyone, so it's best to just play our parts and help the world."

"That's a really amazing attitude you have about it," Starlight Glimmer said. "Fate was right in picking you to become my teacher... I hope you'll continue to teach me in the future."

"You can count on it," Twilight Sparkle said. "As soon as this is over and we're all back home, you and I are gonna pick up exactly where we left off."

While Starlight Glimmer worried about whether the Mane Six would be coming back or not, she chose not to say so. Instead she just gave a respectful bow of her head as she smiled kindly.

"It'll be a pleasure as always, Twilight," Starlight Glimmer said.

"Likewise," Twilight Sparkle said.

After the two hugged each other, Twilight Sparkle looked to Spike.

"I still think I should be coming along."

"I know you do, Spike," Twilight Sparkle said. "Heck, even a small part of me wants you to come... But you can't and you know why."

"Hang the danger!" Spike protested. "This is a big thing you're about to do and I'd rather be by your side to do it with you!... I love you, Twilight Sparkle."

"I love you, too, Spike," Twilight said in a trembling voice.

Her eyes trembled as she bore an emotional smile while the emotion of Spike's expression mirrored Twilight's. The two embraced each other tightly as everyone looked on sentimentally. At one point, TJ even felt like he may start shedding tears, though he managed not to. Twilight Sparkle loosened her grip on Spike so she could pull back a little and look down at him.

"We'll all be fine, Spike," Twilight Sparkle said. "You'll see, we'll come back and our family will be exactly the same. I promise."

Spike said nothing as he wiped a tear away. He turned to the other mares of the Mane Six and shared a group hug with them.

"Take care of yourselves, girls," Spike said. "Sorry to be a parrot for what everyone else said, but... you know... You became the Council of Friendship for a reason... Don't let those good qualities go away now. Lookout for each other."

"Of course, Spikey-Wikey," Rarity said as she rubbed a hoof across the top of the dragon's head.

It was at that moment when the next train that would take TJ and the Mane Six to San Flankciscolt pulled in at the station. Passengers departed followed by new ones coming aboard, though TJ and the Mane Six were a little slow about it. Everyone in the group from those meant to board the train and those seeing them off looked around at each other very emotionally.

"You all mean the world to us," Twilight Sparkle said to those seeing her and the others off. "That is one of the many reasons why we do this... Why we must do this. It'll ensure a safer future for you all along with the rest of Equestria and even the planet. Thank you all for your love and support. We will honor it by continuing our roles as guardians."

"All aboard!" the train conductor called out.

"Come on, Twilight, we should go," TJ said.

"Right," Twilight Sparkle agreed.

As TJ and the Mane Six all loaded their stuff and themselves on the train, everyone who came to see them off let out their final goodbyes. The group waited on the loading platform of the train station and watched with hopeful uncertainty until the train was finally leaving the station. They continued to watch until the train was out of sight.

* * *

 **SEVERAL HOURS LATER:**

In what felt like no time at all to the Mane Six and TJ, the train had pulled in at the San Flankciscolt station. Now they were in an expanded taxi wagon with their bags packed in the back as they headed for the water front. While the Mane Six had all talked amongst themselves to pass the time, TJ had remained quiet like he did on the Canterlot train ride. The mares he accompanied had thought about trying to invite TJ into their conversatiosn or start up a new one with him. But they could tell he had been deep in thought as he stared out the window, so they decided to leave him be for the train ride.

TJ had been reflecting on the whole situation with the minotaurs and such while the Mane Six had been distracting themselves from it with small talk. They all decided TJ wouldn't spend the cab ride to the water front with the same silence.

"So, TJ, about this ship of yours," Rarity began. "What sort of vessel is it? Is it at all similar to perhaps... a luxurious cruise ship?"

TJ gave her a sideways smirk.

"A loading and exporting ship?" TJ asked bluntly.

"I was afraid of that," Rarity said. "A girl can dream can't she?"

"So then what kind of ship is it?" Applejack asked.

"Well, to put it bluntly, it is a tiny, cramped, not comfortable at all trawler," TJ said. "It's all we've managed to keep in the minotaurs' travesty of a takeover. It's nowhere near the kind of ship we need to make a profit with our business. We just barely make enough to get by."

"That sounds horrible."

"Oh, trust me, Fluttershy, it is," TJ assured. "It's even worse actually having to go through a voyage on it, speaking as somepony who has. It's a rickety old piece of junk that gets tossed around by the sea very easily. It looks worse than it actually is, but it's still a pain in the flank having to take a sea trip on it."

"So in other words, it's the exact opposite of what Rarity was hoping for?" Rainbow Dash said.

"Yep," TJ answered.

"Sorry, girl," Rainbow Dash said as she looked over to Rarity.

"Humph," Rarity lightly pouted.

"Look, it doesn't matter what kind of shape the boat's in," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's our best bet in getting to the island and we need to be open to whatever we can get at this point. The task at hoof is too important to be picky."

"Right," the rest of the Mane Six agreed.

"So, are we required to help out on the boat in anyway?" Applejack asked.

"No, you're not required," TJ said. "But I do it anyways. If I see something they need a hoof with, I usually do my best to help them. And they usually appreciate it."

"That's nice of you," Fluttershy said.

"We'll they keep our a business afloat... so to speak," TJ said. "Not to mention the fact that they let us use their ship for things like... well, like this, what we're doing right now. So the least I can do is lend a helping hoof whenever possible."

"Well, I think we could probably do something similar to that while we're on the boat," Applejack said.

"So what will be required while we're on the boat?" Rarity asked.

"Well, not that much actually," TJ said. "You'll all be shown where you'll be sleeping on the boat, which I assume will be small since there's not a lot of space on board. I don't even think there's any guest cabins now that I think about it. So you may be required to sleep below deck with the rest of the crew like I did. And for the rest of the trip to Pony Tale Island, all you'll be truly be required to do is try your best to stay out of the crew's way while they're working."

"We can do that, I think," Twilight Sparkle said. "We'll also make the best of whatever situation we have to endure while on the ship."

"We will?" Rarity asked in concern.

"Yes, we will," Twilight Sparkle sternly said.

"Then there shouldn't be any problems," TJ said. "Shouldn't being the keyword."

Only a short time later did the taxi wagon pull up to the docks. After everything was unloaded out of the back of the wagon and the driver was paid, the Mane Six and TJ all looked around. They made their way across the docks as TJ tried to remember which port the Pony Tale Island vessel had docked at.

"Do you even remember where your ship stopped at?" Rainbow Dash asked impatiently.

"Of course I remember!" TJ defended. "I just... sort of... forgot."

" _Right_ ," Pinkie Pie said.

The pink Earth pony reached into her mane and held out a huge card with a screw and a baseball on it, as well as an arrow pointed at TJ. The stallion paid no mind as he kept looking for the boat that brought him to Equestria. His eyes widened as they fell on a sight, which he then pointed a hoof to.

"There it is!" TJ let out.

The Mane Six all followed TJ's direction to spot the ship he was talking about. Their faces all turned to disbelief and even disgust when they saw what TJ was pointing to. It was even more horrible than they could've imagined.

"What a piece of junk!" Rarity exclaimed.

"I warned you," TJ said.

As was warned, the ship was a small, cramped looking, and unappealing to the eye trawler. It was covered in the green, slimy residue of the sea as well as coral, among a few other things. The paint job, if there ever was one, had long since been taken off by the trials and tribulations of being a trawler at sea. The wood looked like it was getting ready to rot away at any moment. The ship was also being rocked around fairly easy by the small waves in the bay as TJ warned it would be.

"You mean we have to sail in that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Couldn't they have picked somepony else?" Rarity added.

"No, they couldn't have," Twilight Sparkle said sternly.

"Y'all know that and why that is," Applejack chimed in. "So quit your belly aching and get on board."

Though Rarity and Rainbow Dash moaned, they did as they were instructed.

"I'd like to say for the record that I don't mind," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah, you do," TJ said.

"Yes... I do," Fluttershy admitted.

"Thanks for trying, though," TJ said as he flashed Fluttershy a smile.

"I gotta admit, TJ, it's smaller than I thought it would be," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah," TJ said. "Sorry, but it's all we have to offer. The only cabin aboard belongs to the captain."

"You mean we _really will be_ sleeping below with the crew?" Rarity asked in a horrified manner.

"Probably," TJ admitted.

"Well, good luck to all you ponies," Rarity said. "I'll just catch the next train back to-"

"You even think about skipping out on us and I'll toss the fanciest dress in your suitcase into the ocean!" Rainbow Dash threatened.

Though Rarity pouted, she followed suit with the other ponies as they made their way to the trawler.

"So, does the ship have a name?" Fluttershy asked. "Most ponies I know who know ponies with ships say they give them a name."

"The Floating Hunk of Junk," TJ said bluntly.

"Oh... how... fitting?" Fluttershy said with uncertainty.

"Yeah," TJ said.

"Most unfortunate," Rarity said. "Also, very unflattering."

"Yep," TJ said. "Unflattering, but unfortunately fitting."

Everypony made their way over to the dock the ship was anchored to. When they got there, several of the ponies from the crew were there to meet them. One of them was a sea blue unicorn stallion who wore typical sailor attire. He stood at the front of the group on the ship that awaited TJ and the Mane Six.

"TJ, my boy, you're back... finally," the unicorn said.

"Who's that?" Twilight Sparkle said,

"That's Captain Sea Wave," TJ replied. "He's the pony in charge of the Floating Hunk of Junk."

"Wait, that really is the ship's name?!" Twilight Sparkle asked in disbelief.

"What were you expecting, the starship, Enterprise?" TJ asked.

Twilight Sparkle stared at him in confusion for a moment before saying, "What?"

"Good, it's not just me," TJ said.

"Well, don't just stand there with your tails hanging off your flanks," Sea Wave said. "Come aboard."

TJ attempted to help the Mane Six get their bags and supplies on board, but Twilight Sparkle simply used her magic to levitate everything onto the ship. Shortly after the ponies themselves climbed aboard.

"Good to see you again, captain," TJ said.

"Likewise to you, sailor," Sea Wave replied. "If only to know you're still in one piece. What took you so long? We could've gathered three loads of cargo by the time it took you to get back. For crying out loud, the sun's starting to go down."

"Hey, I had to travel all the way from the west coast to the middle of the country," TJ defended. "You think that's just a ride across the stream? Considering it only took me a little over eight hours to handle my business and it took this thing you call a boat three days to get here, I'd say you have nothing to complain about."

"Whatever," Sea Wave said. "The point is you're finally back. Does that mean you did what you were suppose to do?"

"You bet your flank I did," TJ said. "That's why they're all here."

TJ moved a hoof towards the Mane Six who stood by with friendly smiles. The sight made the sea captain raise a curious eyebrow.

"Well, don't just stand there, TJ, my boy, introduce me to these lovely young ladies," Sea Wave demanded.

"Sure thing," TJ said. He moved a hoof to everypony as he introduced them. "This is Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Princess Twilight Sparkle. They're coming along to help us deal with the minotaurs."

Sea Wave looked to TJ in confusion.

"Really, just these six mares?" Sea Wave asked. "No grand battalion or something like that to accompany us? No offense, ladies, but clearly TJ here didn't make the point of just how big our problem is."

"Oh, he made it very clear, captain," Twilight Sparkle said.

"That's why Equestria's sending you their elite, aka us," Rainbow Dash said.

"She speaks the truth, Sea Wave," TJ said. "These girls together are incredibly powerful and have done more for Equestria than we can possibly imagine. Plus, in case you didn't notice, the cute violet one is an alicorn princess."

Sea Wave looked to Twilight Sparkle as it finally dawned on him that TJ had called her princess for a reason. Upon seeing her horn and wing combination, his eyebrow rose with renewed interest.

"A princess, you say?" Sea Wave asked as he walked up the the Mane Six, particularly Twilight.

"Yes, sir," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I was not aware there were other princesses other than Celestia," Sea Wave said.

"Well, there's at least four now," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Fascinating," Sea Wave replied. "And they sent you as you were the only one free to do it? You also apparently have experience at this sort of thing?"

"Yes and yes," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Well, then, I won't turn away any help offered to us," Sea Wave said as he took Twilight's hoof in his and kissed it. "Especially not somepony who clearly has the credentials for it such and you and your friends here appear to. On behalf of the ponies of Pony Tale Island, I thank you, princess, and your band of ponies here for offering your aid."

While Twilight was burning with embarrassment, the others looked uncertain of what to do. TJ saw this all transpire and decided to break it up.

"Alright, Mr. Smoothie, give the royalty some space, how 'bout it?" TJ said as he got in between the captain and the Mane Six. "Sorry about that. Captain Doofus here thinks he some suave filly's colt or something. Personally, I think he's full of it, but that's just me."

"Regardless of what TJ may lead you to believe, I still appreciate the help you fillies have offered," Sea Wave said. "We all do."

"We're more than happy to help out, cap," Rainbow Dash said.

"Indeed," Sea Wave responded. "Well, I assume TJ has informed you of the sleeping arrangements here on the ship?"

"Indeed, he did," Rarity said with a groan in her voice.

"I can tell you feel the same way about it the crew does," Sea Wave said. "Even when it's just them, they can't stand it. I'm sorry we cannot offer you anything better, but this is the hoof we've been dealt."

"There's no need to apologize," Twilight Sparkle said. "Like we told TJ when he told us, there's too much at stake to be picky."

"Speaking of being picky, I remember you getting all uppity about it just being them coming with us, captain," TJ said. "It'll please you to know, they aren't the only ones. We'll be accompanied by another close friend of theirs, one I'm sure you'll be more pleased with."

"Whats that?" Sea Wave inquired as he raised an eyebrow once more.

"Yeah, exactly what I said," TJ answered. "Tell 'em about your friend that's tagging along, girls."

The Mane Six all looked around at each other for a moment or two.

"Um... we... we have our own monster... and he's coming along with us, captain, sir," Fluttershy said.

The captain stared at the Mane Six and TJ in wide eyed disbelief. His crew all stopped whatever they were doing and stared on as well. Uncertain smiles crossed the Mane Six's faces while TJ bore a big, confident smile on his.

"Di- Did you just say you have your... own-"

"Yeah, you heard right, Sea Wave," TJ said. "They've got their own big, bad monster like the ones the minotaurs have. Only this one is actually good and fights to protect ponies! Best part is, he's even done it here before against other evil monsters! And he's suppose to be incredibly powerful! Bam! Bombshell dropped, bro!"

"His name is Godzilla," Twilight Sparkle said.

A collective gasp seemed to emanate from multiple members of the crew.

"Please don't be afraid," Fluttershy said. "He's really, really nice."

"To ponies, not to the bad guys," Pinkie Pie added.

"Oh, of course," Fluttershy said.

"So don't fret, darlings, you have nothing to be afraid of," Rarity said.

"Afraid?" Sea Wave asked. "Why would I be afraid? That sounds like fantastic news! We've been needing an ace in the hole for so long! Now in addition to you brave and surely most powerful of mares, I come to find out they have their own monster guardian, too?! As far as I'm concerned, those horns with legs are done for!"

"We're certainly hopin' so," Applejack said.

"Thank you for your vote of confidence, captain," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Of course," Sea Wave assured. "Be assured, that whatever shreds of hospitality can be found on this junker of a ship, you're all more than welcomed to."

"We appreciate that very much, captain," Twilight Sparkle said as she and most of the other mares gave a respectful bow of their heads.

"Anytime, my princess," Sea Wave said. He then turned away and began shouting at the top of his lungs. "Okay, you bunch of smelly sea blubber, prepare to cast off and set sail! We need to get back to the island as fast as possible! Get that cargo loaded if you ain't done it yet! And if ya haven't, get ready to feel my hoof on the back of your head because I told ya to do it twenty minutes ago!"

"It's almost night fall," Twilight Sparkle said to TJ. "Shouldn't we wait until tomorrow to sail?"

"There isn't enough time," TJ replied. "Every second we're not on the island is another chance for the minotaurs to work their evil! We need to get there as soon as possible."

"The colt's gotta a point, Twi," Rainbow Dash said.

"I guess so," Twilight Sparkle relented.

"Ah, don't worry anything about it, Twilight," TJ reassured. "The ship may not be much, but the crew running it are some of the most dedicated work ponies I've ever seen. They won't let you down!"

" _They_ won't let _us_ down?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "We're suppose to be the great hoofed hope for them and everypony else on the island! We should be worried about whether we'll let you down, not the other way around. Oh, just for the record, we won't let you or any of the other island ponies down."

"I know you won't, Twilight," TJ said. He flashed a confident, friendly, and honest looking smile. "I know that with the help of all you amazing ponies, we can't go wrong. That's why I didn't say anything and just brought you all here. I have complete confidence in you and it looks like the crew does, too. Ya have that effect on ponies, don't ya?"

"Eh... kind of, sort of, maybe a little," Twilight Sparkle said. "Not always, but a little."

"Well, anyways, let me help you all get settled in," TJ said. "I'll show you where you can put your stuff and where exactly you'll be sleeping. Then when we're done setting you up... Uh... I guess it'll be time to find you mares some dinner. We don't have much, but like the captain said, you're all welcomed to whatever it is you want."

"Do you got chocolate bubblegum?!" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly.

As TJ took the Mane Six below deck and got them taken care of, the crew of the Floating Hunk of Junk were still hard at work getting ready to set sail. It wasn't long before the cargo trawler was leaving the San Flankciscolt docks. Then it would leave the bay and head out for the wide open waters of the big and mysterious ocean.

* * *

 **LATER THAT NIGHT:**

It was sometime passed eleven o'clock, getting ever so closer to midnight. The only two ponies up at that moment were both the crew pony steering the ship and TJ. The Earth pony stallion was pacing over from the port side of the ship to the starboard side and everywhere else. He was scanning the ocean trying to find any sign of Godzilla swimming by. So far he had found nothing and it was making him a little nervous.

TJ was beginning to wonder if Godzilla could truly find them or if he had gotten lost. Was he even really trying to find them? Was he really gonna help? TJ forced these thoughts out of his head with all his might. This time he wouldn't let his nerves drive him to paranoia.

Twilight Sparkle and the others had already said Godzilla would help TJ and his family with their troubles. Aside from the Mane Six all clearly being good ponies in nature, they were all there with him on the trawler sleeping below deck. This alone showed the integrity of the company that was the Mane Six. Because of all that, TJ wouldn't allow his anxiety to increase. Though admittedly, Godzilla being nowhere in sight wasn't helping it go down any either.

"Where could he be?" TJ asked. "How do you lose a lizard that big? Is he deep under the boat or something? Is he keeping his distance intentionally?"

"It's probably that last one."

TJ let out a small, panicked scream as he turned to face whoever was there. He was relieved to find Twilight Sparkle, gently and slowly trotting over to him.

"Oh, good, it's just you, Twilight," TJ said between breaths. "You almost gave me a heart attack. You seriously scared the daylights out of me. And apparently out of the sky, too. See? It's nighttime."

Twilight Sparkle let out a little giggle before she came up next to the startled pony and joined him in leaning against the railing on the side of the ship.

"I'm sorry, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said.

"It's okay," TJ said. "But what are doing out here this late at night?"

"I was gonna ask you same thing," Twilight Sparkle said. "Though I guess I know the answer to that one."

"Well then how about the answer to my question?" TJ insisted.

"Very well," Twilight Sparkle said. "I heard the faint pitter, patter of hooves trotting across the deck at break neck speeds. It woke me, so I came up to investigate what was happening. Then I'm surprised to find you're the one making all the fuss up here."

"Oh," TJ said as a near blank stare crossed his face. "Uh... Well, sorry about that."

"Ah, it's alright," Twilight Sparkle said. "But that's only because I'm the only one you woke up. So, if you could just not run around like a crazy pony, that'd be good."

"Ten, four," TJ said. "Noted and done. Yes, siree- I mean, ma'am. It's all good my homie, g... Uh... What am I doing?"

Twilight Sparkle giggled at TJ's antics.

"Well, besides making a fool of yourself, it would also appear you're looking for Godzilla," Twilight Sparkle said. "So I know what you're doing, but the question now is _why_ are you doing it? Why aren't you below sleeping with the others, TJ?"

"Eh, I couldn't sleep," TJ said. "Nerves were keeping me up."

"Nerves about what?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well, two things actually," TJ said. "A. which is the obvious. And then B. which is that I haven't seen a single sight of Godzilla since I saw him at your castle."

"That's right, you never did get a chance to be properly introduced to him, did you?" Twilight Sparkle said.

"I don't care if all I ever do is touch one of his toenail clippings so long as I know he's coming with us and is gonna help," TJ said.

"Which he is," Twilight Sparkle said. "You _should_ know that by now."

"I do, Twilight," TJ assured. "I mean, I wasn't sure at first, but then I snapped myself out of it. You and your friends said he would and that's good enough for me... Or at least it should be. I'm sorry, it's really hard for me to shake these nerves sometimes. Especially going through what I've had to along with my family, you know?"

"I get it," Twilight Sparkle said. "I really do. I get really bad nerves sometimes, too. In fact, one time my nerves got so bad I ended up accidentally casting a whole spell on Ponyville and the ponies nearly ended up wrecking the whole town."

TJ raised an eyebrow as he looked to Twilight Sparkle, who then looked away as she smiled and blushed in embarrassment.

"Okay, maybe not the best story to tell to instill your confidence in me," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Hey, everypony has a bad day," TJ said. "Don't worry, Twilight, my confidence in you and your friends hasn't lessened in the slightest."

"Well, that's a relief," Twilight Sparkle said. "Thanks, TJ."

"Yeah, no problem, Twilight," TJ replied. "I wish I could say I have the same level of confidence in Godzilla... Ah, what am I saying? Of course I do. It's those darn nerves again trying to convince me I don't."

"Well, maybe what you need is a distraction from them," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Got any ideas?" TJ asked.

"Well... would you be okay if we just talked for a little bit?" Twilight Sparkle suggested. "We could get to know each other. Might do some good since we're apparently gonna be working really close together on this mission. Plus, I always like to get to know my new friends a little. What do you say?"

TJ returned the friendly smile Twilight was flashing him before he said, "That sounds awesome, Twilight."

"Oh, good, I'm glad," Twilight Sparkle said. The two just stared at each other for a few moments of awkward silence before their eyes began zipping around. "So, tell me about yourself. What're you like? What do you like? Who is this mysterious stallion from far away named, Thunder Jack, aka, TJ?"

Twilight had said her last sentence in an overly exaggerated and dramatic manner and even did some posing to go along. TJ laughed at all this before looking out at the horizon.

"Well, what's there really to tell?" TJ said. "I mean, I told you the basics already. At nine years old, my daddy scooped me up and we left the city. Came across Pony Tale Island, my dad fell in love and to an extent I sort of did, too. Then as a result, we got caught up in this bitter struggle and we've been putting up with it for many years since then."

"Well, maybe we can go beyond the basics," Twilight Sparkle suggested. "Like, for example, where exactly was it you lived before you and your dad moved to Pony Tale Island?"

"Oh," TJ said. "I guess I can tell you that. Believe or not, we actually lived in Equestria."

"Really?!" Twilight Sparkle asked in amazement.

"Yeah, it's true," TJ said. "We lived in a small village just outside of Seaddle on the west coast. We lived with my birth mom. We never really went anywhere or did anything. We just stayed in the village and lived in quiet...

"You know, until we moved out to the island where my dad met my current mom, Moon Bright. I refuse to call her a stepmom because she's _way_ more than that! You know what I'm saying?."

"Absolutely," Twilight Sparkle said. "I think it's sweet how you managed to form that close of a relationship with her. Most children can't seem to manage to do that."

"Well, I try to be as loving and caring to everypony as I possibly can, you know?" TJ said. "Plus, she made it hard to be anything else to her since she's such a wonderful pony... My dad and I were truly lucky to find her and her family after my birth mom."

"Tell me about your birth mom," Twilight Sparkle said.

"What about her?" TJ replied.

"Well, for starters, why did your dad leave her then go off and remarry?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

TJ looked away in sadness before saying, "When I was much younger... my mom passed away. I think our moving out to the island was my dad's weird version of a coping mechanism or something. I'd rather not talk about it if it's all the same to you."

"Of course," Twilight Sparkle said with a sympathetic frown on her face. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," TJ said. "At least I had my dad there to lift me up when I was down. And later he would tell me I did the same for him. And then again, when we moved out to the island and met Moon Bright and her kin, they did it for us, too. They lifted our spirits back up in a way I didn't ever think could be done again.

But they did and I'm eternally grateful to them that they did. I can't wait for you and your friends to meet my family."

"If they're as wonderful as you say or anything like you, I really want to meet them, too," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Like me?" TJ asked.

"Sure," Twilight replied. "You've been nothing but kind, polite, and humble since we met. You're a heck of a guy, TJ."

"Wow," TJ said. "Thanks, Twilight."

"My pleasure. I'm just being honest... I get a lot of that from Applejack."

"Heh, heh," TJ chuckled. "Well, if anything you said about me is true, it's just stuff that rubbed off of my family onto me. They all played a big part in me turning out to be the pony I am now. My family is absolutely amazing... I'd do or give anything for them."

"I know what it's like to have an amazing family," Twilight Sparkle said. "My older brother, Shinning Armor was the captain of Celestia's royal guard before he became a prince himself when he married Princess Cadance, my old foal sitter. Now they run their own kingdom in the frozen north of Equestria."

"No kidding?" TJ asked in amazement.

"It's true," Twilight Sparkle said. "I kid you not. For a short while I didn't see either Cadance or Shinning Armor because we took separate paths in life. But as of late, our paths have changed and seem to lead in very similar directions. Because of that we're put in positions where we can see each other more often, both officially and unofficially."

"Wow, that all sounds amazing," TJ said in amazement. "Is there anyone in your family or social circle who isn't or hasn't done anything super awesome?!"

Twilight Sparkle laughed in amusement before saying, "Hmm, nope. Everypony I know is pretty great in their own way."

"From what I've seen and heard so far, I can believe it," TJ said. "How lucky is it, that your brother, your own flesh and blood, was bound to fall in love with the same pony who looked over you as a child when others couldn't? And then later she became an alicorn princess to boot?"

"It is pretty amazing," Twilight Sparkle said. "Even if the wedding didn't go... _exactly_ as planned."

"I take it a situation arose that may or may not be similar to what's happening on my island?" TJ asked.

"The implications of the situation were certainly similar, I can say that," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Wow," TJ said. "Must be hard when sometimes it feels like trouble is just looking for you."

"I could say the same about your predicament," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah, I guess you can," TJ said.

Twilight Sparkle placed a supportive hoof on TJ's should, which made him turn to her and smile in appreciation.

"I know it must be hard," Twilight Sparkle said. "But are there still good times through all this?"

"Some," TJ admitted. "The quiet down time I get with my family and friends on the island in between fighting for our lives is really nice. It's really a huge part of what makes this struggle worth it to me."

"Well then, I'm gonna tell you something," Twilight Sparkle said. "All you have to do is remember the good times you've had with your family and friends and you remember how much you love them and they love you. If you can do that, then that will end up being the thing that fuels you the most in finally defeating the minotaurs. "

"Thanks, Twilight," TJ said.

"Of course," Twilight Sparkle said. "While you may be looking out for my friends and I and wanting to protect us, I'm always gonna be here to lookout for you in return. I'm here for you when you need me, TJ."

"And I'll always be here when you need me, Twilight," TJ said.

The two ponies were smiling at each other in silence when they suddenly heard a low moaning roar in the distance. This made both their eyes widen as they looked out to the sea where the roar had come from. It also got the attention of the half asleep Earth pony stallion at the wheel of the ship.

"Holy sea shells, what was that?!" the semi-elderly pony with a beard asked.

"It's him," Twilight Sparkle said.

TJ turned to the violet alicorn with excitement in his eyes.

"Really?" TJ asked.

"Yep," Twilight Sparkle said confidently. "He's coming."

"Object incoming off the port side!" the pony at the wheel shouted as he pointed.

Twilight and TJ all looked to see a rise in the water that was coming closer to the ship.

"It's okay!" TJ said. "It's just the creature the princess and her friends were talking about earlier."

"Are you sure?!" the pony asked, the fear in his voice being obvious.

"Pretty sure," TJ said. He looked to Twilight Sparkle who flashed him a reassuring smile with an added wink. This, in turn made TJ smile before looking back to the pony to say, "I mean, yes I am sure. I'm absolutely positive."

"Only fools are positive," the trembling Earth pony replied.

"Are you sure?" TJ asked.

"I'm positive," the Earth pony said.

He stopped trembling when he realized what had just happened and frowned at TJ while he and Twilight laughed. The two ponies looked out to spy three rows of maple leaf shaped plates peeking up over the water. The rows of plates stopped their approach when they were about thirty eight feet away from the side of the ship. It wasn't long before they rose up to reveal, first the back, then the whole upper body of the kaiju that was Godzilla. The boat was rocked somewhat by the water rolling off and away from Godzilla's body, but it wasn't anything too terrible. Or at least it was no worse than how much the boat usually got rocked around.

The King of Monsters let out a large roar of a yawn as he lifted his head and hands to the air. While it may have been a yawn, it was still an awe inspiring sight to the ponies on the boat who gazed at this marvel of a beast so much bigger than themselves. The Earth pony at the helm was trembling in fear once more while TJ and Twilight Sparkle looked up in wonder and admiration, especially in Twilight's case. Godzilla saw the boat and that Twilight Sparkle was on it and decided to come in a little closer. While TJ was a little nervous and the helmsmen was completely freaked out, Twilight was glad to see Godzilla coming.

"TJ, you wanted him, so you got him," Twilight Sparkle said happily.

"Wow," TJ gasped. "He's incredible... I know he's your friend... And that he's gonna help us... But looking at him now... It's just... It's so hard to..."

"I get it," Twilight Sparkle said. "I was exactly the same way we first met. But now I want you two to be properly introduced. Hey, Godzilla! I want you to meet a new friend of ours. He's the one who came to us with our current task. This is Thunder Jack, but he goes by TJ.

"And, Thunder Jack, let me properly introduce you to the King of Monsters and my very good friend, Godzilla."

The great kaiju turned his gaze to the Earth pony stallion and saw the absolute awe he had from looking up at him. The Kaiju King tried to settle the mood by offering TJ a friendly smile as he lightly growled. Upon seeing these peaceful interaction, TJ first gasped then smiled up at the kaiju in amazement.

"Great scott, this is heavy!" TJ exclaimed excitedly. "It is an absolute pleasure to meet you, oh mighty Godzilla! A true pleasure, indeed!"

Godzilla let out a soft, quiet roar as he continued to look on with a friendly expression.

"I think he's saying the same to you, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I think you're right," TJ said, being just barely able to hold back a giddy laugh.

"What's going on out here?!"

Captain Sea Wave, a good chunk of the crew and several of the Mane Six showed up on deck to investigates the noises being made. They were taken by surprise to see Godzilla floating next to their boat. While the entire crew stared up in awe with hints of the fear, those in the Mane Six were smiling up in joy.

"Gentlecolts, let me introduce you to the kaiju that's gonna help save our bacon from those horns on hooves!" TJ announced loudly. "I give to you all, the king of the beasts, Godzilla!"

Everypony stared up as Godzilla smiled warmly and waved. There were a few seconds of awkward silence where the crew just stared up at Godzilla, not knowing what to think. However, slowly, but surely the ponies that made up the ship's crew began smiling, cheering, and applauding. Some even began to dance happily in celebration overtime. The Mane Six, minus Rarity who was still sleeping, all laughed in joy at what had been started.

"Wow," TJ let out. He turned his stunned face to Twilight Sparkle's smiling face. "Everything's gonna be alright."

"I know," Twilight Sparkle said reassuringly. "Why don't we begin making it that way starting with this ship?"

"What do you mean?" TJ asked as he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Twilight Sparkle didn't answer verbally and instead activated her horn's magic. Soon it was surrounded in a purple aura, as was the ship the ponies all stood on. Everypony stopped and looked in wonder at what was happening on the ship around them. Soon there was a big flash of light that engulfed the whole vessel. When the dust cleared, everyone, including Godzilla were taking aback by what they saw.

In place of the old clunker that was the Floating Hunk of Junk was a newer looking and even bigger trawler. All the old rust, slime, faded color, and all the wear and tear in general was gone. It was as if a crew had, in no time flat, came in and completely renovated and even expanded the ship the ponies used to know. Everypony looked on with stunned silence as they gazed in wide wonder at the joy that was their new ship. TJ and the members of the Mane Six on deck were the first to turn to Twilight Sparkle.

The violet coated alicorn was staring on with a smile of joy and a little bit of pride on her face.

"You did this all!" TJ let out in amazement. "Didn't you?"

"Uh-huh," Twilight Sparkle said as she nodded her head. "It was a spell combo Starlight Glimmer showed me. It's a combination of the renewal spell and the replacement spell. Once I got a layout of the ship, it was easy to come up with its improvements all in my head. Then I just made the Floating Hunk of Junk become that image I saw."

"Wow," TJ said as he and everyone else looked at the new almost sparkling and shining boat.

"It's a miracle!" one of the crew ponies let out. "A real life miracle!"

"Nah, it was just the amazingness that comes courtesy of our amazing friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle!" Pinkie Pie said as she pointed a hoof.

"Being awesome as only she can!" Rainbow Dash added on.

The crew were now all celebrating even harder, both for their new ship and especially Godzilla's assured aid. Sea Wave was even laughing like a joyfully crazy pony, he was so ecstatic. TJ and Twilight Sparkle turned to each other and smiled brightly.

"If you can bring this level of magic to the island, then I'm even more confident that we _will_ prevail," TJ said. "With magic as great as yours fending off the minotaurs and inspiring the island's native ponies, I know we'll win!"

"Ohh!" Twilight moaned as she grabbed at her head and started to fall.

"Twilight!" TJ gasped as he reached out and caught the fallen alicorn.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all ran over as the crew took notice and looked on with concern. Godzilla was also looking down more tentatively as ponies gathered around Twilight Sparkle

"Are you alright, sugarcube?!" Applejack asked in a panicked tone.

"How many fingers am I holding up?!" Pinkie Pie asked urgently. "Oh, wait, that's right, I don't have fingers."

"Twilight, what's wrong?!" TJ asked concernedly.

"I'm fine," Twilight Sparkle managed to softly say. "It's not bad. This is... just a side effect of exerting a large amount of magic into a new spell I never used before... I'll be fine... I just need some rest is all."

Twilight Sparkle smiled reassuringly at everypony to try and convince them what she was saying was true.

"Well... alright then," TJ said. "But don't do stuff like that anymore until you absolutely have to, okay? Don't want you scaring everypony like that again."

"Okay," Twilight Sparkle agreed.

"We need you and your magic at your best when we reach the island," TJ said. "But for now, let's get you back down below so you can rest. I can only imagine what that'll be like now. Thanks for doing this, Twilight Sparkle. You did more than just give us a new ship...

"Now you've helped plant the seed to inspire renewed hope in us all."

"It's no-"

Twilight Sparkle was unable to finish her sentence as she felt the fatigue washing over her.

" _Okay_ , like I said," TJ let out. "Back below for some rest."

"Thanks for looking after her, TJ."

"Not a problem, Fluttershy. My pleasure actually."

"You really care for her, don't you?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, don't you?" TJ replied. "She's a special pony. I'm sure that goes for all of you, though."

"Aww, you're so nice," Pinkie Pie said. "I got a feeling we're all gonna become really good friends before this is over."

"I certainly hope so," TJ said.

"Please, it's almost guaranteed," Rainbow Dash said.

"Oh, yeah, that's right," TJ said. "It's your thing... Good thing to have. More ponies need a thing like that. Maybe I can also make that my thing."

TJ was starting to lead Twilight Sparkle away when his ears picked up the low growls of Godzilla. TJ turned to see the great monster lurking over the ship as he stared down at Twilight Sparkle to inspect her condition.

"It's okay, Godzilla, he's a friend," Fluttershy reassured.

Godzilla replied with a few soft growls.

"Oh, you met him already?" Fluttershy asked. "Well, that's nice. Oh, what's that?"

Godzilla let out a soft roar.

"She's gonna be fine, Godzilla," Fluttershy said. "She just needs some sleep. TJ's gonna get her to bed and take care of her."

"Absolutely," TJ said. "I promise you like I promised the others back in Equestria, Godzilla. I'll look after her like she was my own flesh and blood. I give you my solemn oath."

Godzilla titled his head slightly as he looked the Earth pony stallion over. TJ smiled to try and reassure the kaiju, however he felt like he needed some reassuring with the way Godzilla was looking at him. Finally Godzilla lightly nodded his head before roaring out.

"He says he trusts you, TJ, and he also says thank you," Fluttershy translated. She then raised an eyebrow as she smiled. "But he also warned you not to try anything silly with any of us mares. We're ladies and deserve nothing but respect. So no... _silly_ stuff."

"Uh..." TJ let out nervously.

Godzilla roared out, which made Fluttershy laugh.

"He was just kidding," Fluttershy said.

This made the other mares laugh while TJ turned a bright shade of red.

"Gosh, G, you sounded almost like you were our dad or den mother or something," Rainbow Dash let out in between laughs.

"You got him good," Pinkie Pie said. "Just look at his face and the color it is! That was too good!"

"Ugh, quit your laughing you hyenas!" TJ said. "There's always someone busting my chops! If it's not at home, it's always somewhere else! By crimany!"

TJ's tone wasn't that of someone upset, but actually rather amused himself, which everypony else caught on to.

"Well, if we don't do it, who else will?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Oh, don't worry, there's plenty of ponies," TJ said. "Now if you'll all excuse me, I gotta get our sleeping beauty princess here to bed like I should've done a few minutes ago."

"You... really think I'm a beauty... and cute?" Twilight managed to say.

"Oh, for the love of Pete," TJ said as he rolled his eyes.

He started walking away again, but then stopped to smile at Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and finally at Godzilla. They all returned the favor before TJ gave them a reassuring wink. Then he walked away to finally put Twilight Sparkle to bed for the night.

* * *

 **FINALLY! I know that's what some are saying. Frankly I don't blame them. This should've been finished a little while ago actually. But then life happened... which means there may be even more delays. You see, I recently got a new job and it demands a lot from me. It's taken its toll on my body, too. It's not easy trying to go from a lazy couch potato to a working man. It's kicking my ass and I don't know when it will stop. Unfortunately, this also means I'll have less time to dedicate to my writing, which I'm not really happy about because I LOVE writing these stories. But real life and a paying job come first unfortunately. Sorry, folks, but that's the truth of it.**

 **I know this may not sit well with some, but maybe I can at least bring one person's spirits up. Godzillafan1, I took into account what you requested a little while back about doing some version of a Godzilla vs Sirens/Dazzlings crossover story. Well, I'll let you know now I was already planning on making a Godzilla/Equestria Girls crossover story in the future. It would've been different from what you had in mind, but after hearing your idea and watching the video on YouTube you suggested I watch, I've decided to revise my story to match more with what you had in mind. I'm basically gonna take the best parts of the ideas from the Godzilla vs Sirens April Fool's vid and my own outline and combine them together for one story. So, yeah, folks be on the lookout for a future GODZILLA/Equestria Girls crossover from yours truly.**

 **In the meantime, I hope you're still cool with what I'm giving you all with this story so far. TRUST ME, GOOD STUFF IS COMING SOON! I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	9. Chapter 9: Tadepole Attack

TJ lightly moaned as he slowly, but surely woke from his sleep. His eyes fluttered open, though he still couldn't see. Everything was one big blur to him. He tried to open his eyes all the way, but it caused them severe discomfort. So while he was squinting and waiting for his eyes to completely adjust, TJ let out a big yawn.

Then he stretched out his forelegs, groaning all the while as he tried to wake himself up. Once he finished stretching, TJ's limbs plopped back down on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling for only a couple seconds before his eyes widened with realization. He was in a bed! An actual bed and not sleeping on the ground leaning next to a crate and using a net for a blanket!

" _WAH-HA-HA_!"

TJ sat up, now fully awake and alert from the scream he just heard. He looked to the source which turned out to be a beaming Rarity. Her expression told TJ that Rarity's scream wasn't one of fear or alarm, but of joy and even rapture.

"Rarity, you alright?" TJ asked.

"Absolutely, darling!" Rarity exclaimed. "How could I not be?! Look at all this around us! Actual beds! Organization of what's cargo and not! It's clean! It's livable!

"It's plain beyond all belief, but at least it's plain and not... forgive me, darling, trashy like it was before!"

"No need to apologize to me," TJ said. "It's not my ship." The Earth pony stallion looked around in amazement. Indeed everything was clean and organized and there were several beds actually built into the boat, bunks and singles alike. "So, that wasn't a dream I had about what happened last night? It was all real?"

"What was all real?" Rarity inquired as she got up out of her bed. She took a moment to bask in the fact that her hooves were touching a clean floor. "Marvelous. Simply marvelous."

"Last night, Twilight Sparkle used her alicorn magic to create this new boat," TJ said. "Also, the whole crew and I got to officially meet Godzilla."

"Twilight did all this?" Rarity asked.

"Yeah, it was something that one Starlight mare taught her," TJ said.

"Strange," Rarity said. "I was under the impression Twilight was suppose to teach her."

"That's what I thought, too," TJ said. "But then again, I guess it's not impossible for a learner to teach a teacher a thing or two along the way."

"I guess not," Rarity said. "So, everything is completely new?"

"Yep," TJ said. "It's one whole new boat. And I must say, a very darn good one from what I've seen so far. I can't wait to see more of it. But first I want to go over and check on Twilight. After she did her spell, she fell just slightly under the weather."

"Oh, dear!" Rarity said with concern. "Is she alright?"

"She said she would be," TJ said as he got out of bed and started trotting. "She said it was exhaustion, a side effect of her spell. Twilight also said she just needed some sleep. I'm hoping that's the case, which is why I'm going to check on her now."

"Why, TJ, how tentative of you," Rarity said.

"I told everypony I was gonna look after you like my own family," TJ reminded. "I wasn't jabbing to just hear my voice... Though who wouldn't want to hear this angelic speaking voice, eh?"

Both Rarity and TJ lightly chuckled at his silliness.

"Who, indeed, darling," Rarity said. "It's still awfully nice of you. So, which bed did you put Twilight in last night?"

"Uh... I think it was that one," TJ said as he pointed a hoof.

"But that one's empty," Rarity said.

"I noticed that," TJ replied.

Both ponies walked over closer to the bed and saw up close and for certain that it was, indeed, empty. But it showed signs that somepony had been sleeping in it previously.

"What do you think?" Rarity asked.

"Simple," TJ said. "She woke up and got out of bed. Maybe she was right and all she needed really was just some sleep."

"Then where do you think she is now?" Rarity asked.

"Probably up on deck with everypony else," TJ answered.

They both looked around and save for a few crew ponies doing different jobs, there was no one else. No one was still sleeping in their beds, though some probably wanted to.

"Well, then," Rarity said. "Let's go up and greet everyone properly, shall we, darling?"

"We shall, we shall," TJ said in a voice meant to mimic Rarity's.

"I'm not fond of mimicry, but I'll deal with it for now," Rarity said bluntly.

"Sorry about that," TJ said.

"All's forgiven, darling," Rarity said. "Think nothing of it."

The two beamed at each other before heading up on deck. When they got there, they saw several crew ponies, but none of the other Mane Six.

"Well, I wonder where they could've gone to," TJ said.

" _GERONIMO!_ " two voice screamed from above.

"Hit the deck!" TJ said when he saw what was coming.

He tackled Rarity down as Rainbow Dash came swooping down at them with Pinkie Pie riding on her back. Rainbow Dash quickly shifted trajectory and headed back upward. Both TJ and Rarity's hearts felt like they were beating in their throats as they heaved out heavy breaths. They both slowly got back up on their hooves, their eyes wide as could be with shock.

"Y- You okay, Rarity?"

"Y- y- Yes... I th- think so. And you?"

"I'm fine... At least, I'm pretty sure."

"Good." Rarity snapped back to reality and gave TJ a stern face. "But don't you _dare_ even _think_ about handling me that way again! I'm a lady!"

Rarity screechy yelling left TJ with his mouth wide open and his eyes looked like they would practically pop out they were so surprised.

"But-"

"Humph," Rarity let out as she started walking away.

"But I- I was- With the ducking... and the trying to keep them- from the crashing... into... the you!"

"Incoming!" Pinkie Pie sung out from above.

"Oh, boy," TJ said before screaming out and diving for the floor.

Rainbow Dash, while still carrying Pinkie on her back, swooped down again and just barely missed TJ and the deck before maneuvering upwards again. This time TJ looked up to see that Pinkie Pie was holding a hoofball in her hoof.

"Good catch, Pinkie Pie! I thought I had y'all that time!"

TJ looked to see Applejack standing at the top of the trawler where the helm was located. She stood next to the smiling helmsman who was admiring the duo of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie from afar like Applejack was.

"You'll never be able to pull a fast one on a fast one like me!" Rainbow Dash called back.

"And as long as I'm riding the fast one, you won't pull a fast one on me either!" Pinkie Pie practically screeched out in her high pitched, squeaky voice.

"Look alive, Twilight, coming at ya!" Rainbow Dash called out.

TJ's eyes widened at the mention of Twilight Sparkle's name. He followed the direction Pinkie Pie threw the hoofball to see the alicorn herself catch it with her levitation magic. Twilight Sparkle was also flying in the air like Rainbow Dash. At the moment, though, she kept herself in place while Rainbow Dash zigged and zagged all around. Twilight looked around for who to toss the ball to next before deciding on one of the free crew ponies.

He caught it and instantly tossed the ball to another crew member, who then tossed it up to the helm where it was caught by Applejack.

"Hey, Twilight, down here," TJ called.

Twilight Sparkle looked down to see the Earth pony and greeted him with a pleasant, friendly smile.

"Time out for me, everypony!" Twilight Sparkle called.

After everypony gave her the okay, Twilight Sparkle lowered herself down until she landed on the deck in front of TJ.

"Hi ya, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said happily. "Good to see our _sleeping beauty_ is finally awake."

"First of all, Rarity's over there," TJ said as he pointed a hoof. "Secondly, what time is it?"

"Hmm, about five minutes after noon," Twilight Sparkle answered.

" _Noon_?!" TJ said in disbelief.

"Mm, hmm," Twilight Sparkle said as she nodded her head.

"Holy cow!" TJ exclaimed. "I haven't stayed to bed that late in seven years!"

"When do you usually get up?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"It alternates, but it's usually sometime early in the morning," TJ answered. "It can be anywhere between seven to nine. One time I even got up at six. I can also get up earlier, but that's pretty rare and depends on the circumstances."

"Oh," Twilight Sparkle said. "I usually get up somewhere between four and six."

TJ looked at her in amazement before saying, "Girl, you crazy?"

"No," Twilight Sparkle said. "I just like to get up early to do chores. It usually gives me more time for fun the rest of the day."

"I can see that," TJ said as he looked around. "Pinkie and Rainbow nearly dive bombed me and Rarity twice while you guys were playing your game."

"Oh, sorry about that," Twilight Sparkle said. "Some of my friends like to play a little rough."

"So, I've noticed," TJ said. "It's cool, though. Me and a lot of my friends and family can get pretty rough ourselves with some of the stuff we do together."

"Oh, do you usually play games like this?" Twilight asked.

"Eh, not really," TJ said. "We have, but that's very rare. And yes, that's when we get rowdy. But something all of us really like to do during our downtime is usually just sit down and shoot the breeze and talk with each other. Just to relax, you know? Take a break from the craziness that comes with fighting an evil army."

"I can understand that," Twilight Sparkle said. "That sounds very nice actually. My friends and I all really like quiet moments when we just talk with each other, too."

"Ha, ha," TJ laughed. "When all my family talks together, it's never quiet."

Twilight and TJ both enjoyed a laugh before noticing Rarity walking up to them.

"Oh, there you are, Twilight, darling," Rarity said happily. "We were worried about you."

"Why, Rarity?" Twilight asked in confusion.

"TJ here told me what happened last night," Rarity said.

"You mean the whole transforming the ship thing?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "TJ, I told you, all I needed was a little sleep."

"Yeah, I guess you weren't kidding," TJ admitted. "You got your sleep and now here you are running around and playing sports games with your friends and the crew."

"Eh, the crew ponies have pretty much become my friends, too," Twilight Sparkle said.

"That was fast," TJ said.

"Princess of Friendship, remember?" Twilight asked with amusement. "Anyways, when the girls and I woke up this morning, we decided to give the crew some help with the chores that come with running a ship. We finished early, but in that time really got to know each other well. After we wrapped up, Rainbow Dash decided to invite everypony for a game of _extreme_ catch. And that's how you two almost got dive bombed."

Twilight Sparkle flashed an apologetic smile, to which TJ and Rarity both laughed at with amusement.

"Speaking of which, sorry about forcing you down like that, Rarity," TJ said.

"Oh, pis, posh, I'm over it, darling," Rarity said. "I know now you were only trying to help, which I very much appreciate. I'm just not used to proper gentlemen coming to my aid."

"Really?" TJ asked with confusion.

"No," Rarity said. "Usually it's either Twilight or another one of my friends here. The only other one who has come to my aid was dear Spikey-Wikey... who I really miss right about now."

"I miss him, too," Twilight Sparkle said.

TJ noticed that the two mares were starting to frown as their yearning for their little dragon friend increased.

"Well, I'll admit, I really liked Spike when I first saw him, too," TJ said. "He seemed like a great guy."

"He is," Twilight and Rarity said.

"Then it looks like I have a tough act to follow if he was your first real closest guy friend," TJ said. "But I swear I'll do my best to live up to his, uh... legacy, I guess you'd call it."

"Well, if anypony can do it, you can, TJ," Rarity said.

"Maybe," Twilight said playfully. "We'll see."

Twilight Sparkle finished up by giving TJ a small wink.

"Well, lookie who we have conversing over here."

Twilight, Rarity, and TJ all turned to see Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and several crew ponies coming up to them.

"Hi, guys," TJ greeted.

Everyone else responded with their own greetings.

"Good to see you two are finally up," Rainbow Dash said.

"I know," TJ admitted. "I don't usually sleep this late. Then again, I've never slept on a bed so comfy before in my adult life. It's amazing, simply amazing."

"Arg, I gotta agree," one of the crew ponies said. "It was so comfy, I almost overslept and missed me morning duties."

Several crew ponies spoke at the same time in agreement.

"Luckily, these lovely young ladies were there to help pick up our slack and actually helped us finish ahead of schedule," another crew pony said.

"Much obliged, sir, all of us are," Applejack said as she removed her had and put it to her chest.

The other mares all spoke in agreement.

"Well, that explains me," TJ said. "But why did you sleep so late, Rarity?"

"No reason!" Rarity said quickly.

"And by that she means, she was more so passed out in a semi-coma," Rainbow Dash said bluntly.

"Rainbow Dash, shush your mouth!" Rarity demanded.

"Why?! What happened?!" TJ asked with alarm.

"She wasn't really in a coma," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's just that when she saw where we had to sleep and what we would have to eat, she passed out."

"At first we all felt the same way," Applejack said. "But then we got over it. Especially since Rarity was starting to worry us more than anything else."

" _Sor-ry_ if a lady who is so used to actual hygiene and living conditions receives a bit of a shock when placed in near cave pony-like surroundings!" Rarity's eyes opened wide with realization before she looked to the crew with an apologetic smile. "No offense, darlings! Not at all to imply you yourselves are cave ponies!"

"It's fine, Las," a crew pony spoke with an accent. "Truth is, we were all feeling the same way." He pointed to Twilight Sparkle. "Then comes this little one here who gives us a new ship that actually has better than decent living and working conditions. It's fantastic."

"Aye, that it be," another crew pony added. "Even better since she brought all her amazing friends along. Yee certainly fell in with the right crowd in Equestria, Thunder Jack. With all the high spirits and hard work they brought along with 'em, it was more than inspiring to say the least."

"I knew there was something special about you girls when I met you all," TJ said.

"Thanks, y'all," Applejack said. "That's mighty kind of ya to say."

"It's totally true, but it's always cool when somepony else recognizes our awesomeness," Rainbow Dash boasted.

"I only hope we can keep it up until the end," Twilight Sparkle said.

"You will," TJ said. "All of you... Speaking of which, you're all here. But where's Fluttershy?"

"She's out there," Pinkie Pie answered as she pointed her hoof to the port side.

Everypony trotted over to the railing and looked to see the yellow coated pegasus mare flying above Godzilla's three rows of back plates.

"Wow, Godzilla!" TJ said with amazement. "I forgot!"

"They were out there talking earlier," Pinkie Pie said. "But then they realized they were falling behind. So Godzilla started swimming along and I guess Fluttershy just decided to stay out there with him."

"That's nice," TJ said. "Seriously, it's super sweet. I guess they really do have a closer bond than I thought. Closer than what one might think a pony and a giant monster could have."

"They really do," Applejack said. "We ain't jivin' when we say Fluttershy and Godzilla are like each others best friend. Sometimes I feel like Fluttershy may be closer to Godzilla than she is to us."

"Is that a bad thing?" TJ asked.

"Not really," Rarity said. "We all know Fluttershy's always had a fondness for animals and Godzilla is, in many ways, the ultimate animal. So it only makes sense to us they'd be so close."

"Not to mention she can actually talk to and understand animals," Pinkie Pie said. "It's the special talent that got her the cutie mark on her rump."

"Well, no wonder they're so close then," TJ said. "It's totally understandable. Especially if you take into account how much smarter Godzilla seems to be when compared to the average animal."

"Oh, trust me, he's even smarter than that," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Twilight's somewhat of a science wiz," Rainbow Dash said. "She's been studying Godzilla pretty much since she met him."

"With his permission of course," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Well, of course," TJ said. "And I'm guessing a large majority of your studies on Godzilla have turned up some more than interesting results?"

"Oh, Celestia, yeah!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. "Like you wouldn't believe!"

"Intriguing," TJ said. "Like what kind of results, for example?"

"Well, where do you want me to start?" Twilight Sparkle asked

"Let's just stick with Godzilla's intelligence this time around in science class," TJ answered.

"Okay," Twilight Sparkle agreed.

"So, how far do Godzilla's capacities go as far as thinking, developing thought and all that kind of stuff?" TJ asked.

"Beyond any other animal ever encountered," Twilight Sparkle said. "He's smarter than dolphins, whales... TJ, he's smarter than primates."

"Whoa," TJ said. "How's that even possible? Could it have something to do with his enlarged cranium and brain when compared to that of a normal sized animal's?"

"Maybe," Twilight Sparkle said. "But... as much as I don't want to say it and be corny... a brain doesn't equal a soul. And it looks like that's exactly what Godzilla has. A soul. He can form emotional attachment, form opinions on certain subjects, decide what's right or wrong and beyond.

"He can even debate and discuss what made him come to such decisions! He has sentience almost like that of a pony... Sometimes I think he might even be smarter than ponies are."

Everypony looked to Twilight as they all let out with, "WHAT?!"

"No offense everypony," Twilight Sparkle said with an apologetic smile. "But that's just the way he comes off to me sometimes. It's hard to explain."

"But Godzilla can't do a lot of the things we do," TJ said. "He cant... read or write or study arithmetic or stuff like that, He can't build great cities or cook gourmet food and meals. He can't do any of that kind of stuff or other things we ponies do."

"How do you know?" Twilight Sparkle said. "Just because we've never seen Godzilla do all that stuff, doesn't mean he can't. It could just mean that he doesn't want or feel the need to. That's what makes me think he's the smart one in everything. We, as a society feel the needs and desire, even the lust to do and pursue all of this stuff.

"Yet Godzilla is able to get through life without more than nine tenths the things we've come to depend on as necessities. He just lives in the water, which helps supports his weight by the way. Probably why he chooses to live in the ocean. Anyways, like I said, he just lives there without a care or need in the world, except for his need of his friends."

"AWW," everypony else said together.

"Really makes you think which one's the smarter in the equation, huh?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"And how," Applejack said.

"You can say that again," TJ said.

"And how," Pinkie Pie said in a southern accent meant to mimic Applejack's.

Everypony shared a group laugh at the pink Earth pony's antics.

"You know, I gotta admit something," TJ said. "A small part of me actually kind of wants to see what Godzilla will look like once he's in action against the other kaiju."

"Trust me, TJ... you don't wanna," Applejack said.

"Yes, you do," Rainbow Dash said, more mouthing the words than actually speaking them.

"That's what the bigger part of me is saying, Applejack," TJ agreed. "That part's down right terrified of the upcoming conflict. I know it's a necessary evil, but that doesn't make it any easier to have to live with."

The Mane Six all took notice of TJ's change in demeanor, which seemed to be spreading to the crew ponies. The mares all looked to each other thoughtfully as if they were having a conversation without using actual words.

"So, you said it's gonna take us three days to get to your island, right, TJ?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," TJ said. "Although, since we sailed all through last night, it'll probably be much closer to say, two more days actually."

"Do you really think so?" Rarity asked.

"Sort of," TJ said. "Maybe, I'm not sure. I want it to be quicker so we can get there, do the thing and be done with it already."

"Well, so do we," Pinkie Pie said.

"But since we're stuck out here for a little while," Rainbow Dash began as she tossed the hoofball to TJ. After he caught it, the pegasus mare finished with, "We should all probably make the best of it and have an awesome, kick flank time! Game on!"

Everypony ran or flew to scatter around the ship in preparation for the upcoming game. TJ looked around at everypony as they all looked back with what seemed like an intense need for him to throw the ball to them. A sly smirk came over TJ's face before he tossed the ball up in the air.

"Work for it, you slackers!" TJ called out playfully.

Everypony made a dive for the ball, but it was ultimately Rarity who managed to steal it away. She did so with a combination of her teleportation and levitation magic. She smiled slyly before tossing the ball up at Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, in your face!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed in between laughs as she caught the ball.

She then twirled in place and then tossed the ball to Twilight Sparkle who flew up and caught it with her magic. Then she tossed it to TJ, after which, the two took a moment to smile at each other. The game went on for a good long while with everypony playing and having fun. Everyone of the equines involved in the game got more than one turn catching and throwing the ball around. It was some of the best fun any of the ponies ever had, especially TJ.

The fun was interrupted when Rainbow Dash got over pumped and threw a pass nopony was able to catch. They all watched in horror as the hoofball went flying through the air and far away out over the ocean.

"OH NO!" everypony shouted together.

They all screamed collectively as they ran to the side of the ship. Rainbow Dash actually flew out to try and catch her own mighty pass. She was stopped, however, by the sight of Godzilla's upper body rising up out of the water. He let out a low, but loud roar as he stuck his hand up and the hoofball sailed into his palm. Everypony stared on in dead silence, having been muted by their sheer disbelief of what they just saw.

Rainbow Dash was close enough that she saw Fluttershy fly into Godzilla's palm and retrieve the hoofball. She then flew up and gave Godzilla's snout a quick kiss before flying towards Rainbow Dash. When Fluttershy got there, Rainbow Dash was still wide eyed and open mouthed.

"Um, I think this belongs to you," Fluttershy said softly. "I believe you and some of the others were... playing with it?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head around to snap herself back to reality.

"Uh, yeah," Rainbow Dash finally managed to say. "Uh, thanks, Fluttershy."

"You should really thank Godzilla," Fluttershy said as she returned the ball to Rainbow Dash. "He's the one that caught your ball and kept it from falling in the ocean."

"Eh, I would've found it eventually," Rainbow Dash said. "But G saved me the trouble." Rainbow Dash looked passed Fluttershy and called out loudly, "Thanks, G-Dude! Sick catch, bro!"

Godzilla roared back in reply, which made Rainbow Dash look at Fluttershy.

"He said he was happy to help and thanks for the compliment," Fluttershy translated.

"Sweet," Rainbow Dash said. "Hey, Rarity and TJ are finally up. Why don't you come say hi to them real quick."

"Okay," Fluttershy said. "My wings were getting tired anyways. Plus, it'll be nice to see them both and check on how they're doing." Fluttershy quickly turned back to Godzilla and called out, "I'm gonna go visit with everyone on the boat for a while, Godzilla, but I'll be back out later."

Godzilla nodded his head as he let out a few low growls of agreement. He then splashed back into the water and resumed swimming. After that, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew back to the boat where they were all greeted warmly by the rest of the group.

"Arg, it's the nice one!" a crew pony proclaimed, referring to Fluttershy.

"And a pretty one!" another crew pony added.

"Hey, Fluttershy, how're you doing?" TJ asked.

"Fine, thank you, TJ," Fluttershy replied. "It's nice to see you up and about. It's also nice to see you, too, Rarity. Especially after what happened last night."

"We need not have to bring up the past, darling," Rarity said.

"No, we don't have to," Rainbow Dash said with a sly smile on her face. "But we do because it's still pretty funny."

Everypony all shared a group laugh while Rarity looked on with frustration.

"Ah, come on, Rarity," Applejack said. "You know we're just giving you a hard time."

"Yes, that is quite clear to me, Applejack," Rarity replied.

"So, why did you sleep in so late, TJ?" Fluttershy asked.

"Hey, that was the best bed I had ever laid on," TJ explained. "The bed I have at home isn't _nearly_ as comfortable. And... well, you all saw what the sleeping conditions were like here on the ship before."

"Mm, hmm," everypony agreed.

"That makes sense," Fluttershy said.

"Still, looks like you all made good use of the time I wasted sleeping, though," TJ said.

"Then you already know?" Fluttershy asked.

"Uh-huh," TJ said as he nodded his head. "And that was really cool of you all to do. Especially since you didn't really have to."

"Oh, it was nothing," Fluttershy said. "Helping other ponies is something we always try to do."

"Whether it be small things like boat chores or big things saving the world," Pinkie Pie said. "One thing's for sure, we always got somepony's back."

"You know," TJ said, "I think somewhere else in the world, boat chores are the biggest problems a group of ponies has to deal with."

"What a boring life that must be," Rainbow Dash said.

"Eh, boring, _normal_ , _safer_ , doesn't matter what you call it," TJ said. "Everypony has their role to play. Looks like ours has become monster hunters and minotaur fighters. But let's not get into that song and dance again.

"Anyways, we were all playing a game of catch, as you probably guessed."

"Uh-huh," Fluttershy said. "I saw your ball flying towards Godzilla and I, so I called him up to catch it."

"Saw that," TJ said. "And may I just say, that was unbelievably cool."

"You're darn right it was," Rainbow Dash said.

"But when I saw you flying up with Rainbow Dash, I got to thinking," TJ said. "You wanna play some ball with all of us?"

"Oh, well, um, I... would like-" Fluttershy sputtered.

"Hang the ball game!" Captain Sea Wave called out as he approached the helm. "The morning work may be done, but now it's time for the rest of the day's work to start! So anypony who is part of the crew, get to moving! Go on with your work, _now_!"

"AYE-AYE, SIR!" all the crew ponies said.

They then began spreading out across the ship to handle their jobs.

"Well, maybe _we_ can all still play?" Rarity suggested, referring to the Mane Six and TJ.

"Not me," TJ said. "If there's work to be done, then I gotta help do it. I missed the morning, now I gotta go make up for lost time. Sorry, y'all, but that's who I am."

"Same here," Applejack said.

"Likewise," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Looks like we're all gonna be helping," Fluttershy said.

"But there'll still be time to play later, right?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Of course, Pinkie Pie," TJ said with a smile. "And I'm very much looking forward to all of it."

* * *

 **A FEW DAYS LATER:**

The Mane Six, TJ, and several crew ponies were gathered around in a group on the deck. Some sat on wood crates and chairs while others were on their hooves dancing as others vocalized in a group acapella. Their was slight accompaniment from ponies beating their hooves rhythmically against either a wooden crate or the deck itself.

" _I used to be a renegade_ , _I used to fool around_ ," TJ sang. " _But I couldn't take the punishment_ , _and had to settle down_. _Now I'm playing it real straight_ , _and yes I cut my hair_. _You might think I'm crazy_ , _but I don't even care_. _Because I can tell what's going on_.

" _It's hip to be a square_!"

" _Hip_ , _hip,_ s _o hip to be a square_ ," several ponies sang in harmonizing background vocals.

" _It's hip to be a square_!" TJ sang out again.

" _Hip_ , _hip,_ s _o hip to be a square_ ," the background singers sung.

"Get it, Twilight!" TJ encouraged as he pointed.

"Okay, here it goes!" Twilight Sparkle announced. " _I like my bands in business suits_. _I watch them on the stage_. _I'm working out most everyday and watching what I eat_. _They tell me that it's good for me_ , but I don't even care. _I know that it's crazy. I know that it's nowhere_. _But there is no denying that_...

" _It's hip to be a square_!"

" _Hip_ , _hip,_ s _o hip to be a square_ ," the background singers sang out.

" _It's hip to be a square_!" Twilight Sparkle sang out again.

" _Hip_ , _hip,_ s _o hip to be a square_ ," the background singers repeated.

"Tell 'em, y'all!" TJ called out.

" _Here_ , _there_ , _and everywhere_!" everypony sang together. " _Hip_ , _hip_. _So hip to be a square_! _Here_ , _there_ , _and everywhere_! _Hip_ , _hip_!

" _Here_ , _there_ , _and everywhere_! _Hip_ , _hip_. _So hip to be a square_! _Here_ , _there_ , _and everywhere_! _Hip_ , _hip_. _Here_ , _there_ , _and everywhere_! _Hip_ , _hip_. _So hip to be a square_! _HEY_!"

The song had ended and now everypony was either laughing or applauding or doing both while they all smiled big.

"Oh, sweet Celestia, that was great!" Rainbow Dash said giddily.

"I think that song, 'Hip to be a Square'," Pinkie Pie began, "is an undisputed masterpiece. It's a song so catchy, most ponies probably don't listen to the lyrics, but they should. Because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity, and the importance of trends. It's also a personal statement about the band who wrote the song itself. Hey, Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked to her friend.

"Cupcake?" Pinkie Pie asked as she held out the baked good.

"Thanks, Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash said as she graciously accepted the cupcake.

"TJ, I didn't know you were a singer," Rarity said.

"I could say the same about you all," TJ said. "I mean, sometimes you can tell with a pony's normal talking voice... But I guess I just wasn't paying that close attention. Because now that I'm hearing you all talk after that little number, it's actually pretty obvious. Color me a fool."

"Not at all, darling," Rarity said. "Truth be told, I never would've guessed you were such a good singer with your speaking voice. But you _are,_ indeed, a good singer. In fact you're a great singer."

"Likewise to everyone of you talented ponies," TJ said.

"Where did you learn these songs anyways?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"My dad used to be in a cover band that would ocassionally go into the city to perform," TJ explained. "My dad was super into music and that sort of carried over with me. He taught me a lot of what he knew and... well, ta-da."

"Do all of you ponies know all the songs TJ does?" Fluttershy asked the crew ponies.

A lot of them spoke in agreement that they probably did or were at least pretty sure.

"I tend to sing on certain jobs," TJ admitted. "Though I gotta say, this is the first time me and the crew have just sat down to do a little ditty together. Huh, makes me wonder why after that, because I had a blast. But then I could say the same about the whole voyage. I can't believe how much fun we've been having. It hasn't been like this for me... well, in a long time actually."

Everypony spoke in agreement of how great a time they'd been having. Since their second day of sailing, the Mane Six had been on a non-stop role of interacting with TJ and the crew in the best ways possible. They had done all sorts of fun activities from games, to food prepping, and yes, even singing together among many other things. It was almost as if the Mane Six were on a mission of fun instead of a potential mission of war. Regardless, it was a fun time and everypony on the ship drank it in since they hardly ever got such chances in their position.

"Land ahoy!" a crew pony called from above. Everypony looked to the pony hanging from the sail mast. He pointed before raising his hoof to the side of his mouth and shouting, "Home ahead! Land-ho!"

Everypony ran up to the front of the boat so they could see what the pony above saw. The Mane Six all gasped as they gazed out at the sight ahead. Beyond the ocean's waves, a large mass of land stood above the huge body of water. It was easy to spot due to the large volcano that rose high above any other point on the speck of land. It was surrounded by several smaller mountains, among other marks of land of varying sizes.

"Whoa," Rainbow Dash said.

"Is that it, TJ?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yes, Twilight, that's it," TJ answered. "That's Pony Tale Island... A once peaceful place that's turned into the center of a minotaur conspiracy. A conspiracy that could threaten everyone."

"Well, pretty soon you'll change your tune to a different song and dance!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she flew up high and looped around a little. "You'll see, once we get on the island, business is gonna get handled! We're gonna slap these minotaurs around for a little bit and be done with them before heading back home for a cool cup of cider! Trust me, we got this, easy, peasy, one, two threesy."

"You really sure about that, Rainbow Dash?" TJ asked. "Because, they do have an army."

"We have a Godzilla," Rainbow Dash said back. "Well, we have all of us actually, but G's definitely a big part of our arsenal. It's no problem, TJ."

"You think so?" TJ asked.

"Let me put it to you this way, TJ," Rainbow Dash said. "If I didn't think I could do this, I wouldn't have come. I would've pointed you to somepony who I thought could do it better. Besides, those ponies I would've picked are all here with me right now." Rainbow Dash pointed to the Mane Six.

"They make things better, they make me better, and some of them think I somehow make them better. With a winning combination like that along with an even bigger lock in Godzilla thrown in, how could I not be confident?! We're gonna win this thing and take home the big one just like a big time sports team, you'll see!"

All the Mane Six smiled up in appreciation at their flying friend while everyone else smiled up with renewed hope.

"Alright, everypony, break it up!" Captain Sea Wave called out. "We're making our final approach home, which means there's prep work that needs to be done. And that means, you all get busy to doing that work _right now_!"

"Aye-aye, sir!" several crew ponies said together.

As the crew all spread out to begin their work, TJ walked up to Rainbow Dash, who greeted him warmly.

"You know, Rainbow Dash," TJ said, "you remind me a lot of a friend I have back home on the island. She's actually a friend to my whole family, but she's a lot like you in several ways."

"Sounds awesome," Rainbow Dash said as she flew around. "A pony who's coolness factor is similar to mine? That's totally radical! I can't wait to meet her!"

"I can't wait either," TJ said. "I'll bet you two are gonna hit it off just like that."

"If she's anything like you said she is, aka, me, then I'm sure of it, too!" Rainbow Dash said before flying away.

 _Oh, but I don't know if the island is big enough to hold two egos inflated bigger than a kaiju_ , TJ thought to himself. _Eh, here's to hoping._ TJ walked off to find Twilight Sparkle and eventually came across her helping some crew prepare for cargo transfer. He started walking over when all of a sudden.

"YEP, THERE SHE IS!" Everypony looked to see Pinkie Pie hanging off the mast while holding a telescope up to her eye. "Arg," she said with a sailor's accent. "There she blows!

Land-ahoy! Shiver me timbers and all that good wrought! It's a heck of a day at sea! Land-ho!"

"Wait a minute," Pinkie said in her normal voice. "I don't see a hoe on land. There isn't a hoe at sea either. Why would there be unless there was a sea garden under the water? But he said it was on land.

"How did he know that? I'm looking through a telescope and can't even make anything out on the island. Except, that is, for the big smokey mountain and all the smaller ones that is."

Pinkie Pie looked to the sailor with her on the mast. "You must have really good eye sight. Who's your eye doctor and why do you like hoes so much. Are you a gardener?"

TJ was busting a gut laughing at Pinkie Pie's utter silliness. He stopped when he noticed Twilight Sparkle walking over to him.

"That's some friend you got there, Twilight," TJ said.

They both looked up at Pinkie Pie as she continued to annoy the sailor on the mast.

"Don't you mean, _we_ got?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yeah," TJ said. "Yeah, I do. That's some friend _we_ got there. And not even just her, but your whole gang of pals. It's unbelievable how much fun you girls have been making this trip."

"We were happy to do it," Twilight Sparkle said.

"And we were happy to have you do it," TJ said. "Though, I gotta say, while we had fun, I don't feel like I got to know you and the others that well."

"What do you mean?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well, everything we did was super cool and I'm glad we did it," TJ said. "But I don't feel like we actually took a lot of time to actually sit down and talk with each other. We basically did one time consuming game or activity after another and never really talked. I'm sorry for saying that, but it's just how I feel."

"No, TJ, it's fine," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'm actually glad you brought it up, because you see... In a way, it was kind of a conscious decision on our part."

"What do you mean?" TJ asked.

"Like, it wasn't a joint decision not to get to know each other or anything," Twilight Sparkle clarified. "It was a joint decision to... well, basically play with you and the crew the whole time we were on the ship. We wanted to give you all a really good time after those kinds of good times have been... scarce, we'll say. We wanted this to be the most fun you all had in a long time. So we came up with stuff to do on the ship and that's what we did.

"I guess we just forgot to add time where we could all just sit down and talk. Sorry about that, TJ. It was just an oversight."

"It's fine, Twilight," TJ said. "I'm actually pretty cool with it because I'm sure we'll have a lot of time to get to know each other on the island."

"We're gonna have to if we're going to work well on the upcoming mission," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Very true," TJ said. " _And_ I guess I was a little wrong. I did find something out about you cool fillies."

"What's that?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"I found out how much fun you girls have when you're not in life threatening quests," TJ said. "That stuff we all did together the last few days is stuff you usually do in your spare time, right?"

"Mm, hmm," Twilight Sparkle said. "It absolutely is. That's why it was so fun for us."

"It was for me, too," TJ said. "While I can't speak for them, I'm pretty sure the crew got a kick out of it, too. While it was only the calm before the storm, I hope we get a chance to have fun like that again sometime soon."

"Me, too, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said.

The two ponies were smiling at each other when suddenly the pony at the mast started shouting again.

"Incoming object, dead ahead! There's something coming towards the ship!"

Everypony looked out beyond the front of the ship at the ocean. They all saw some sort of object moving along in the water. However, it was creating large, foaming waves all around it that made it hard to see exactly what the thing was.

"Hmm," Pinkie Pie said as she looked through her telescope. "I wouldn't say it's _dead_ ahead. More so off to the side, but still partially dead ahead. Why do they say it like that anyways, _dead_ ahead? It could probably make some ponies think they're about to die."

"You may not be that far off, Missy," the pony next to Pinkie Pie on the mast said. Then he loudly called out, "It's huge whatever it is that's coming at us! And it's coming fast!"

"Is it Godzilla?!" Sea Wave called back from the helm.

"I don't think so!" Pinkie Pie said. "It's big, but it's not that big!"

"What is it then?!" Sea Wave asked.

"It's hard to tell!" Pinkie Pie said. "It's making huge waves that are making it hard to get a good look at it!"

"It's Hedorah!" one sailor pony said.

"The blob of toxic waste and filth!" another one shouted in fear.

"It's coming this way!" a third crew pony shouted. "It's going to kill us all!"

"Hard to starboard!" TJ called out. "Avoid collision! Hard to starboard!"

"You know it doesn't matter where we go!" a crew pony yelled. "That monster will follow us anywhere we go! It won't stop until it's destroyed us all!"

"I don't care! We don't have to make it easy for him!" Sea Wave yelled back.

It was at that point where several of the ponies were finally able to get a decent look at the incoming monster. For the crew ponies, it was confirmed as Hedorah. For the Mane Six, they assumed so based on the descriptions TJ gave them previously. The monster was all black, except for two glowing and glaring red and yellow eyes. It looked almost like a shapeless blob because in place of skin or any solid matter was filthy black sludge, which seemed to be rolling off the monster and into the water.

The Mane Six and the crew ponies were too scared out of their fur to notice the slime trail Hedorah left behind. While all the crew ponies were running around and screaming like crazy, the Mane Six were all frozen with fear. They all stood and looked on with sheer terror as the kaiju came for their vessel.

"It's getting closer!" a crew pony yelled.

"It's no use!" another one yelled. "It' s gonna hit us!"

An echoing and disturbing wail filled the air, which could be assumed to have originated from Hedorah. This wail, as frightening as it was, seemed to be what snapped Twilight Sparkle out of her frozen state.

"Fluttershy!" Twilight Sparkle called out.

This ended up snapping Fluttershy out of her frozen state as well. The yellow coated mare lifted her head to the air and sang out. As she vocalized her notes, her throat was lit up in a glowing, pink aura. It seemed like mere milliseconds later when the water between Hedorah and the ship began bubbling and foaming. While this didn't stop Hedorah altogether, it did make him slow his approach as he looked on at the raging water ahead of him.

In no time after that, did the back spikes of Godzilla appear above the bubbling waves of the ocean, quickly followed by his full back. Eventually the entire upper half of Godzilla's body was above the water as he roared out loudly to announce his arrival. While this caused Hedorah to stop dead and let out a wail of surprise, the ponies on the ship all cheered for Godzilla.

" _It's Godzilla_!" one of the crew ponies yelled out.

"Godzilla's come to help us!" another pony yelled out.

"He's gonna save us all!" another member of the crew said.

"GO GODZILLA!" several ponies shouted.

"Get to work, everypony!" TJ shouted out. "We need to to start working on getting around both those monsters. We do _not_ want to be around when those two start going at it!"

"Trust us, you really don't!" Applejack said.

"Alright, you heard 'em, ya bunch of scallywags!" Sea Wave shouted out. "Get to work! Hard to starboard! Move like your lives depended on it!"

"Because they do!" Pinkie Pie added from atop the mast.

Meanwhile, Godzilla only took a quick moment to check on the ship behind him before turning to face Hedorah. The giant blob wailed at Godzilla, warning him to move, which Godzilla roared a reply. He said he would not move and that Hedorah better give up before things got ugly. Godzilla added that this was Hedorah's first and last warning. Godzilla floated there in water, waiting for Hedorah's response while he also floated nearby.

Hedorah's never ending glare seemed to intensify as he wailed at Godzilla in defiance. This response didn't surprise Godzilla in the least, though what happened next did. As Godzilla roared out and began swimming towards Hedorah, the giant blob seemed to, somehow, release a part of itself into the air. Godzilla watched in disbelief as the glob of sludge flew at him. It ended up landing on Godzilla's left shoulder and the reaction was immediate as his eyes widened and he shrieked in agony.

This got everypony on the boat to look as Godzilla placed a hand over his shoulder. They all noticed, much to their dismay, that smoke was hissing out of the spot Godzilla covered with his hand.

"What happened?!" Twilight Sparkle asked in alarm.

"It's Hedorah!" TJ said. "He can launch parts of his blobby body as projectiles. Whatever they touch, they immediately begin burning through like acid."

"Oh, no," Fluttershy and Applejack said together.

"This is bad!" Rainbow Dash let out. "This is really, really bad!"

"He can take it!" Rarity exclaimed. "I know he can!" A sad look suddenly came over the unicorn's face. "I just wish he didn't have to."

As the ship continued to sail away from the warring kaiju, Godzilla removed his hand and looked at his burn. It went very deep into his tissue, but his super healing was already trying to fix up the injury. Godzilla looked at Hedorah and roared in anger, making the toxic blob wail back in amusement. The King of Monsters responded by resuming his swim towards Hedorah so they could meet in combat. Hedorah responded by launching a barrage of toxic globs at the atomic saurian.

Godzilla watched as all the pieces of sludge flew at him. He roared out as he tried to dodge them. This strategy had varying results, for sometimes he would be able to dodge just in the nick of time. Others, he just could not avoid the burning acidic sludge coming at him. If they didn't hit their originally trajected target, they would hit another part of Godzilla's body.

The globs of sludge launched by Hedorah would hit Godzilla in places like his chest, his arms, his hands, his shoulders, parts of his neck. Some even flew over his head and landed on his back spikes. A few small pieces that broke off from bigger pieces flew and hit the edge of Godzilla's snout and other parts of his head. The worst part was when Hedorah fired off a piece of sludge that completely covered Godzilla's right eye. When that happened, Godzilla ceased all sounds and movement, save for swinging his hand up to cover his burning and melting eye.

The results were all the same in that every part of Godzilla's body that the sludge touched started burning and melting through like it was the most powerful of acids. It was painful beyond all belief, even for a beast as great as Godzilla. Of all the types of ways the great kaiju had experienced pain, the burning and melting of his flesh, muscles, and bones was by far the worst to him. It was the most painful to him and the one he could stand the least. But it was also the one that made him the angriest, which was where the potential laid to make it all work in his favor.

The more pain Godzilla felt, the angrier he got and the angrier he got, the more adrenaline he pumped and the more his rage drove him to fight on. Godzilla practically screeched out his fury before he resumed swimming at Hedorah in hopes he could finally rip the blob apart and take him down. Hedorah decided instead of waiting for Godzilla, he would take the fight right to the irradiated reptilian. Hedorah wailed out a battle call as his body flew out of the water and at his larger foe. Godzilla's eyes widened in shock as he watched Hedorah fly at him, for he was not expecting this at all.

This move allowed everyone in the area to see that currently, Hedorah somewhat resembled a giant tadpole. This didn't matter, though, not to the ponies on the nearby boat trying to get away or Godzilla, who Hedorah was currently fighting. Godzilla and Hedorah let out their own respective calls as the toxic blob came flying down, shortly after which sludge and flesh met. Sludge had the immediate advantage; the moment Hedorah's body touched Godzilla's, it started eating away at his flesh just like before. Godzilla shrieked in agony as he wrapped his arms around Hedorah and tried to get a good grip on the sludge blob.

He hoped to either toss Hedorah around or rip him up, except there was a problem. His claws, his fingers, his whole hands, even his whole arms; they slipped right through Hedorah's slimy, gooey body like jello. It didn't help that his flesh was being burned the entire time this was happening. What was worse was that Hedorah seemed to be trying to crawl up Godzilla's body and cover him from top to bottom. Godzilla was desperate not to let that happen, for he knew if it did, he would be in big trouble.

To ensure that didn't happen, Godzilla desperately fought through all his pain and did his absolute best to scoop up Hedorah in his arms. Godzilla gave one large roar as he tossed Hedorah away with all his might. Hedorah went sailing through the air as many pieces of him broke off and flew in different directions. The sludge blob wailed out before he hit the ocean's surface, causing a large splash of waves. Godzilla roared out as defiantly as ever, despite the fact that he was covered in pain inducing burns.

They were all being worked on by Godzilla's super regenerative healing powers, but he feared they wouldn't heal in time. That didn't stop Godzilla from keeping up appearances and roaring at Hedorah like he was completely certain he would be the victor in the fight.

"You tell him, G-Man!" Rainbow Dash shouted from the deck of the ship.

By that time, the ship had sailed far away from the kaiju's fight. So far that the ponies on board would be safe from any immediate and residual effects the fight could cause. However, they were not so far that they couldn't see the fight continuing. Unfortunately, they also got a good look at how badly Godzilla was suffering in the fight. They all saw the deep burn marks up and down Godzilla's body.

"You must be living in denial or something, Las," one of the crew ponies said. "That monster friend of yours looks like he was just on the wrong side of a barbecue."

"Hedorah's gonna make shoes and wallets out of that friend of yours," another crew member said.

"Don't count Godzilla out just yet," Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. "He's still got a few tricks up his sleeves. Just you wait."

While Rainbow Dash seemed as confident as ever, the others of the Mane Six all had concerned looks on their faces. Of them all, Fluttershy seemed the most worried for Godzilla in this conflict. Some had to wonder if Rainbow Dash was just keeping up appearances and was actually worried deep down inside as well. Regardless, everypony looked on as Hedorah rose up out of the water and wailed angrily. Godzilla roared back in defiance and seemed to practically be begging his slimy foe to start the fight up again.

Hedorah obliged his fighting angry opponent, but in a surprising way he had not previously revealed. The sludge blob's eyes lit up as two red beams of light flew out from Hedorah's eyes. The beams were aimed and flew right into Godzilla's chest. They caused two explosions that, while small dug deeper into his flesh then most usually did. Godzilla shrieked out as he grabbed at the fresh, smoking burns on his chest.

Hedorah quickly followed up and fired another shot of his heat vision. Godzilla held out his right hand, which intercepted the two beams; one hit him in his palm and the other hit him in the wrist. Godzilla shrieked again when he felt his flesh being burned and blown away by the two tiny, yet still very powerful beams. The giant kaiju looked down at his hand and was horrified by what he saw. It looked like his hand had almost been completely blown off, Hedorah's eye lasers were so powerful.

Hedorah fired another blast of his heat vision, which hit Godzilla in his already injured right eye. Godzilla cried out yet again as he grabbed at his smoking eye socket with what was left of his right hand. The ponies all looked on in horror as the terrible scenario played out before them. Even Rainbow Dash, who had been boasting for Godzilla before, was starting to look uncertain as the battle progressed.

"Come on, G," Rainbow Dash practically begged. "This is just a slimy tadpole. This should be a walk in the park for you. Keep going, G! Fight harder and give it all you got!"

"He'll be fine, Rainbow," TJ said as he placed a supportive hoof on her shoulder. "I know it. Godzilla's gonna win."

Rainbow Dash placed her hoof on TJ's in appreciation. Then they both turned back to the fight with focused expressions on their faces. _I sure hope Godzilla's gonna win at least_ , TJ thought to himself. _Come on, Godzilla. Show me the great warrior kaiju the girls built you up to be. Show us all and don't let us down! Come on!_

Godzilla glared furiously at Hedorah, who wailed in reply, almost as if he was mocking the kaiju king. Godzilla raised his head into the air and let out one of his absolute loudest roars he ever roared in his life. Hedorah responded by diving underneath the water, which could've potentially ended up being a mistake. Hedorah may have taken the shape of a creature of the sea, but Godzilla himself moved like lightning while swimming in the depths. The King of Monsters prepared a demonstration as he dove underneath the water and swam after the smog monster.

As the two combatants swam ever deeper through the watery environment of the ocean, they both called out hatefully to each other. Hedorah was well ahead of Godzilla, but he was catching up really quickly. To try and shake things up and lose Godzilla, Hedorah began swimming around erratically. He would sway and loop around, side to side, up and down, and even tried a barrel roll. It all proved to be in vain, for Godzilla was easily able to keep up with the smaller tadpole.

At one point, as the two swam around like crazy, they began colliding with each other as they passed by. While it hurt Godzilla more than it did Hedorah, the great kaiju was determined not to let his sludgy foe win. Each time the two kaiju crashed into each other, small parts of Hedorah would break off. They would then float away into the abyss that was the ocean's depth. Godzilla noticed this and thought of a plan that would take advantage of how easily Hedorah broke apart.

The two kaiju veered off in different directions before hanging a u-turn and swimming at each other. Godzilla actually stretched his arms out in front of him to prepare for the impending collision. When the two finally crashed into one another, there was a sickening squish that emitted from Hedorah's wet, slimy body. Despite the burns he felt, Godzilla wrapped his arms around Hedorah as best as he could and began swimming downward at full speed. As the two went down and down, faster and faster, Godzilla began twirling around as his swam on.

Finally, Godzilla released Hedorah's slimy body and swam upward as the blob of pollution crashed into the ocean floor. Several fresh and large burn marks were left all over Godzilla's body, but by now he didn't care. He accepted the pain, despite how much it made him want to scream. He looked down and saw Hedorah trying to reform what was left of his body after taking such a bad crash landing. Godzilla waited patiently, for he wanted to hurt Hedorah some more in the worst way possible.

When Hedorah's body of pollutant slime finally reformed into its tadpole-like shape, the smog monster glared up at Godzilla with fury. The kaiju king simply roared out a challenge to his foe, one that the giant tadpole accepted. The two kaiju swam for each other, full speed ahead. They both looked on intensely as they drew ever so nearer to one another. But the next collision was not to be.

Godzilla seemed to smirk as pulled back and swam off to the side, letting Hedorah swim right by him. The King of Monsters wasted no time as he back spikes lit up in their bright blue glow. This was quickly followed by Godzilla's atomic breath firing from his mouth and into Hedorah's exposed underbelly. This particular blast of Godzilla's mighty breath weapon was actually very different from usual. While it retained its blue glow, there was a white light spiraling around it as well.

This new, more powerful breath blast tore right through Hedorah's body. This caused several gallons worth of the smog creature's slimy material to spill out and flow all over the place. Another, very strange effect was that several electric looking sparks appeared all over Hedorah's body. The smog monster cried out in pain as he tried to swim away from Godzilla. He _did not_ want to feel the burning and ripping pain of his superior opponent's energy blast again.

He didn't get a choice in the matter, for Godzilla fired off another blast of his atomic breath. This beam hit Hedorah directly in his left eye and resulted in the same burning and ripping sensations as before. As more of Hedorah's sludgy mass spilled out into the water, sparks yet again began emitting from where Hedorah had been hit. The desperate tadpole of pollution swam away as fast as he could, though he had trouble seeing since his left eye was now gone. Godzilla rubbed around his own injured right eye and remembered how much it hurt him.

While Godzilla could easily follow Hedorah because of the trail it left, he decided to just let it go for now. He had confirmation that he could beat Hedorah anytime he wanted to. Plus he wanted to stay close to the ponies on the ship nearby. And as far as he was concerned, for now he had already gotten his eye for an eye. With all that, Godzilla began to swim up to the surface. He didn't stop until his head and upper body popped up over the ocean waves.

Godzilla raised his head into the air and roared out in victory. The ponies on the trawler nearby all looked to where they heard Godzilla's roar originate from and smiled brightly as they cheered. Godzilla spotted the boat and swam over as fast as he could.

"Way to go, G!" Rainbow Dash cheered.

"We knew you could do it!" Applejack said.

"You had us scared for a moment," Rarity admitted. "But we're all _so glad you won_! Way to go, Godzilla! Simply smashing, darling!"

"How do you know he won?" Captain Sea Wave asked.

"He's here isn't he?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Besides, just look for yourself," TJ said as he pointed.

Everypony looked and saw the trail of pollutant Hedorah had left when he swam to get away from Godzilla.

"Oh, no," Twilight Sparkle said.

"He may still be alive, but you can be sure he's not happy right now," TJ said. "I've never seen anything that was able to do this amount of damage to Hedorah, ever! That's a _truly_ impressive feat your friend accomplished."

"Like a G do," Rainbow Dash said.

Everyone looked to see Fluttershy was now inspecting Godzilla's still healing burns all over his body.

"I must admit," Rarity began, "I've never seen a kaiju that could do this much harm to Godzilla in so little time."

"Eeyup," Applejack agreed. "Looks like these kaiju really are as bad as you said, TJ."

"Yeah," TJ admitted. "They're horrible things like nothing you can imagine. Because of that, I want to thank you all again for agreeing to come along and help us try to stop this madness once and for all."

"It's no problem, TJ," Rainbow Dash said. "It ain't gonna bother us at all."

"I just hope it won't bother Godzilla so bad either," Applejack said.

Everypony noticed that Twilight Sparkle had been mostly quiet this whole time.

"What's wrong, Twilight?" TJ asked.

"What's wrong?" Twilight Sparkle asked back. Then she pointed a hoof as she said, "That's what's wrong!"

Everypony looked to see the alicorn was pointed at the sludge still floating in the water.

"Oh, yeah," TJ said glumly.

"Do you have any idea how bad that is for the environment?!" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Hedorah's mere existence is bad for the environment," TJ said. "I know what you mean and how you feel, Twilight. Really, I do. We all do actually. Hedorah's presence has taken its toll on the island's environment, too.

"That's one of several reasons why both Hedorah and the forces that control him _must_ be stopped. If the minotaurs were to let that kind of a monster loose on the rest of the world, it could mean devastation even more than what we've already seen."

"I completely agree with you, but what do we do about this in the meantime?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she pointed a hoof.

Everyone looked out at the sludge as it kept spreading across the water.

"Don't worry, Your Highness," Captain Sea Wave said as he walked up. "Once we've dropped you and our cargo off at shore, my crew and I will sail back out here and begin cleanup procedures immediately. We'll get her all clean again... the best we can anyways."

"Thank for your attention on this matter, captain," Twilight Sparkle said with a polite bow.

"The pleasure is all mine, princess," Sea Wave replied.

Then he turned away and began barking orders at his crew again.

"That was so strange," TJ said. "The minotaurs don't usually let there kaiju come out this far... I think."

"Probably don't usually let them go to Equestria either," Applejack said.

"But they did that, too," Pinkie Pie added.

"True," TJ said as he looked on thoughtfully. "I wonder... could the minotaurs slowly be losing whatever control it is they have on their monsters? Or is it that they're going even crazier and they're having the monsters run around attacking random places?"

"The only way we're gonna find out the answer to that question is to get on the island," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Right," everypony else agreed.

They looked to see Fluttershy flying back to the ship. As she gently touched down in front of the pack, they could see her face didn't convey the same amount of concern as before. However, she still looked very upset about what happened to Godzilla and where it pertained to his physical health.

"Are you alright, Fluttershy?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"I'll be fine," Fluttershy replied. "I've been through all this before, I should be used to it by now... Shouldn't I?"

"No, you shouldn't," Twilight Sparkle replied. "None of us should. The fact that you care isn't a weakness, Fluttershy, but a strength. Speaking of caring for someone, how's Godzilla doing?"

"He's healing," Fluttershy said. "From what I've seen he's been healing ever since he got his wounds. He only got them minutes ago, yet they look like they've been healing for days. You can even tell the difference if you look at him from here."

Everypony looked on with curiosity, especially TJ. They were astonished to see that, indeed, Godzilla's injuries seemed to be healing up pretty well.

"He even has super healing powers?!" TJ asked in amazement.

"Mm, hmm," most of the Mane Six said as they all nodded their heads.

"Goodness, is there anything Godzilla can't do!?" TJ exclaimed.

"He can't fly," Applejack said. "Or at least we ain't seen him do it yet."

"Still, what he can do is beyond remarkable," TJ said. "Let's hope he can keep it up long enough to stop our foes."

"Or believe me, he can," Rainbow Dash said.

"It's amazing!" TJ said. "Even his eye that had been melted away before is a little more than halfway reformed. By the manes of the alicorns above, this marvel called Godzilla is one of the greatest things I've ever seen."

"But he is still just mortal, don't forget," Twilight Sparkle said. "Despite how much like a deity Godzilla seems to be, he is flesh and blood. And as ponies he trusts, it's up to us to quantify how much he puts that flesh and blood on the line."

"You're right," TJ agreed. "You're absolutely right, Twilight. I completely agree. I promise we'll try our best not to take advantage of yours or Godzilla's good nature."

"I believe you, TJ," Twilight Sparkle reassured.

"And I believe _in_ you," TJ said. He then looked to the rest of the Mane Six as he said, "All of you."

The mares all smiled in appreciation, which TJ returned in kind.

"We all do," Sea Wave said as his crew smiled in agreement.

Everyone then looked to Godzilla when they heard him softly calling to them to get their attention. They all saw the great kaiju staring down at them.

"Godzilla wants to know if there are any more minotaur settlements on the other side of the island?" Fluttershy translated.

"No, we checked," TJ said. "There weren't any that we could find. As far as we know, Seaside Hoof and the secret base we discovered are the only ones."

Godzilla resumed his soft roaring, which everyone listened to tentatively.

"He says in that case he's first gonna follow us into the bay," Fluttershy translated. "You know, to make sure we get to land safely. Then he's gonna circle around the island and come on land that way so he won't be detected as soon."

"Well," TJ began, "just because we didn't find any minotaur bases there before doesn't mean for sure there aren't scouts around that area. But if Godzilla feels that's the best course of action, I'll take his word for it."

"But then how will he find you all again or find the village?" Sea Wave asked.

"Trust me," TJ said as he turned a sideways smile to the captain. "He'll find us."

"Uh... okay," Sea Wave said.

After that, the captain turned away and went back to directing his crew.

"Way to go, TJ!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Hey, I learn," TJ replied.

"Okay, Godzilla, we're all ready now," Fluttershy said.

Godzilla roared a soft reply before diving down into the water, completely submerging himself. In what felt like no time at all, the boat was heading for the island once more.

"We're almost there, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I know," TJ said. "Believe me, I know. On one hoof I'm a little excited about it. On the other... I'm more scared than a tadpole fighting Godzilla."

"We're gonna get through this, I swear."

"For pony kind's sake, I hope you're right, Twilight Sparkle," TJ said as the ship continued further inland.

* * *

 **HERE IT IS! The very next chapter! Quick explanation on something. If this feels like it was suppose to be two different chapters, that's because it was. Originally there was gonna be a chapter full of the playtime on the ship that was discussed and then the fight was gonna be its own chapter. But I put them together to shorten the story a little. I didn't want to write out the playtime stuff and just got down to the nitty, gritty. There _might_ still be a lot of playtime later anyways. *GASP* Did I just spoil something? LOL  
**

 **I hope you all still enjoyed this chapter anyways. If you did, leave me a review and even if you didn't like it, please still leave me a review, so long as the criticism is constructive at least. Also, don't be afraid to tell me of any spelling or grammar errors I may have missed so I can correct them to the best of my abilities. And please be very specific when doing so because I don't want to go fishing for what you were talking about.**

 **Oh, and to user LordStarcream22, I'm not taking your requests on this story. Nothing personal and I don't hate your story ideas. They're fine but I already had this story mostly planned out from the beginning and I don't feel the need to mess with that plan this far in. So, I ask as nicely as I can and with the best of intentions, please stop spamming my review section with your request and just leave a real review.**

 **To everyone, I say, I hope you continue to read and enjoy this story and look for more to come. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	10. Chapter 10: Welcome to Pony Tale Island

Not a thing had changed about Seaside Hoof. It was exactly as TJ and the crew of the Floating Hunk of Junk left it. This wasn't a good thing in nearly any sense of the term. On one side of the spectrum, things hadn't worsened any. On the other, it felt like it couldn't get that much worse to most of the ponies who lived on the island.

This same notion rang true to TJ, who was riding towards town on the cargo trawler that had been his transport for the last several days. A good majority of the ponies that made up the trawler's crew felt this way as well. TJ and a lot of those crew workers stood on deck and looked on as the ship pulled into port. Standing right alongside them were all six mares who made up the Mane Six. They stared out to get a good look and feel of the town that would be their first official stop on Pony Tale Island.

A lot of the architecture they saw reminded the Mane Six of what Rough Sand Shell used to be before the tragedy it recently suffered. It was more or less just a tiny village filled with mostly wooden buildings of all shapes and sizes that served a multitude of purposes. They could see several citizens walking along the streets. Because they were still out on the water, it was hard to tell exactly which citizens were minotaurs and which were ponies, save for some of those closer to the docks. The Mane Six didn't need to be close, though, to feel the high levels of tension practically radiating from the small town.

Everypony stood patiently as they waited for the boat to finally make port. The dock housed a wooden warehouse and was fenced off from the rest of the town. This was the same dock where TJ had originally boarded the boat when he left for Equestria. It was also the same one his village had been using for their exporting business for many years. As the trawler's crew dropped anchor, those on the dock tied the ship off to the pier.

Then several of the ponies on the boat put out the landing ramp, which the ponies on the dock grabbed and helped them set up. As the crew ponies around them prepared to unload their cargo onto the dock, the Mane Six and TJ stood face to face with the captain of the trawler.

"Looks like this is where we part and say goodbye, folks," Captain Sea Wave said.

"Yep, I guess so," TJ agreed.

"Sure looks like it," Applejack added.

"In a way, I'm a little disappointed," Rarity said. "I was kind of starting to enjoy life on the open seas... Right after Twilight changed the boat up a little, mind you, but still."

"It helped that the crew was so nice," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah, you guys were awesome," Rainbow Dash added.

"And a lot of fun," Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"I couldn't have put it better myself," Rarity said. "You all really did help make the voyage that much better."

"Why thank you," Captain Sea Wave said. "But I believe you made the voyage even better for us. Possibly more than we did for you. Still, it's always nice to hear when a pony, his crew, and their ship are appreciated to such a degree. And from you lot, it's a high honor."

"The honor was all ours, captain," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I'm afraid I'll have to fight you on that one a little, princess," Sea Wave said. "To have acted as transport for such a unique group of ponies as yourselves was simply divine. I was glad we could be the vessel to do it." Captain Sea Wave took Twilight's hoof in his own. "And of course, it was extra special to have my vessel act also as transport to such royalty as yourself, my dear princess."

Sea Wave began kissing Twilight Sparkle's hoof, which made the alicorn's face flush with embarrassment. She looked to her friends with uncertainty, which they responded to in kind. Some, however, couldn't help by slightly smile and snicker a little. TJ saw how uncomfortable the scenario was making Twilight and decided to get in the middle.

"Okay, okay, break it up!" TJ said as he stepped in between the captain and the princess. "Jeez, cap, it's like you're trying to test how long you can keep that up before some mare tells you to buzz off."

"Forgive me, my friend," Sea Wave said. A sly smile crossed his face before going on. "That last thing I want to do is come between you and your lady."

"Duh, wha?!" was all TJ was able to say as he started to feel slight embarrassment. He quickly shook it off before going on. "Look, forget about it. Just a quick heads up, don't go out to cleanup what Hedorah left behind right away. I'm gonna have one of the other ponies from the village pick up a spell book and see if it has a cleanup spell the unicorns on your crew can use."

"That sounds fine," Sea Wave said. "What if he don't find one?"

"Then I'll still have him come, but to tell you to just go ahead," TJ said.

"That also works fine for me," Sea Wave said.

"Good," TJ said. "Then I guess we best be shoving off so that you folks can be shoving off, too."

"One thing before you do," Sea Wave said quickly. "I seen you with these fine fillies on my boat those days out at sea. You got the makings of a great bond with these lot. See that you keep pursuing it and developing it. Depending on how far you take this bond, it feels to me like it could play an extra important key role in the coming flurry.

"They're special, Thunder Jack, and so are you. Special ponies can do special things, especially when they band together like I know you all are gonna do. That's why I'm saying, come together, stop the minotaurs, protect the world, but above all else, become great friends."

"I think you can count on that, captain," TJ said with a smile. "Friendship _is_ magic after all."

"Now you're gettin' it," Applejack said.

The group of ponies shared a quick laugh, after which TJ and Sea Wave took a moment before speaking on. They pressed their hooves together and shook them.

"You take care, TJ."

"You do the same, Sea Wave."

After that, TJ stepped to the side as Sea Wave stepped up to the Mane Six.

"Ladies..." Sea Wave began, "I have no idea how my crew and I could ever even begin to pay you back for what you've given back to us. You've given us back our sense of hope, security... our optimism for a brighter future... How does one even begin to try and give that back?"

"You don't have to," Twilight Sparkle said. "That is only part of a bigger duty we accepted a long time ago. We chose to stand together and fight against the forces of evil to defend the innocent and the beauties of harmony and friendship. No, captain, you don't ever have to pay us back. Just knowing you feel the way you do is payment enough."

"Then I'll keep on feeling that way until my final days," Sea Wave said. "Thank you all again. I wish you nothing but good things on this next journey you will undertake."

"Thank you, captain," the Mane Six all said as they bowed their heads in respect.

After Captain Sea Wave bowed in response, he shared a group hug with the mares.

"Oh," Twilight Sparkle said, "and good luck with your future voyages on the new, uh... _Hunk of Junk_."

"Actually, I was talking with the crew," Sea Wave said. "We decided to rename the ship."

"What're you gonna name it?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"The Sparkling Twilight," Sea Wave said with a wink.

"AWW," all of the Mane Six said together.

All that is, except for Twilight, who just smiled and blushed. Shortly after the Mane Six and TJ made their way to the boat's exit ramp. All their bags were waiting for them on the pier in one big pile. TJ looked in disbelief at the sheer volume of bags there were.

"I don't remember us having that much," TJ said. "Who packed all the extras?"

"RARITY," nearly all the Mane Six said.

"They're not extras!" Rarity protested. "They're all essentials!"

"A bunch of dresses aren't essential, Rarity," Applejack said bluntly.

"First of all, they're not all dresses," Rarity defended. "Secondly, dresses are _very_ essential for several different reasons."

"Like what for instance?" Rainbow Dash asked with mild annoyance.

"Behold," Rarity said. In what seemed like one swift movement, the white furred unicorn swayed to the luggage pile and pulled out a pretty dress before putting it on. "Wella!"

Rarity struck a quick pose, which somehow seemed to ignite a light that shined over her.

"So... beautiful," Pinkie Pie said in awe.

"Don't you think so, too, TJ?" Rarity asked.

"Uh, the dress is nice, Rarity," TJ said. "And you look nice in it. But I still don't see-"

Rarity gasped before saying, "Oh, you don't do you? Well, maybe a different one will help you see."

"No, Rarity, it's not nece-

Applejack didn't get to finish, for Rarity was already in a different dress and posing differently.

"What about this one, TJ?" Rarity asked.

"It's nice, too," TJ said. "But, uh-"

"Which one do you think would be better to wear?" Rarity asked.

"Huh?" TJ replied.

"For when we meet the ponies of your village for the first time?" Rarity elaborated further. "Part of meeting a new group of ponies is your presentation in how you introduce yourself. And part of that is looking as nice as you possibly can make yourself up to be. Now, I know it can be hard sproofing up one already as radiant as myself. But that doesn't mean I still can't try."

"So, in other words, you want to make a good impression?" TJ asked.

"Well, of course, darling," Rarity said. "Only the best of impressions for what is clearly a most important group of ponies. I would've done the same when we met, TJ, darling, but you caught me unprepared."

"That's what she said," Rainbow Dash commented.

Everypony took a moment to laugh at the pegasus' little crack. Even Rarity, who usually got aggravated with such things, was surprised to find she found Rainbow Dash's small insert amusing. It did everyone good to see Rarity was able to laugh along.

"In all seriousness, Rarity, we all know where you're coming from," Applejack said.

"I think I do, too," TJ said. "Rarity, you made that dress, right?"

"Why, yes, darling," Rarity answered.

"And," TJ said, "I'm guessing you made the one you tried on before along with most of the others in your bags."

"That is also correct," Rarity said.

"A lot of hard work and effort went into them all, I'm sure," TJ said. "And by wearing them and showing them off when you first meet a pony, you're not just making a good impression with how nice you dress. You're also making a good first impression with a dress you _made_. It's as if to say, 'look, I put a lot of hard work into this. I got skills and they're worth showing you'.

"By doing it, you show the dedication you can put to something if you really want to."

"Finally, somepony else who really gets it!" Rarity exclaimed.

"I truly think I do," TJ said in between chuckles. "That's why I'm saying, you go ahead and show off all those beautiful dresses _you_ made... But you may not want to do that while we're here in town. This place isn't exactly somewhere you want to do... well, pretty much anything. That is, except for hurry your flank up and trot out of town as fast as you can."

"It's that bad, huh?" Applejack asked.

"Can't you feel it?" TJ replied.

Everypony looked passed the currently open gate in the twelve foot, wooden fence around the warehouse and the dock it stood on. This gave them what was only a glimpse of what the town was like up close. That glimpse was all they needed.

"If," Rainbow Dash began, "the feeling's suppose to be a cold shiver running down my spine, then yeah, I feel it."

"I can feel it, too," Fluttershy said.

"I'm right there with you both," Applejack said.

"Yeah, I feel it, too," Pinkie Pie said. "Usually I don't mind shivers in my spine, because they're shivers of excitement... But this... This is something, _totally_ the opposite of that."

"I figured you'd all get a hint of what it's like right away," TJ said.

The group all trotted over to one of several wagons parked on the side of the warehouse. They loaded their bags in, after which, TJ hooked himself up to the wagon.

"You sure it's okay to take this?" Applejack asked.

"It ought to be, that's what they're here for," TJ said. "Besides, my village runs this place collectively, remember? That means I'm just as entitled to take this wagon as, oh say... Sea Wave or anypony else from Willowbrook."

"Ah, I get ya," Applejack said.

"Cool," TJ said. "Oh and anytime any of you feel like you want a ride in the wagon, you don't even have to ask. Just hop on up and make yourselves comfortable."

"Whee!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she jumped up into the wagon.

"Careful with the luggage, though, Pinkie, please!" Rarity pleaded.

"Sorry, Rarity," Pinkie Pie said. "I'll watch out for your dresses."

"She also packed her best china," Applejack said. "That's fragile and pretty expensive stuff. You did pack it, right, Rare?"

"That is correct, AJ," Rarity answered.

"Oh, now I'm _really_ sorry," Pinkie Pie said sincerely.

"It's fine, Pinkie, you didn't know," Rarity said.

Everypony turned back to the opening in the fence and let out very deep breaths.

"Well, let's get this horror tour over with," TJ said. Soon, everypony was making there way to the open gate that would take them into Seaside Hoof. "Remember, stay close, keep together, don't talk to anyone else, pony or minotaur. Also, try to keep your heads down and not attract attention to yourselves or the group. If you look around, don't linger on _anything_ and most importantly, don't fall behind."

"You know you basically said stay together more than once, but in different ways, right?" Fluttershy asked.

"I can't stress it enough in this town," TJ simply said. "It's something we _really_ need to do while we're here."

"Okay, we got ya," Twilight Sparkle said. "We'll stay close... and basically do everything else you said."

Everypony spoke in agreement at the same time.

"Goodie," TJ said. "Thanks, everypony."

It wasn't long before they exited through the gate and left the warehouse dock behind. Now they were walking the streets of Seaside Hoof, making their way through the town's interior. Being this up close and personal with what TJ had been talking about before was a total nightmare for the Mane Six. None of them could hide the horror on their faces at what they were seeing in that moment. They weren't in Equestria anymore and it was showing in the worst kinds of ways possible.

The sights the Mane Six all saw on the streets of Seaside Hoof were beyond depressing. Everything looked to be in very poor shape and that included the ponies on the streets. They all looked like they had been both physically and emotionally beaten down beyond what they could stand. They looked like they had not had proper care in months, which included nutrition, hygiene, and especially nurturing or love. They all walked around in scattered groups of five or less, some even all alone, and wearing the saddest excuse for clothing that was their cloaks.

Even sadder than that was the looks on their faces. Some were filled with nothing but sadness and even hopelessness along with despair. Some faces could barely convey an emotion, but what they did show were the same emotions the rest of the ponies on the streets felt. The depression of all the poor, lost souls on the streets was more than any of the Mane Six could take. They looked to each other and saw they were all beginning to show these same emotions on their faces, mixed in with sympathy and pity for their fellow equines.

The usually cheerful Pinkie Pie wore a very sad frown on her faces as she tried to sniffle back her tears. Rarity wore the same frown as a single tears ran down her face while Applejack looked on solemnly before turning away in sadness. Rainbow Dash couldn't bring herself to keep flying and instead slowly and gently landed on the ground. Here she tried to consult and comfort Fluttershy, who openly wept, however lightly it was. Twilight Sparkle also had tears in her eyes as she looked on in sorrow at the state the ponies and the town they helped build were in.

The alicorn princess looked to TJ and saw that his face conveyed all the same emotions she and all her friends felt. But above all that, his expression also conveyed an emotion that was underlining for the Mane Six: Pure anger. He was outright furious with the state the pony population of Seaside Hoof had been forced into. TJ completely hated what had happened to his fellow equines that lived with him on Pony Tale Island. None of the Mane Six blamed him, rather, they felt the exact same way.

If there was any sort of themes for Seaside Hoof as a town, it looked as though they were, depression, fear, and forceful control. The origin for the third theme was clear as day to see on the streets of the drab and dreary town. Mixed in with these small groups of ponies were much larger groups of minotaurs. As much as it pained the Mane Six to see the ponies in the state they were, they felt almost as equally uneasy of the two legged bulls around them. Several of the Mane Six had encountered minotaurs before, but they were baby calves compared to the monstrous soldiers they were seeing then and there.

Most of these beasts they saw easily dwarfed the royal sisters, not just in height, but in terms of sheer body and muscle mass. Their ever so hard glaring eyes added to their large intimidation factor. Some of them wore chain mail armor while others went shirtless, showing their large muscly bodies. All of them had long, wavy, almost puffy manes of black and brown hair. Some had full, bushy beards while others had styled facial hair or none at all.

As if their barbarian-like appearance wasn't enough, what made it worse was that they all carried with them some sort of weapon. Most had smaller things like knives, while even fewer carried weapons such as battle axes and large swords in holsters. The minotaurs used all these factors plus their large numbered groupings to spread all the negative emotions the ponies were feeling. They didn't even need to really do anything; just their mere presence and marching around was enough. What was worse was every time a pony group tried to get larger than at least six or something like that, the minotaurs would use subtle scare tactics to break it up.

"I see now _exactly_ what you were talking about, TJ," Twilight Sparkle whispered.

"This place is just awful," Pinkie Pie said a little too loudly.

She had to be shushed by everypony there in her group.

"The minotaur population here easily outnumbers the ponies," Applejack whispered.

"I know and it's totally lame," Rainbow Dash responded.

"It's worse than you think," TJ said. "You all haven't seen it yet, but sooner or later, you're gonna experience just how bad the situation here really is."

"I don't like the sound of that," Rarity said.

"Nor should you," TJ replied. "I'm sorry, everypony, it's just that... this place... everything..."

Twilight Sparkle wrapped her hoof around TJ's.

"We know, TJ."

"Thank you, Twilight. I'm sorry I brought you all to such a horrible place."

"We're not," Twilight Sparkle replied.

"Come again?" TJ asked in confusion.

"Sure, this place is in terrible condition right now," Twilight Sparkle said. "But that's exactly why we're here, to put this place back on track and clean up the riff raff."

"And that's just what we're gonna do," Fluttershy said with a determined look on her face.

"You go, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash said, having to fight back from shouting it out.

"You're all very brave, ponies," TJ said. "Thank you all for being as great as you are."

"We're no greater than the ponies that have already been here fighting this oppression for so long," Applejack said.

The southern mare gave TJ a quick wink, to which he smiled with gratitude. Unfortunately, right after all that, the frowns were put back on the ponies' faces. As much as they tried to raise each others' spirits, the scene around them was exactly the same. Rainbow Dash was getting to the point where she was snarling like crazy, she was so furious.

"I can't take it anymore," Rainbow Dash said. "Let's take these horn heads now! We can wipe the floor with them! I know it!"

"Don't be crazy, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said. "We may be good, but we're not so good that we can take a whole town of barbaric minotaurs head on by ourselves. We need to be smart and constructive and get to TJ's village to properly prepare for an assault."

"I guess you're right," Rainbow Dash admitted after a sigh.

"But rest assured," Rarity proclaimed, "this injustice to pony kind will not go unpunished!"

"Now you're talking," Rainbow Dash said.

"So, TJ, how long is it gonna take to get to Willowbrook?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"It's about eight miles from here," TJ said.

"Eight miles?!" Rarity asked in disbelief.

"Yep," TJ said. "It's deep in the Willowing Forest, far away from this trash heap of a town."

"Oh, but that's gonna be torture on my hooves," Rarity whined. "Not to mention my fresh new pony petty I got just for this trip. Oh and my dress."

"Deal with it," Rainbow Dash and Applejack said together.

"Humph," Rarity pouted.

"Well, it may be far, but it'll be worth it," Twilight Sparkle said. "If nothing else, at least we'll all get to meet your family, TJ. Didn't you say you also had a step sister along with your step mother?"

"Yeah, I did," TJ said. "Her name's Muse, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Twilight Sparkle said. "Cute name. And what did you say your mother's name was?"

"Moon Bright," TJ said. "And my dad's name is Strong Courage."

"They all sound wonderful," Twilight Sparkle said, "I can't wait to meet them all."

"Well..." TJ began. "Um... You'll only get to meet a few of them."

"Huh?" the Mane Six all said together.

TJ stopped as he looked around to the mares that were with him.

"Look, there are some things I haven't told you yet," TJ confessed.

The Mane Six all looked to each other in confusion.

"What do you mean, TJ?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

TJ didn't answer right away. It seemed like he was trying his hardest to fight back against a burst of emotion attempting to force its way out of him.

"Does it have to do with your family?" Applejack asked.

TJ looked back to his friends and nodded. While he was still fighting back all his emotions, he let out a sigh before finally speaking.

"Three weeks ago..." TJ began, "my dad... He... He- he- He disappeared."

The Mane Six all gasped.

"Really?!" Twilight Sparkle asked in astonishment.

"I shouldn't put it that way," TJ said. "He was taken! And I know exactly where!"

"You think he was taken by the minotaurs?" Applejack asked.

"I _know_ he was!" TJ said. "They took him because they knew how big of a proponent he was in fighting back against them. Ever since we first got here to this island, he's been pushing back against the minotaurs' rule. Even before we became apart of the resistance, he wouldn't take any sort of trash from them. Then when he found out about what was really going on, he signed up to fight the minotaurs right away.

"That's the kind of pony my dad always was. He didn't take anything from nopony, spoke his mind, and encouraged others to do the same. And he always tried to stand up for those who couldn't stand up for themselves. I always wanted to be like that too, just like my dad. He had a big influence on who I became today because I was so inspired by how good a pony he wa... _is_."

TJ hung his head as his eyes closed in sadness.

"Now it looks like all that greatness led to my dad..."

TJ started to sniffle and lightly sob as he tried unsuccessfully to fight back tears. Suddenly he felt several pairs of forelegs wrap around him as he opened his eyes to see the Mane Six there.

"Your dad's alive, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "I know he is. I can feel it."

"We all do," Rarity said.

"So do I," TJ said through emotional stammering. "I haven't given up on him yet."

"And you shouldn't," Applejack said. "Because as soon as your folks back at Willowbrook tell us where that secret minotaur base is-"

"BAM!" Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie said as they jumped.

"They'll be hoof dust!" Rainbow Dash added.

"Your family will be whole again, TJ," Fluttershy said. "We promise. Just like we promise your island will be safe again."

TJ was trembling with emotion as he reached out to hug as many of the Mane Six as he could.

"Th- Thank you," TJ managed to say. "Thank you all... In such a short time... You've all become some of the best friends I've ever had... You're all amazing."

After a little bit, the group hug dispersed, partially because they were starting to draw attention from the crowd around them. The Mane Six and TJ all stood and smiled to each other for only a moment before moving on. They did not want to draw any more attention to themselves than they already had.

"In the meantime," Pinkie Pie said, "at least we get to meet the rest of your family and friends."

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to that," Rainbow Dash said. "If any of them are as awesome as you, then I can't wait to meet them all!"

"As far as I'm concerned, they're all a thousand times better than me," TJ said.

"I'm sure some of them feel the same about you," Fluttershy said.

"Either way, it's gonna be great getting to know them," Rarity said.

"And having them get to know us, including you," Applejack said. "Twilight told us about how you felt we didn't get to know each other real well on the boat, TJ. We all figured there may be some truth to that since we were busy messing around a lot of the time. We're sorry about that, TJ, and promise we'll make more time to get to know each other."

TJ let out a few chuckles before saying, "I think I may have gotten to know you all more than I thought."

"Oh?" Rarity inquired.

"Yeah, I mean it," TJ said. "And all I'll say is that what I have learned tells me I made the right call in coming to you amazing mares for help."

All of the Mane Six thanked TJ and vocalized their gratitude with other words. All the while, they continued on, making there way through the terrible town of Seaside Hoof. It wouldn't be long before they got out of the town and left it far behind as they headed into the brush of the Willowing Forest.

* * *

 **SEVERAL HOURS LATER**

The majority of the trek through the large forest filled with vast amounts of plant and wildlife was spent with the ponies making small talk. It was mostly unimportant things as one would usually talk about just for the excuse of making conversation. It was actually a welcomed change for some as they wanted to take their minds off the darker things going on around them at the moment. Others participated, but weren't really focusing on the conversations, for they were more busy gazing at the forest around them.

"It's so beautiful," Fluttershy said.

"It kind of gives me the creeps, personally," Rainbow Dash said. "No offense, TJ."

"It's cool, Rainbow Dash," TJ said. "Honestly, there are times when I've alternated between both your opinions. I guess it just depends on my mood, what's happened most recently, what the weather's like... Or how long it's been since the last raid on my village. You know, small things like that."

"Of course," Applejack said. "Always gotta think of the _small_ details."

"It's still amazing," Twilight Sparkle said. "A lot of these trees look like they're normal sized. Then you have a whole lot more that look like they're as big as Godzilla."

"Yeah, that's just one of several things special about this place," TJ said. "Some say that there's even magic held within these woods. Magic beyond anything we as ponies could understand. But of course, a lot of ponies nowadays believe those stories are mostly just myths."

"Does that include you?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah," TJ said. "I used to believe them when I was a kid. Then I grew up, saw the harsh realities of the world, or at least the ones that come with living on this island. Figured if there was any magic, it would've shown its head and helped us by now."

"Is that how the forest's magic is suppose to work?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"You know what?" TJ said. "I honestly don't know... New subject. You mentioned Godzilla earlier, so I wanna know. Do you think he's made it on the island yet?"

"Yes," Twilight Sparkle said. "By now he must've."

"And you really think he'll just find us on his own?" TJ asked.

"He did when we were on the boat, didn't he?" Twilight Sparkle replied. "Besides, if he can't, all Fluttershy's gotta do is sing. Then he'll come running."

"For pipes that sound that good, I'm not surprised," TJ said.

"Why thank you, TJ," Fluttershy said, feeling flattered.

"The pleasure was all mine getting to hear you all sing earlier," TJ replied. "It's still amazing to me that you have a magic song that you can sing to make Godzilla come right to you."

"I was pretty amazed myself when I got that gift," Fluttershy said.

"Like, we all were," Rainbow Dash chimed in.

"Are we there _yet_?" Rarity whined.

"Oh, for Pete's sake," Applejack let out as she rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, Rarity," TJ said. "Nor you, Applejack. Or anypony actually. Home is just over this rise in the path."

"Good to know," Rarity said. "I'm glad I finally settled on a dress to wear... Or should I-?"

"Now, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said, "are you sure you've told us everything that'll be relevant going forward? You haven't left out or forgotten any important details?"

"I think so," TJ said with uncertainty. "Let me think about it. Hmm..." TJ looked upward as a thought filled expression crossed his face. " _Oh_! For the good of all of crimany, how could I forget?!"

"What?!" Twilight Sparkle asked with urgency. " _What_?!"

"You know how the minotaurs have kaiju support, right?!" TJ inquired.

"That's why Godzilla's here," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Well... they also have some pony support," TJ said intensely.

The Mane Six all gasped in disbelief. Some of them still couldn't comprehend what they heard.

"TJ, what are you talking about?!" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Exactly what I said," TJ said. "I know it's hard to believe. But of all the ponies influenced by this minotaur movement, only two have gone to their side willingly. And they ended up getting pretty high ranks, too. They've led a large chunk of the raids against Willowbrook."

"What kind of ponies would rally willingly to such a terrible cause?!" Rarity asked in astonishment.

TJ looked on as the intensity in his eyes and his voice grew.

"They're complete psychopaths," TJ explained. "I've had many up close encounters with them and seen it in their eyes. _The_ single most reason they joined the minotaurs' revolution, I think, was just to hurt other ponies. They don't care at all about the minotaurs' agenda or at least it seems that way. Either the minotaurs haven't realized this yet or they just don't care and use them as tools."

"Oh my gosh," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Who are these freaks of nature anyways?" Rainbow Dash asked as she flew overhead.

"They're unicorn twins, a stallion and a mare," TJ said. "The stallion's name is Black Lightning. His sister's name is Khaos Fury and she's probably the most psychotic of the two. I don't know if those are their real names or not, but that's what they've come to be known by."

"They sure sound like a picnic on a bright sunny day in the middle of the fields," Applejack said sarcastically.

"Yeah, they're definitely bad news," TJ said.

"How about some good news?" Rainbow Dash requested.

"You said your village had defenses in case of attack," Twilight Sparkle said. "What kind of defenses are they?"

A sly smile came over TJ's face before he said, "You'll soon see. We're here."

TJ waved a hoof ahead as the Mane Six looked to see that they were standing at the peek of the small rise that was mentioned earlier.

"Wow," all the Mane Six gasped.

Ahead they all saw what looked like a partial clearing. There were almost no normal sized trees, save for a scattered few, and less of the giant trees found in other parts of the forest. This allowed sunlight to dimly light the area, which revealed many a pony walking or flying around. There were some huts on the ground, but a lot were built higher into the trees above. There were ladders, ramps, and others means built to allow the ponies access to the higher areas.

TJ looked around at the stunned expressions on his female companions' faces. No words were wasted as the group walked down the path that would lead them directly into Willowbrook. It felt like it took no time at all for TJ and the Mane Six to reach the edge of the village before quickly making their way in. This allowed the Mane Six to see other amazing feats accomplished by the seemingly simple village folks. This included a large, complex system of rope and wood bridges set up in the trees above for ponies to walk from one hut to another.

There were bridges constructed at different levels where the huts had been built into the trees. There were even little elevators made of wood, rope, and vines that were operated by ponies either with their hooves, magic, or with aid from their wings. Some huts doubled as shops, though there were also small stands on the ground made for that. There were also four giant pony shaped statues on the sides of the village that stood over a hundred feet tall. Each one was shaped like a different pony species, Earth, unicorn, pegasus, and alicorn.

There were also many more ponies around than the Mane Six had anticipated. None of the mares knew what to expect from Willowbrook, but whatever it was, what they saw before them far surpassed it.

"Oh, my goodness," Fluttershy said.

"Welcome to our humble abode," TJ said.

"This place is fascinating," Rarity said.

"It's great," Twilight Sparkle added with amazement.

"Didn't I read about this place in the smurfs books?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Very funny, Rainbow," TJ said sarcastically.

"I'm just busting your chops again, TJ," Rainbow Dash said. "No, this place is actually pretty sweet. I don't know how living here feels, but it sure is cool to look at."

"Well," TJ said, "with the awesome ponies in this village, it gets pretty cool to live here sometimes, too."

A demonstration came when ponies from the village began noticing the group led by their own fellow villager, that being Thunder Jack.

"TJ?" one pony asked in disbelief.

"TJ, you're back?" another one asked.

"You're finally home?" another one chimed in.

"What took you so long, TJ?!" another one asked, the excitement in his voice being hard to miss.

"Hey, everypony!" a pegasus called out loudly as she flew around with her front hooves to the sides of her mouth. "Thunder Jack is back!"

"Thunder Jack?" a pony asked just before everypony else joined in.

They all looked down to the group to be greeted by TJ's smiling voice.

"Hi ya, everypony!" TJ called out as he waved. "I _is_ back!"

Several ponies gasped and smile while others either cheered or called out pleasant greetings to TJ.

"Good to have you back, Jack!"

"We missed you!"

"Yes, we did! You were away _way_ too long!"

"Just wait 'til your mother and your sister hear you're back!"

"Welcome home, TJ!"

"Thank you all very much!" TJ called back. "It's great to be back here!"

"Does everypony that leaves the island get this kind of reception when they come back?" Rarity asked.

"More or less," TJ said. "It's something you get used to. Besides, we're all pretty tight, so why not?"

"Hey, TJ, what's up?!" Everypony looked to see a pegasus stallion with red fur land down gently in front of the group. "Great to have you back, man."

"Thanks, Easy Breeze," TJ said. "I'm glad to be home."

The two swung out their hooves before then slapping them together. That was when Easy Breeze looked passed TJ to the Mane Six.

"Who are you pretty friends, TJ?" Easy Breeze asked.

"They're some of the ponies that are gonna help us put a stop to things here," TJ said.

"Ooh, really?" Easy Breeze asked.

"Yeah, I'll explain it to you later," TJ said. "Right now, I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure, what do you need?" Easy Breeze asked.

"I need you to fly to the library," TJ explained. "Look for the book of spells we have and see if there is a spell for cleaning up polluted waters. If there is, get to the docks and get the spell to the ponies on the boat. Can you do that for me?"

"I'm already on it," Easy Breeze said as he lifted himself into the air with his wings.

"Good, thanks, bro," TJ said. A smile then crossed his face. "I think you'll be in for a shock when you see the boat."

"What do you mean?" Easy Breeze asked in confusion.

"You'll see," TJ said. "Now hurry, and get going!"

"Right, you got it!" Easy Breeze said before flying off.

It wasn't long before seemingly the whole village had gathered in a large crowd around TJ and his visitors from out of town. All of them greeted both TJ and his friends pleasantly.

"Nice community you got here," Twilight Sparkle said.

"The best," TJ replied. "I'd give or do anything for them. That includes sailing for six days to find awesome and powerful ponies and monsters to save their flanks."

TJ raised an eyebrow at Twilight who just replied back with a sideways smile.

"Sure are a friendly bunch here, aren't they?" Applejack asked, referring to the crowd.

"Yeah," the others of the Mane Six agreed.

"I LIKE 'EM!" Pinkie Pie proclaimed happily.

As Pinkie Pie ran and jumped around trying to make friends with everypony, Rainbow Dash had to shoo one away that grabbed at her wings.

"Hey! Hooves off the merchandise!"

Rainbow Dash glared at the pony, who then backed away.

"They sure are a touchy, feely sort," Rarity said.

"Well they better touchy, feely something else that isn't us!" Rainbow Dash warned.

"Oh, sorry about that," TJ said. "Alright, everyone, break it up! Let's give the new fillies some air to breathe, huh?"

The village ponies all backed up a little bit as instructed.

"Now, that's better," Rainbow Dash said.

"Moon Bright and Muse are coming!" a voice said from the crowd.

A collective gasp emanated from the gathered ponies before they fell silent once again. Small whispers escaped the crowd as hoof steps approached. Their owners were soon revealed as the ponies in the crowd ahead of TJ and the Mane Six parted. Two mares were made visible by the parting and they were making their way to TJ and the Mane Six.

"Who are they?" Pinkie Pie whispered.

"That's my mom and my little sister," TJ whispered back.

"Ohh!" Pinkie Pie whispered in surprise.

One of the mares was a unicorn, who seemed to be in their mid-fifties. She had light blue fur, as well as a dark blue, wavy hippie styled mane and tail. Her eyes were light blue and her cutie mark was a ring of full moons that started small, but got bigger as they looped around. The final moon in the ring that sat atop the others stood out the most, as it was the biggest and was gold in color. The others were all white.

The mare next to her was considerably younger, somewhere in her early twenties, and she seemed to have similar eyes to the older mare. While the first pony's features were somewhat basic, this pony, barely out of fillyhood, was anything but. Her mane and tail cut reminded the Mane Six a lot of the way their friend, DJ Pon-3 back in Equestria wore her own mane and tail. She had big streaks of multiple colors in both, including hot pink, black, and violet. There were tiny dabs of other colors that looked like they were splattered on from a paint brush, including red, blue, purple, green, and yellow.

She had mostly white fur, though there were what looked like more small splatters of colors scattered all over her body. They were the same colors that looked splattered into her mane and tail. The lower parts of all four of her legs and hooves were covered in mostly black. But there were small dabs of the other colors there as well. Finally, her cutie mark was a black eight note that ended down in a heart shape.

But of all that detail, two different things stuck out most to the Mane Six. They saw that this young mare had a rainbow colored horn on her head, as well as white wings that were folded at her sides.

"Goodness, you're an alicorn?!" Rarity asked in shock.

"Huh?" the mare asked in confusion. Her eyes looked up before she turned to look at her sides. "Oh, you mean me? Well, yes... Yes, I am."

"But- But- But- But- But-" Pinkie Pie continuously sputtered out.

"How could you be a-?" Rainbow Dash began, but couldn't finish.

"Oh, man, not this again," the alicorn said. "Oh, hi ya, TJ!"

"Welcome home, son," the unicorn mare let out pleasantly, but loudly.

"Thanks, Mom, it's great to be back!" TJ said ecstatically. "And thanks to you, too, Muse! It's great to be home!"

TJ rushed forth and hugged the two mares tightly, which they did to him as well. They laughed in joy and embraced each other as tight as could be. Each one of the ponies involved in the hug felt overcome by the emotions they were feeling.

"We all really missed you around here, TJ," the alicorn said.

"So I've been told," TJ replied. "I missed you all, too, though. Sorry it took me so long."

"Oh, that's alright," the unicorn said. "I understand. The boat's usually gone for weeks on end. I'm actually surprised you got back as soon as you did. But I'm also really glad you did, too."

"Yeah, well, you know me," TJ said. "I don't like to mess around when it comes to business as serious as what I was doing in Equestria."

"Speaking of which, how did that go?" the alicorn asked.

"Pretty well, I'd say," the unicorn said slyly as she looked passed TJ to the Mane Six. "Who are all your pretty friends here, TJ?"

"Don't start, Mom," TJ warned. He looked back to the Mane Six and pointed. "These are the ponies who volunteered to help us deal with the minotaurs."

A collective gasp came over the crowd as whispered conversations began. The Mane Six all looked around with uncertainty, some of them even flashing uneasy smiles. Fluttershy seemed like she was trying to ball up and hopefully be invisible to the crowd's vision.

"Really, that's it?" the alicorn asked bluntly. "You go to Equestria, meet with the princesses, the two most powerful ponies on the planet, and all you bring back is six mares? No army? Not the princesses themselves? Nothing?"

"Muse, stop it," the older unicorn demanded.

"I'm just saying what everypony else is thinking," Muse defended.

"Yeah, but they ain't blabbing their mouths, so shut yours," the unicorn demanded.

Muse looked away as she grumbled in frustration.

"Don't mind my daughter," the unicorn mare said. "She's just a little on edge about this whole thing. We all are. It's very stressful."

"It's no problem at all, ma'am," Twilight Sparkle reassured. "I take it, you're TJ's mom?"

"Yes, she is," TJ inserted. "Girls, I'd like to formally introduce you to my mother, Moon Bright and my sister, Muse."

TJ waved hooves to both the unicorn and the alicorn.

"I'm Moon Bright," the unicorn introduced herself. "I'm happy to meet you all. I run the village here."

"Yes, we've heard," Rarity said. "It is a supreme honor to finally meet you."

"Yeah, TJ's told us so much about ya," Applejack said.

"It's almost like we've already met," Pinkie Pie said.

"Well, maybe we did in a past life or something," Moon Bright said.

"Yeah, maybe," Rainbow Dash said with uncertainty.

She then turned to Rarity, nudged her a little and then lifted her hooves as she gave a questioning expression. Rarity replied with an unknowing look as she raised her own hooves and shook her head.

"This," Moon Bright said as she raised a hoof, "little motor mouth is my daughter, Muse... Who I still love very much with all my heart."

Moon Bright went out of her way to wrap her forelegs around Muse and pulled her close to squeeze her tight.

"Okay, Mom, okay," Muse said.

But eventually the little multicolored alicorn gave in and hugged her mother back. It was a sweet little moment that only lasted for a little bit. Eventually, Muse gently forced the hug to end before she turned back to the Mane Six.

"Hi," Muse greeted. "I'm sorry about how I was before. What Mom said was true and I guess I was also a little... surprised."

"Hey, it's cool," Rainbow Dash said. "We actually get a lot of that in our line of work. You know, saving the world and all."

"Oh, you've done this before?" Muse asked.

"Of course they have, Muse," Moon Bright said. "They wouldn't have sent a bunch of ponies who had no idea what they were doing."

"And I wouldn't have brought back those kind of ponies either," TJ added.

"Really?" Muse asked skeptically. "Because there was that one time you got all those ponies together to try and-"

" _That only happened once!_ " TJ quickly interrupted.

Muse let out a laugh, followed by several other ponies who knew what Muse was talking about.

"Still, though," Muse said in between laughs.

TJ flashed a slightly embarrassed smile before saying, "The point is, I got the right ponies for the job this time around. And they're here before us right now. I have no doubt that _these remarkable girls_ are gonna help us win the day."

"Well, if you think so, TJ, then so do I," Moon Bright said. She smiled to the Mane Six before she spoke on. "Besides, just looking at them now, I can tell you girls got something about ya. Something very special."

"You're the one with an alicorn daughter," Pinkie Pie pointed out. "Speaking of which, _you're an alicorn, Muse!_ "

"Didn't we already establish this?" Muse asked. "Yes, I'm an alicorn. Let's not make a big deal about it."

"Forgive us, darling," Rarity said. "It's just that where we're from, alicorns are such... well, a _rarity_." TJ and the rest of the Mane Six let out small chuckles before the unicorn mare went on. "So it's always stunning for us if and when we meet a new alicorn."

"I get it," Muse said. "Alicorns are rather rare here, too."

"I think they're rare everywhere, actually," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Heck, as far as I know, I'm the only one on Pony Tale Island," Muse said.

"Not anymore," TJ chimed in.

"Huh?" several islander ponies said.

"Haven't you all noticed the cute violet one yet?" TJ asked as he pointed a hoof.

 _There he goes again_ , Twilight Sparkle thought to herself.

"Uh, son, do you realize-?"

"Don't focus on the wrong things, Mom," TJ interrupted. "Look!"

Moon Bright looked closer as did everypony else. It wasn't long before the blue unicorn gasped in amazement.

"Oh, my gosh, you're right!" Moon Bright said in awe.

"What?" Muse demanded.

"Oh, for crying out loud," TJ said in annoyance. "Twilight, can you please just show them? Really fluff them out?"

"Uh- okay," Twilight Sparkle replied.

She then quickly spread out her magnificent alicorn wings for all to see. These solicited more gasps and whispers from the crowd. Twilight Sparkle looked on with a slight hint of embarrassment as the crowd gawked at her. Rainbow Dash came up close next to Twilight.

"They're loving ya, sis," Rainbow Dash whispered with a hoof to the side of her mouth. "Don't ignore your adoring public. Let them know you appreciate it."

Twilight did her best to follow her friend's advice as she waved and put on a small, yet still embarrassed smile.

"Looks like there's even more special about you girls than I originally suspected," Moon Bright said.

"Oh, trust me, Moon Bright, ma'am," Twilight Sparkle. "Being an alicorn doesn't make me any better than anypony else."

"How about being one of the official princesses of Equestria?" TJ asked. "I'd say that counts for something. They don't just let anyone be royalty."

"You're a princess?!" Muse asked in amazement.

"Uh... yes," Twilight Sparkle said with a few chuckles.

The reaction from the crowd was even stronger than before and only served to increase Twilight's embarrassment.

"But I thought there was only one or two princesses in Equestria," Moon Bright said in confusion.

"Times have really changed, Mom," TJ said. "Apparently there are four princesses now."

" _FOUR?!_ " several ponies let out.

"Everypony, please!" Twilight Sparkle hurriedly said. "Even if I wasn't an alicorn princess, I'd still come to help you. I know I would be just as successful as I'll be this time around, too. And that's because I've got my friends by my side to help. That's what's really special and that's what will help us win."

"That was so beautiful right there," Muse said, somewhat emotionally. "Do you write poetry? Because you should write poetry. I write poetry. Maybe sometime we can get together and brainstorm."

"Sure," Twilight Sparkle said in a genuinely friendly manner.

"Yes, but not right now," TJ interjected. "Oh, everypony, did I mention they brought their own monster?"

" _WHAT?!_ " the crowd all screamed together.

"TJ, would you stop that?!" Moon Bright asked. "These ponies are already in enough of a frenzy as it is!"

"But, Mom, it's true," TJ insisted. "They really do have their own monster. I've seen him. Heck, I met him!"

"Huh?" Moon Bright asked. "What? What was that?" Her eyes widened in disbelief as her expression of surprise got bigger. She then looked over to the Mane Six.

"Did you...? Did he...? Did he just say...? Do you really...? I know he said it twice, but...

"Do you girls really have your own giant monster?"

"Heck yeah, we do!" Rainbow Dash let out as she flew up above the crowd. "He's big, he's lean, he's mean! He's a fighting machine and that's why they call him _King_... of the Monsters!"

This got more conversations from the ponies in the crowd as they whispered amongst themselves. While most of the Mane Six looked around with uncertainty, Rainbow Dash looked on pridefully.

"He's name is Godzilla," Twilight Sparkle. "Not too long ago, he saved Equestria from a threat very similar to what you're facing now. We've brought him with us today so he can help liberate you from tyranny the way he did for us before."

"I- I can't believe it. I..." Moon Bright was at a near loss for words. "How can you...? Is it even possible...?"

"We'll explain it to you later, Mrs. Bright, I promise," Twilight Sparkle said. "Just know that for absolute certain, Godzilla _is_ here to help."

"Well then... wh- where is he?" Moon Bright inquired.

"He's on his way," Applejack said. "He just came in on the other side of the island so that it'd take longer for the minotaurs to spot him."

"Did you tell him to do that?" Muse asked.

"No, it was his idea," Fluttershy said.

"Wow, he's that smart?!" Muse asked.

"Shouldn't be too surprising, Muse," Moon Bright said. "All of the other kaiju we've encountered have been."

"Yeah, that's true, I guess," Muse agreed.

"So, TJ," Moon Bright began, "you're saying you brought a princess, her friends, and their monster guardian in tow to help us with our problems?"

"They're not just her friends," TJ said. "They've helped her protect Equestria from a whole lot of different threats like the one we're facing now. They have a bond amongst them. A very powerful bond that I know will play a big part in putting an end to the minotaurs once and for all."

Moon Bright and the other ponies looked on at the Mane Six, who all looked back. They felt uncertain, but they did their best to mask and put on a more confident act for them. They wanted the village ponies to know and to believe that they would help them through thick and thin. It seemed to partially work, for Moon Bright flashed them a pleasant smile, as did Muse and several others.

"Well, I don't need my son to tell me what he did to know it's true," Moon Bright said. "Again, I can tell just by looking at you girls that you're truly beyond remarkable. For that and for having my son's blessing, I'll gladly give you mine and accept your help. I'd also like to say, on behalf of all of Willowbrook, how truly grateful we all are. Words cannot describe it, though, but we'll do our best to show it."

"Then we'll honor that by showing you in turn how grateful we are," Twilight said as she and the rest of the Mane Six smiled. "We're grateful because of how much faith you're putting in us. We'll do our best to live up to your expectations."

"I'll bet it won't be too hard for you all," Muse added.

Moon Bright bowed with respect and pretty soon, the rest of the village ponies were bowing as well. Even TJ got down and lowered his head for the ponies he'd come to know as his friends.

"Well, well," Rarity said with amusement.

"I could get used to this," Rainbow Dash said.

"So this is what it feels like, Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asked. "I like it."

"Boy, what a day," Applejack said.

"Sounds like you picked yourself some real winners here, TJ!"

Everypony looked up to see a pink furred pegasus mare flying high above the crowd. TJ saw the confident and determined smile on her face and knew right away who she was.

"Firefly!" TJ called out happily.

"What did you just say?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked to TJ in shock.

Suddenly, Firefly was making her way down towards the ground, hooves first.

"She's gonna do a superhero landing!" Pinkie Pie said giddily as she lightly jumped up and down. As the Earth pony predicted, three of Firefly's hooves crashed into the ground, with one held just above it. "Whoo, superhero landing!" Pinkie Pie whooped as she applauded. Then she said, seemingly to no one, "You know, that's very hard on your knees."

"Who are you talking to, Pinkie?" Applejack asked.

"No one," Pinkie Pie said hurriedly. "I can't tell them. They might crack."

Firefly had landed between The Mane six, and TJ's family and still had her smile when she landed.

"She sure likes to make a first impression," Rarity whispered.

"Yeah, she kinda reminds me of Rainbow Dash," Applejack said. "Actually... a lot."

"It's so good to see you again, auntie!" TJ said as he rushed up to Firefly.

"Then show me!" Firefly said as she reached out for a hug.

The two embraced tightly for several seconds before Moon Bright and Muse joined in.

"Our family is back together again," Moon Bright said after the group hug ended.

"Well... almost," Muse let out sadly.

Firefly sensed the change in mood and tried to counteract it.

"So, TJ," Firefly began, "I came in near the end, but I noticed that in all this jibber, jabber, it seems you forgot to properly introduce all your friends to us."

"Oh, my gosh, you're right!" TJ said with horrified surprised. "I am so sorry, everypony! I truly apologize!" TJ looked around at everyone before turning to the Mane Six. "I'm really sorry, girls, that was rude of me."

"Oh, it's okay," Pinkie Pie said. "Don't worry too much about it. We were all caught up in the moment."

"It's all good, TJ," Applejack said.

After almost everypony else spoke in agreement, TJ smiled gratefully.

"Everypony, this is Firefly," TJ said. "Basically, she's like my second mother."

"Hello," Firefly greeted, accompanied by a pleasant and friendly smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Twilight Sparkle said, to which most of the Mane Six agreed.

"The pleasure's all mine," Firefly said. She then added, "But just call me Firefly, please."

"Ma'am makes her feel old," TJ whispered.

"Hush you!" Firefly warned, to which TJ laughed.

"Okay, just Firefly then," Twilight Sparkle said.

"These awesome and very forgiving ponies you see here are all my friends," TJ introduced. "This one here, who you kind of met, is Princess Twilight Sparkle, the princess of friendship. With her is Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow..."

TJ didn't finish because he, along with everypony else, saw the look on Rainbow Dash's face. It could best be likened to her finding out she had wings for the first time, but she could never use them to fly. Except the emotion was amplified a thousand times over that.

"R- Rainbow..." Applejack stuttered out in confusion. "W- Why are you...?"

"Rainbow Dash?"

The voice was soft and shaky, but everyone recognized who it belonged to. Even the Mane Six, who had just met this pony, knew to turn to Firefly. They saw that she wore the exact same look on her face as Rainbow Dash. This was when they all first noticed somewhat physical similarities between Firefly and Rainbow Dash.

"Mom?" Rainbow Dash practically wept out.

" _HUH?!_ " most of the other ponies in the immediate group let out collectively.

Everyone was confused as their looks as well as their body language conveyed. Eyes kept shifting back and forth from Rainbow Dash to Firefly.

" _Mom?!_ " Pinkie Pie let out. "You mean, as in a baby's mama?! As in this pony right here is yours?!"

"Rainbow Dash..." Twilight Sparkle began, "is this- is she _really_ your...?"

"Rainbow Dash, I..." Firefly let out. "I- I can't believe you're here. I..."

Firefly slowly began making her way to the Mane Six, but more so to Rainbow Dash.

"No," Rainbow Dash choked out as she took a few steps back.

Firefly stopped as more emotion bled into her facial features.

"Rainbow Dash, I-"

"No," Rainbow Dash said again, cutting off Firefly. This time there was a slight growl of anger in her voice as her eyes glared forward. "Don't come near me."

"But, Rainbow Dash-"

" _No, get away from me! Stay away from me! Don't touch me! Don't do anything!_ " When Rainbow Dash finished her screaming, she flew up and continued to glare down at Firefly, her apparent biological mother. "Don't you come anywhere near me, you deserter! You left me and Dad on our own. You don't get to come near me after that."

Firefly looked on with hurt and emotional eyes that trembled and balled up with tears. Her whole body shook so hard it looked like she could break. TJ, Muse, Moon Bright, and the Mane Six all looked like they wanted to say something or get involved somehow. Before any of that could happen, though, a large blast rang out. It shook the ground, kicked up dirt and smoke in the air, and made the crowd all duck as the flames from the explosion sprouted up before fading away.

After the screaming and ducking, the crowd was still, understandingly on edge. Most of them were shaking uncontrollably and muttered in fear as they slowly and cautiously stood back up. They all looked around for the source of the explosion, which had ignited very near where the village met the rest of the forest. It wasn't long before their eyes fell on what they believed could be the only source of the explosion at that moment.

"Did we come at a bad time?"

In that moment, standing just outside the village's borders was Black Lightning, Khaos Fury, and a whole bunch of battle ready minotaurs.

* * *

 **Before I say anything else, I just want you to know that Muse isn't my character. She's an OC of my sister's, who said I could use her in this story. Also, this isn't her official backstory. The actual official version of the Muse character and her story is being worked on by my sister, who says she eventually wants to put the story up here on the site. She just said I could rewrite it to fit this story better. Anyways, here it is! The next chapter in the story. I hope you all like it and despite your feelings, please be sure to leave a review after reading. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	11. Chapter 11: Village Raid

Almost all of the emotions the village ponies and their visitors were feeling before had been overtaken by high tension, among other things. This was because of the newly arrived, by very unwelcomed _guests_ that were the evil unicorn twins and their minotaur forces. Most were feeling defensive while some were still recovering from the shock of the surprise explosion from before. But the feeling and emotion going through the majority of the ponies there the most was fear. Except for the visitors there, that being the Mane Six, all the ponies had seen this beginning scenario play out before with varying, yet similar results, all of them bad.

From the standpoint of the villagers of Willowbrook and the Mane Six, there wasn't an eye that wasn't locked on the intruders. Similarly, all eyes from the side of the minotaurs, Black Lightning, and Khaos Fury were locked on the equines of the village, along with the Mane Six. Every single muscle of every single body there was twitching like crazy. Everyone was on edge, tensions were high and more than thick enough to cut with a knife. Every emotion felt on the inside was put on full display on the outside, be it by facial features or body language.

Though Twilight Sparkle knew the answer, she couldn't help but ask. She got in closer to TJ, who was just as tense as everypony else at that moment. She knew the minotaurs were bad news, but she had to be sure with the two newcomer ponies.

"TJ," Twilight Sparkle whispered, "are those the two ponies you told us about?"

"Yes, they are," TJ managed to whisper through gritted teeth. "But there's no time to talk now. Now comes the ouch part."

Twilight Sparkle knew exactly what TJ was talking about. She was actually surprised it didn't happen sooner.

" _Trash them all!_ " Khaos Fury screamed out like a possessed pony.

With that, every minotaur there that had weapons, which was almost all of them, raised them and ran forth screaming at the top of their lungs. Nearly all of the ponies of the village screamed out in panic and fear as they saw the onslaught coming their way. Moon Bright used a voice amplifying spell on her throat and vocal cords.

" _Plan Delta, everypony!_ " Moon Bright screamed out. " _Come on_ , _just like we practiced! Children and elderly first! Warriors, take your positions!_ " Moon Bright cut off her spell and took a moment to make sure everypony was doing as instructed before turning to Muse.

"Come on, honey, we need to get back to the hut and activate the stone!"

"Right!" Muse said as she nodded her head.

Meanwhile, TJ trotted up, with the majority of the Mane Six at his side, towards the incoming horde of minotaurs.

"Alright, girls, this is it!" TJ yelled. "I know you may not have been prepared for it to start this soon, but- Huh?!"

The Earth pony stallion was shocked to see that most of the Mane Six were no longer there. The only one was Rarity, who removed her greeting dress and gently placed it back in the suitcase it came out of. After she placed her bag back on the baggage wagon, she hurried to catch up with her friends. TJ looked to see that said friends were charging forth, almost fearlessly, at the army of minotaurs. The only one not charging forth was Fluttershy, who rushed to catch up with Muse and Moon Bright.

TJ couldn't believe how fast these ponies he met not so long ago were to jump into action. Despite the assurances from before, he was not expecting the warrior's mentality these girls apparently had.

 _Well, I can't just stand here and leave them to do it on their own,_ TJ though to himself. With that, the Earth pony reared up on his hind legs and screamed out before he ran forward as fast as he could. TJ and the mares of the Mane Six were quickly joined by many other ponies who charged forth into the oncoming battle. Others prepared themselves at certain battle stations to play their part in the onslaught. While the sight of over a hundred minotaurs was an intimidating one, it wasn't enough to keep the ponies from fighting back, especially the visiting mares.

It felt like no time at all had past between when the minotaurs first appeared and when Twilight and the others were up close and staring them in the face. Three different minotaurs lifted up their own large weapon with the intent to swing them down upon Twilight Sparkle. She put a stop to that by zapping three different beams of attack magic into their chests. The blasts instantly sent all three flying backwards, two into other bulls, the third to the ground. Twilight Sparkle didn't wait for them to drop before moving on and taking the fight to many more minotaurs with various attacks, most of which were magic based.

She would zap some with either beams and bolts, or would just slash and jab at them with her magic covered horn. For her slashes and jabs, she would either charge forth, swing her head around, attack from above with a jump or flight or would duck and attack from below. She would ocassionally spin around for added force for her physical attacks or to duck another enemy's attack, no matter which angle it came from. Much to many's surprise, including Twilight's own, the alicorn was being very effective in the fight. No enemy attack hit her and if her own attacks missed a minotaur, they would usually hit and shatter their weapons, much to their dismay.

While Twilight Sparkle was practically mowing down the competition, her friends weren't doing so bad either. A minotaur wielding a large wooden mace with metal spike nailed into it ran at Applejack.

 _Does he really think he's gonna do anything to me with that?_ Applejack thought to herself. _It don't even look like he knows how to handle it properly? Then again, what is the proper way to handle something like that?... Never mind, back to fighting._

A confident smirk was spread across the southern Earth pony's face as she ran full force at the minotaur ahead. It surprised the fighting mad bull since usually even a small group ran from him when he swung his club. Usually only a group of twenty or so ponies would come at him, but this little mare was charging all by herself. The large minotaur was soon to find out why. The combatants ran at each other like a freight train meeting a tiny mining cart, though one with attitude.

When they were close enough, the still smirking Applejack slid to the ground on her back and let herself slip the rest of the way towards the minotaur. The beast of war's eyes widened in shock as he watched the mare slide back hooves first towards him. When Applejack was close enough, she kicked her back hooves, the strongest in the world, into the minotaur's kneecaps. The minotaur howled in pain as he felt himself fall forward. Applejack easily rolled out of the way and let the minotaur crash face first into the ground, his club smacking into the back of his head shortly after.

Applejack rose to her hooves and looked down at the fallen minotaur while feeling very pleased with herself.

"Talk about a knee buckling, head banging close encounter," Applejack let out. "Oh, gotta go. I'll see ya next fall."

Applejack looked to her left and her right when she heard screams on both sides coming at her. On her left was a minotaur carrying a large claymore sword. The one on her right was carrying what looked like two small Persian scimitars. Both minotaurs held their respective blades high as they ran for the orange coated pony.

"This is just too easy," Applejack said.

She bent down and waited for the two minotaurs to get closer. She looked to both sides waiting for the right opportunity to make her move. When the time came, she leaped out of the way and let the two bulls crash into each other, sending them both falling to the ground.

" _Come together, right now... because of me_ ," Applejack sang mockingly. "I'm glad you two could meet so personal like this. I love bringing minotaurs together."

Applejack stopped when she heard what sounded like something flying through the air. She turned to see two metal, sharp ended objects coming right at her.

" _Whoa, Nelly!_ " Applejack yelled as she rolled to the ground and out of the shurikens' path. When she stood up, the mare looked and quickly spotted the minotaur that threw the throwing stars at her. "Oh, you want to play catch, do you?" The bull snorted with contempt, smoke seemingly coming through his nostrils. "Ooh, I'm _so_ scared.

"Well, alright, big bad and ugly! Let's play!"

Applejack looked and spotted several small rocks on the ground. Using only one of her front hooves, she managed to kick up five into the air. Then she quickly turned and used her back hooves to kick all the rocks directly at the minotaur. The two legged bull's eyes widened as he tried, too late, to move out of the rocks' trajectory. All five rocks smashed into the minotaur's face, knocking him into the air before soon crashing onto his back.

Applejack smiled proudly as she gave a quick nod of approval to herself. She turned away to see if there were any more bulls she could whomp. The Earth pony spotted what looked like five minotaurs all running directly at Rarity. Applejack glowered as she prepared to run to her friend's aid. But she was soon halted when Rarity disappeared into thin air. This stopped all the minotaurs dead in their tracks as well.

They stared in confusion for only a moment before Rarity reappeared behind them.

"Yoohoo, big boys!" Rarity called out in her most pleasant voice. "Over here!"

Before any of them could turn, the unicorn used her horn's magic to make a small, yet concentrated beam. She then aimed said beam across the backsides of all five minotaurs, burning them a great deal. A expression of tremendous pain crossed all five bulls' faces before they screamed out in agony and grabbed for their hind quarters. Any who had weapons instantly dropped them as the minotaurs all rubbed their aching rumps.

"You sure know how to get 'em hot, Rare," Applejack complimented.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet, Applejack, darling," Rarity said.

The white furred pony then charged forth at her would be attackers before jumping into the air. As the still hurting minotaurs turned to face Rarity, they looked on in shock to see her corkscrewing through the air. She let out all shorts of martial arts screams as she kicked all of her hooves around. Every single kick she threw hit two or more minotaurs across the face a multitude of times. After the onslaught, Rarity safely landed with all four hooves planted on the ground, her opponents all dropping shortly after.

"They always fall for you, Rarity," Applejack said with a big smile on her face.

Rarity's return smile turned to a look of alarm.

"Watch out!" Rarity called as she lifted a hoof and fired a beam from her horn.

The small beam flew over Applejack's head as the Earth pony turned to see where and what it would hit. Much to her surprise, there was a large minotaur behind her holding a large, curved knife in his hand, the blade pointed down at her. Applejack also saw the beam hit the minotaur in his chest. The small blast, stunned the bull, making him scream out and drop the blade he had held above his head. After sparks flew out of the bull's chest and he grabbed for his fresh burn, Applejack turned her back to him.

Applejack then kicked her back hooves into the minotaur's knees, making him scream out yet again. She quickly followed up with three more bucking kicks to the stomach, then the chest, and finally the face. The last buck dropped the minotaur on his rear, it struck him so hard. Both Applejack and Rarity looked to see a small boulder flying through the air after being launched from a catapult. The rock hit the fallen minotaur directly on top of his head.

Only seconds later did it split in two and the minotaur completely fell. The ponies who launched the boulder from their catapult cheered. Applejack just smiled, as did Rarity, who had trotted up to her friend's side.

"Talk about a splitting headache," Rarity said.

"Yep, this boy's more thickheaded than a politician with a bad toupee," Applejack said. "They're strong, but they it seems they're not very smart."

"Still, there's more of them out there that need to be taught a lesson," Rarity said.

"Of course!" Applejack said. "We're not done yet, Rare. We're just getting started."

"That's the spirit, Applejack!" Rarity said enthusiastically. Then both mares turned to the fallen minotaur. "No, please, don't get up on our behalf. We'll show ourselves out."

"But you really shouldn't be laying down on the job," Applejack added with a smirk. " _Yee-haw!_ "

Elsewhere, Pinkie Pie was... just leaning up against a tree while eating a banana? Yes, the pink Earth pony was snacking on a banana, which looked like she was already half done with it. She looked around, seemingly nonchalantly at the chaos going on around her. It was almost like she didn't care. In actuality, though, this couldn't be further from the truth. She had every intention to join the fray and was just waiting for the right moment to make her first move.

That time came when she spotted a minotaur chasing a family of five ponies, a mother and father with their three foals. They were coming her way and she knew right away what she would do to assist the ponies being pursued. She waited patiently, while still eating her banana. She let the family pass by as she finished her treat. Then Pinkie Pie dropped the peel of the banana on the ground just as the minotaur was about to pass her by.

The moment one of the minotaur's running hooves fell on top of the banana peel, it sent the minotaur slipping into the air. The two hoofed beast screamed out as he flew up higher and higher before landing hard on his back. Before he could do anything else, Pinkie Pie smacked him on the top of the head with a small, metal hammer.

"Slapstick cliches," Pinkie Pie said with a big smile. "They're like the Force. They have a strong influence on the weak minded."

After Pinkie Pie giggled at her own joke, she heard screams and hoof steps approaching her. She looked to see three minotaurs coming her way. She reacted quickly as she spun around at an unbelievably fast rate. It was almost as if she had become a pink twister. Only seconds later did she stop... Though now she was dressed like a mime.

This stopped the confused bulls dead in their tracks as they watched Pinkie Pie when she began miming. She made it appear as though there was a thick, hard, solid wall between her and the minotaurs, even though there wasn't one to be seen. The minotaurs all looked to each other, their confusion replaced by anger and the thirst for battle and blood. They all ran at Pinkie Pie, who just stood there and smiled. All three beasts raised their weapons and prepared to strike the pink pony down.

However, only inches away from Pinkie Pie did the minotaurs appear to hit something so hard it made a 'BONK!' sound and knocked them all down. Even though there wasn't anything there, Pinkie Pie mimed that she was opening a vault-like door and was pulling out something that seemed heavy. She made it appear like she was lifting said heavy object over her head, again, despite their being nothing there. However, when she mimed that she was dropping it on the minotaurs, there was a loud 'CLANG!'. The minotaurs all screamed out like they had just been hurt badly.

Pinkie Pie spun around again and when she stopped, she was out of her mime attire. She then skipped and danced away to look for the next set of bulls she could torment. She found a bull with a bowie knife that had brass knuckles built into the handle. He was going around and swinging his knife at anypony he could get close to.

" _Hey, you!_ " Pinkie Pie cried out at the minotaur. The giant bull of a bully stopped and looked to see Pinkie Pie now dressed as a matador. " _Toro, toro!_ " Pinkie Pie called out as she waved a large red cape in the free air next to her.

Immediately upon seeing the red cape, the minotaur ceased all other activity. He dropped his knife as he glared with furious anger and snorted. He was, quite literally, seeing red as he started scraping his hooves against the ground. He then huddled down before charging forth like a non-stop freight train. He would come to regret this, because once his horns and head connected with the red cape. a loud 'CLANG!' echoed through the air.

Pinkie Pie smiled pridefully as she stepped to the side, taking the cape with her. This revealed a large anvil that had been hidden on the other side of the cape.

" _Ole_ , dull horns," Pinkie Pie said with a confident smile on her face. "I guess they're not the only part of your head as sharp as a bowling pin."

With that, Pinkie Pie took off dancing away, no doubt to find more minotaurs to pull her classic cartoon antics on. As she danced away, Rainbow Dash flew above Pinkie Pie, heading in the opposite direction. She was carrying not one, not two, but three ropes in her mouth, all with giant boulders hanging at the bottom of them. They were heavier than could be imagined for a pony Dash's size to carry, but she was doing it despite the strain she felt. She relieved herself of the weight when the light blue pegasus flew above a particularly large group of minotaurs.

The big rocks came down on top of four minotaurs, who ended up taken several more down with them.

"No, the sky ain't falling!" Rainbow Dash said with a smile that matched her confidence. "But today's forecast did call for wussy minotaurs dropping like flies!"

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash felt the wind force of somepony else flying passed her at an incredible speed. The rainbow maned mare looked to see, much to her annoyance, that it was her mother, Firefly. But much to her surprise, the pink furred mare was carrying seven large rocks tied at the ends of ropes. Yet, she was still flying faster than Rainbow Dash had when she carried her smaller load of rocks.

"Show off," Rainbow Dash muttered contemptibly.

Firefly dropped all of her boulders down on a crowd of minotaurs, which knocked them all off their hooves.

"It's a rainy day for you, two hoofers!" Firefly called down to the fallen and groaning minotaurs.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes before taking off in the opposite direction her mother was hovering in. She looked down to see which one or set of minotaurs she should target next. It didn't take long for the daring speedster to spot the two she wanted to take down. Rainbow Dash quickly flew down to ground level before speeding passed two minotaurs, punching them both in the side of the face as she flew. The two minotaurs shook their heads as they rubbed their faces before looking for who hit them.

When all they saw was each other, they snarled angrily before lifting up their wooden clubs threateningly. They then swung their large and mighty weapons at one another. The result was both hitting each other in the side of the head, knocking themselves out cold. Rainbow Dash flew in and looked down proudly at what she had caused.

"I'm glad you two had this beating of the minds," Rainbow Dash quipped.

"Dash, lookout!" Firefly cried as she flew passed Rainbow Dash.

The confused pony looked to see her biological mom beating the snot out of a minotaur. The barbarian-like creature had a small battle axe lifted above his head he had been intending to use on Rainbow Dash. But now, he was getting front hooves swung across his face and into his body faster than he could see. Rainbow Dash looked on in open mouthed shock at the speed with which Firefly was swinging her front hooves, it was so fast. When she finally finished, Firefly hovered up close to the minotaur's face as he reeled back and forth.

Finally Firefly blew into the bull's face, which ended up being the thing to finally knock him down on his back. Firefly nodded her head in satisfaction before turning to her daughter.

"Are you alright, Rainbow Dash?!" Firefly said with genuine worry. "Did you get hurt at all?!"

" _Back off!_ " Rainbow Dash spat. She started to fly away before pausing. Then she added, "I'm fine."

With that, Rainbow Dash flew away.

"Good," Firefly whispered. "I'm happy to hear it. I just hope... Maybe one day, _we'll_ be okay again."

Meanwhile, TJ was in a world of trouble. He was facing off with a larger than average minotaur who was swinging a giant battle axe like crazy. It didn't help that the psycho swinging at TJ also had a shield in his other hand protecting him. The only thing keeping TJ and the axe's blade separate was a wooden bo staff the Earth pony was wielding. He kept bringing it up so it would be in the way of the wooden handle the axe blade was attached to.

It wasn't much, but it was all TJ could manage at the moment. To his credit, though, it was working, for the minotaur's axe hadn't touched him once, despite coming close a few times. It didn't hurt that the minotaur was swinging his axe almost aimlessly. This came into play when the minotaur hoisted his axe so far back it almost fell out of his hand. TJ took quick advantage and moved in as he spun around, swinging the end of his staff across the two legged bull's face.

This stunned the bull long enough for TJ to strike again. He drove the end of his staff into the minotaur's stomach, making him hunch over in pain. As the minotaur held his midsection tenderly, TJ swung the bo staff up into his chin and lower jaw. Then TJ charged forward and rammed his head into the minotaur's stomach, knocking him on his rear. As the minotaur sat in pain, TJ reeled around in a daze.

"Okay," TJ said dizzily, "maybe using my head as a weapon against a brick wall wasn't such a good idea."

The young stallion shook it off before swinging his bo staff so hard across the minotaur's face, that the wooden object broke in two. After that, the minotaur dropped down onto his back, completely unconscious.

"Nap time already?" TJ asked mockingly. "Well, nighty night then, chuckles."

Suddenly, a shadow fell upon TJ as the war cry of a minotaur rang out in the air. The pony stallion looked to see a large war-hardened minotaur standing tall over him with a curved battle dagger raised high. Before the minotaur could bring it down on the shocked TJ, the tied end of a lasso came down around his wrist. Both TJ and the minotaur looked at the rope in confusion as they both let out with a, "Huh?"

" _Yee-Haw!_ " Applejack and Rarity called out together.

As the two mares ran up to TJ and the bull, Rarity shot a small beam of stun magic into the minotaur's chest. A small eruption of sparks ignited where Rarity's beam hit and made the minotaur jump back as he cried in pain. Meanwhile, Applejack ran up with the other end of her lasso in her mouth until she felt she was close enough. Then the mare slid on her back and went sliding in between the minotaur's legs. As she slid by, the minotaur looked down and stared through the space between his legs at the pony.

Suddenly the minotaur felt the pull of the rope on his wrist, which pulled his arm into the gap between his legs, followed by him flipping onto his back. Applejack ran over and wrapped the rope around the the minotaur's hands and legs. Rarity then used her magic to tie the rope into extra thick knots so it would be harder for the minotaur to get free. The two mares stood by with smiles on their faces as they admired their works and watched the minotaur struggle to get free.

"We can see you're tied up at the moment, darling," Rarity said.

"So we'll look after our friend ourselves," Applejack finished. "No need to trouble yourself."

The minotaur's rage was silenced when a rock hit him in the head and knocked him out. Applejack and Rarity looked to TJ had been the one to throw the rock. They soon ran up to him.

"You alright, TJ?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," TJ said. "Thanks, you two."

"Think nothing of it, darling," Rarity said. "When Applejack pointed out that minotaur sneaking up behind you, I knew we had to jump in. Apparently Applejack did, too, because we charged without even sharing a word with each other."

"Dang, that kind of chemistry you two have is awesome!" TJ exclaimed.

"Oh, go on," Rarity said as she waved a hoof. "We're just glad we got here in time and that you're okay."

"Looks like most of us are doing okay so far," TJ said.

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Applejack asked. "These are the guys we're suppose to be afraid of?"

"I must say, I've been having a very easy go fighting these brutes myself," Rarity said.

"Why is that?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know," TJ admitted. "Maybe you girls are just that good?"

Suddenly Rarity, TJ, and Applejack heard the sound of several hoof steps thundering in their direction. They turned to where the the steps were coming from. What they saw practically put theirs hearts in their throats. There was a whole row of minotaurs running together side by side in perfect sync. Their heads were all lowered like a bull at the charge, which revealed another row of minotaurs behind them with shields raised and swords held back, but pointed forward.

" _Move your hooves and run!_ " Applejack yelled.

Nopony needed to be told twice as TJ, Rarity, Applejack, and several other ponies ran for their lives. There were too many minotaurs coming at them at the same time and in too good of sync to attempt to stop them. Or, that is, at least on hoof and by one's self. Several village ponies were at catapults that had been launching projectiles since the battle started. Instead of attacking minotaurs at random, now they were desperately trying to stop this new attack line.

They launched large boulders and even special containers filled with explosive liquids they made, among other items. Some of these projectiles would hit their marks, but it wasn't enough to stop the line as a whole. Many ponies had to abandon their catapults and join those who were already fleeing. Several catapults, along with wagons and other objects belonging to the village got trampled or smashed through or ripped to shreds by the charging line of minotaurs. Quite a few ponies got hit by the line as well, despite their attempts to avoid it, and met similar fates as their village's tools, though not as lethal.

Tired of running, Rarity finally used her magic to teleport herself, Applejack, and TJ out of harm's way. After the charging line passed by were they had been, the three ponies reappeared in the same place. Their moment of rest allowed them to see that ponies not in the path of the charging line weren't exactly safe themselves. They were being struck down by several smaller groups of minotaurs or even by single combatants. One minotaur was even able to manhandle a group of eleven ponies and practically pummel them to the ground.

Ponies were punched, kicked, thrown through the air or into something, beaten down with combos and wrestling take downs. All sorts of tactics were being deployed by the minotaurs to beat down their pony foes.

"What happened?!" Applejack asked in a panic.

"I thought we were doing good!" Rarity added.

"Guess not all of us!" TJ replied.

The stallion screamed out as a minotaur ran up behind him and rammed into his back, shoulder first. TJ was sent spinning several yards through the air before his left side crashed against a tree. He fell to the ground and laid there as he trembled in pain.

" _TJ!_ " Rarity screamed in horror.

"I'll get him!" Applejack said as she began running for TJ.

She didn't get far before a minotaur came running up from her left, swinging an uppercut into Applejack's lower jaw. The stunned Earth pony let out a grunt before dropping to the ground.

" _Applejack!_ " Rarity let out. She turned from her fallen friend to scowl at the minotaur who attacked her. "Why, you brute of a-"

Rarity's insult was left unfinished as she felt a different minotaur's arms wrap around her waist from behind. Rarity screamed out as the minotaur lifted her up into the air and then turned away before dropping her back down on the ground as hard as possible. The bull let himself fall on top of Rarity before he started swinging his right fist into the side of her face. He only got in three hits before Rarity teleported herself away. When Rarity reappeared next to Applejack, she had several bruises around her eye, though she only cared about her southern friend at that moment.

Several other ponies met far worse fates in the battle as their beat down from the minotaurs continued. An example came from Pinkie Pie, who, as clever and slick as she was, began to have trouble. The minotaurs were coming at her, too fast, even for her to properly prepare her cartoon antics to fight them. She got to fire a boxing glove full of rocks on a spring gun at one more bull before it all caught up to her. A different minotaur came up behind Pinkie and grabbed her tail before swinging and smacking her, back first against a tree, making Pinkie Pie scream loudly.

Rainbow Dash then flew in and began swinging her hooves at the minotaur that hurt her friend so badly. After several hard punches, Rainbow Dash flipped backwards, kicking her back hooves up into the minotaur's face and knocking him down and out. After that, Rainbow Dash quickly turned to her fallen friend.

"Pinkie Pie, are you-?!"

Rainbow Dash's question went unfinished and unanswered as several bulls carrying large weapons ran at the pegasus and the fallen Earth pony. One threw a small throwing axe, but it was intercepted by Firefly, who threw it back. She then landed next to Rainbow Dash, putting herself between the minotaurs and the fallen Pinkie Pie. While Rainbow Dash stared at her mom with contempt, she sucked up her emotions and joined in defending Pinkie Pie. The mother and daughter duo then met the minotaurs head on and took the fight to them.

Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle blasted a rather large beam of attack magic, which sent several minotaurs falling to the ground. The alicorn princess allowed herself a moment to stand and catch her breath. She had not stopped fighting since the battle began and it was beginning to take its toll on her. Twilight was exhausted, as were many others who were fighting in this siege. When Twilight Sparkle looked around and saw how badly her side was losing, she took one last breath before standing up with a hard look on her face.

Twilight was preparing to jump right back into the fray when several bolts of lightning struck the ground all around her. As sparks erupted from the ground, Twilight covered her face as she backed away. When the sparks stopped, Twilight Sparkle looked forth and saw two ponies through the smoke, both standing right in front of her. While they smiled at her menacingly, she glared back with defiance. These were the unicorn siblings, Black Lightning and Khaos Fury, who had aligned themselves with the minotaurs.

"Oh, look, another alicorn," Black Lightning practically spat out.

"Never seen you around here before," Khaos Fury said with subtle contempt.

She slowly began stalking around to Twilight Sparkle's left.

"I'm guessing that means, you're not from around here, are you?" Black Lightning said. He slowly began moving to Twilight's right. "You should've stayed away, outsider."

"This is not your fight," Khaos Fury added.

Both unicorns' smiles were replaced by menacing glares. They didn't even try to mask their bad intentions they had for Twilight Sparkle. This didn't phase the violet mare one bit, though.

"If what I heard about what's going on here is true," Twilight Sparkle said with defiance, "then this is everyone in the world's fight!"

"We figured you'd feel that way about it," Khaos Fury said.

With a slight smile and a tiny tilt of his head, Black Lightning added, "Very well."

" _Prepare to die!_ " Khaos Fury shouted.

Both unicorns' horns lit up with auras that were even longer than the horns themselves. They each fired quick blasts of attack magic at Twilight Sparkle, who put up a barrier with her magic. The barrier deflected the blasts, despite how incredibly powerful they were. Twilight then used her magic to teleport herself. She reappeared in front of Khaos Fury, her teeth gritted, and her horn's aura matching Khaos's in terms of length.

The two mares snarled as their glowing horns collided for what would be the first of many times. They pressed their horns against one another very hard as they glared into each other's face. The stare down was interrupted when Black Lightning jumped at Twilight Sparkle and tried to strike her down with his glowing horn. The alicorn managed to teleport to safety before he could even come close. When Twilight Sparkle reappeared, she fired a large beam of attack magic aimed at both unicorns.

Khaos Fury jumped away before activating a defense barrier around her. Black Lightning teleported away before reappearing to the immediate right of Twilight Sparkle. Khaos Fury ran up to the princess's left and the stare down of hateful glares began a new. Only seconds later did Khaos Fury fake a rush like she was gonna attack. Instead, Black Lightning ran forth and tried to hit Twilight Sparkle with his horn.

Twilight easily blocked Lightning's magic covered horn with her own and was quick to do the same when Khaos Fury tried to sneak attack her. From there, it turned into an almost non-stop barrage of swinging, glowing horns. Twilight Sparkle mostly fought defensively, only because she wasn't able to get in a whole lot of chances for offense since she was fighting _two_ other ponies. Whenever she did get a chance to swing her horn at one of her opponents, they were easily able to block her attack. Unfortunately, she also had to move double quick to avoid an incoming attack from her second foe.

Horn swings were aimed high, low, off to the side, at the neck, the head, the shoulder, the legs, the body. Every kind of horn attack you could imagine was used, from spinning swings, to flipping swings, and even straight on stabs. Still, nopony was able to land a direct hit on the other, but it seemed like that would soon change. Because of the extra work she had to do, Twilight Sparkle was tiring much faster than Black Lightning and Khaos Fury. It didn't help that it looked like they had done stuff like this several times before, possibly even more than Twilight herself.

The violet alicorn princess needed a way out and she was becoming desperate for one. Taking a gamble, Twilight Sparkle spread her wings wide, which she hoped would and actually did distract the unicorns she fought, though temporarily. They jabbed at Twilight's wings with their horns, but despite the pain she felt, it was the opening the princess needed. She reared up on her hind legs and shut her eyes as she unleashed a pure bright light of white that flashed directly into Black and Khaos's eyes. The flash was so bright, it even got the attention of other ponies and minotaurs fighting around the three embattled equines.

With her adversaries temporarily blind, Twilight Sparkle was quick to take advantage. She ran forth and flapped her injured wings to aid in a jump. As she sailed passed Black Lightning and Khaos Fury, Twilight Sparkle first kicked out her front hooves and then her back hooves. Both sets hit the unicorns in the sides of their faces, hurting them both a great deal as they screamed out. When Twilight Sparkle landed, she turned around and fired a big beam of attack magic at her still reeling opponents.

However, the two disappeared before the beam could hit them and it instead collided with a ground, igniting a large explosion. Twilight Sparkle looked on in disbelief before the two unicorns reappeared on both sides of her. Khaos Fury shot a beam of attack magic into Twilight Sparkle's right side, while Black Lightning shot from the left. The helpless pony mare screamed out in agony as the beams burned into her, causing much pain. When they finished, Khaos Fury and Black Lightning ran passed Twilight, slashing into her with their horns as they ran.

Twilight Sparkle couldn't withstand the pain dealt to her by the vicious attack of her foes. She fell helplessly to the ground as the two unicorns came up behind her, laughing evilly as they did so. Both Black Lightning and Khaos Fury were prepared to deal, what they hoped would be, the final killing blows on their fallen adversary.

"I must admit, you put up a good fight, sugar flank," Khaos Fury said.

"But now the battle's finished," Black Lightning added. "Or at least it is for you!"

Or was it?

" _Twilight, no!_ " TJ called out.

The Earth pony had found a safe spot to crawl to while he rested and healed up just enough to rejoin the fight. He had been looking for Applejack and Rarity when he saw the light Twilight had made earlier. He followed the source and that was when he found Twilight Sparkle laying at the hooves of Black Lightning and Khaos Fury, who looked ready to finish her off. TJ, however, was more than determined and willing to do anything to make sure that didn't happen. Thus, Thunder Jack, the Earth pony ran forth at Black Lightning and Khaos Fury like a mad pony bent on the two evil equines' elimination.

Unfortunately, he was cut off when a minotaur stepped in between TJ and his goal. The giant bull raised both of his hands, which carried two large, curved knives, one with a hand guard covered in spikes. TJ acted quickly as he spotted a sword in the minotaur's side holster. He slid forth and managed to grab the handle of the sword in his mouth and pull it from its sheath. Once he slid passed the minotaur, TJ quickly jumped up on his hooves and spun around, slicing the minotaur's own side sword across his lower back horizontally.

The minotaur dropped to his knees as he screamed in pain and agony. He was quickly silenced by TJ bucking his back hooves into the back of the bull's head, knocking him out cold. TJ didn't even bother to turn and look at his fallen opponent. Instead, he ran forth as fast as he could, still carrying the sword in his mouth. He was quickly spotted by the ponies he intended to attack.

"Oh, look, here comes another one," Black Lightning said.

"And it's one of the more annoying ones, too," Khaos Fury said.

TJ leaped into the air and came down in between the evil unicorns and Twilight Sparkle. When Twilight's eyes slowly fluttered open, they looked to see the Earth pony stallion standing tall in front of her. This sight brought a smile to her face.

"TJ," Twilight Sparkle whispered.

TJ charged forth without hesitation as he spat his sword out of his mouth and quickly grasped it in his front hooves. He began swinging his sword at Black and Khaos as relentlessly as he could. He even spun around a few times trying to land a mighty swing on the two unicorns. But their magic covered horns easily blocked every blow dealt by the piece of cold, sharp steel. Nonetheless, TJ kept swinging on, determined to both keep them from Twilight and land at least one hit on either of them.

This quest ended when Black Lightning and Khaos Fury swung their horns down and sliced the sword into three different pieces. TJ held the handle and what was left of the sword as the two other pieces dropped to the ground in front of him. He looked in horror at the two pieces of blade then saw both unicorns staring at him with wicked smiles on their faces. TJ looked back with a fearful smile of his own.

"Uh-oh," TJ muttered.

Black Lightning and Khaos Fury both shot beams of attack magic at TJ, the force of which sent him flying. TJ screamed out both from the burns and the force of the beams plowing hard enough into him to send his body sailing away. TJ's body dropped, about ten yards away, to which Khaos and Black let out wicked cackles of pure delight. They basked in the pain they had just caused a pony they absolutely despised. They hated all the ponies of Willowbrook, so it did them good to see how much trouble they and their minotaur forces were causing.

Their joy was interrupted when both unicorns were hit with a large beam of attack magic. Twilight Sparkle quickly jumped in and swung her magic covered horn across both ponies' bodies. Sparks flew from each strike Twilight's horn landed on Black Lightning and Khaos Fury. After four swings of her horn, Twilight Sparkle ended it with a spinning slice that knocked Black Lightning and Khaos Fury off their hooves. Twilight then showered both ponies with several small bolts of attack magic before taking off towards her fallen friend.

"TJ!" Twilight Sparkle called out in concern.

The Earth pony was already trying to push himself back on his hooves. He only got half way before Twilight Sparkle reached him. She bent down next to the trembling pony as she wrapped a foreleg around him and placed a hoof on his chest. Twilight inspected TJ as he moaned painfully.

"Are you alright?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"No sweat, Twi," TJ groaned. "I'm used to taking hits from those two hoof for brains. Or at least you'd think I would be by now."

"Can you stand up?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"With you here, I feel like I could walk through fire," TJ said with a smile.

Twilight Sparkle smiled with gratitude as she gently helped TJ back on his hooves. The two looked at each other for a few seconds, almost forgetting they were in a fight. Then TJ's smile was replaced by a look of fear as a light illuminated in his widened eyes.

"Lookout!" TJ cried as he shoved Twilight down.

Several large bolts of lightning flew over their heads and exploded into the ground passed them. When Twilight Sparkle and TJ looked, they saw, much as they expected, that the source of the lightning was Khaos Fury and Black Lightning. Both sinister ponies stalked over to TJ and Twilight as menacingly as possible.

"Well isn't this just precious?" Khaos Fury asked sarcastically.

"Decent efforts on both your parts," Black Lightning said. "But clearly they were for not. Then again, that could be said about all you ponies and your trying to stop us. I mean, look around you."

Black Lightning waved a hoof as Twilight and TJ looked at the battle going on around them. For every two hits the villagers made against the minotaur army, the bulls of war had at least a dozen on them. One Earth pony was lifted up high in a military press before the minotaur launched him through the air. One pegasus stallion was held by a minotaur while the other either punched him across the face or in the gut. Scenes similar to this were playing out all around, despite the fact that no pony life was yet taken, and it seemed hopeless.

"Resistance is futile," Black Lightning said.

"You cannot possibly hope to beat a superior force," Khaos Fury said boldly.

"I hate to admit it, Twilight, but they got a point," TJ said. "We're outnumbered."

"Out gunned, out classed, and not to mention basically outdone," Khaos Fury added gleefully.

"It's true," Twilight Sparkle admitted. "And that means there's only one thing that can save us now."

"Yeah," TJ agreed. "I just hope Fluttershy realizes this in enough time to call him before it's too late. Whadda say until then, we keep fighting with all we got?"

"Right behind you!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

With that, the two ponies ran at Khaos Fury and Black Lightning to continue their bitter struggle.

Elsewhere, Rainbow Dash and Firefly were moving like lightning as they fought like twenty ponies against several minotaurs. They flew, ran, jumped, and even flipped through the air to throw a multitude of punches and kicks at the next minotaur. They were still covering Pinkie Pie, despite her now being good enough to stand on her hooves. Unfortunately, the non-stop fighting was beginning to catch up, as Rainbow Dash seemed to be slowing ever so lightly. A minotaur with one of the smaller knives these savages wielded manged to get a small cut on Rainbow Dash's right wing.

" _Ahh!_ "

Firefly heard Rainbow Dash's pain filled scream and rushed to her aid. The pink furred pegasus threw punches at speeds she'd never reached before in terms of punching. It didn't take long to get the minotaur reeling back and forth in a daze. Firefly followed up by flipping backwards, kicking her back hooves up into the minotaur's lower jaw and dropping him in the dirt. Unfortunately, Firefly was soon met with a horrified surprise when it seemed like the daughter she was fighting to protect was lunging at her.

What actually happened was Rainbow Dash rolled off Firefly's back and kicked her back hooves into the face of a minotaur that was coming at them. The minotaur let out a wilhelm scream as he was knocked, head first, into the ground. Another minotaur came up and raised an axe to the two pegasi. But a loud 'BOP!' rang in the air before the minotaur was planted face first in the dirt. Revealed to be standing behind him was Pinkie Pie with a pink billy club.

"Pinkie Pie, you're okay!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed with relief.

"I am now, thanks to you two," Pinkie Pie said gratefully.

"But what about you, Rainbow Dash?" Firefly said with concern. "That cut could've been nasty. Let me look at it for a second."

"Don't try and do this right now!" Rainbow Dash barked. "Now's not the time for this forced mother and daughter stuff! There'll be time to bleed and check wounds and failed re-connection stuff later. Right now, we fight!"

Rainbow Dash flew off, followed by Pinkie Pie after she offered Firefly an apologetic shrug. Firefly looked on as sad as anypony could ever be.

"Okay," Firefly said, despite no one being there.

Elsewhere, Moon Bright and Muse were running like crazy with Fluttershy flying ahead of them as their guide. For the most part they had been able to avoid direct contact with the fight going on around them. There were close calls where they almost got caught in the skirmishes of others, but they were able to avoid doing so. For a while they were actually able to stay ahead of the battle, but now it was all around them. This made it more difficult for the trio, who were heading for Moon Bright's hut where she had something hid that she hoped would end this particular fight.

It got so bad, that they could no longer avoid direct contact with the battle. A minotaur carrying a large battle axe and a claymore sword in his hands jumped in front of them. He held up both mighty weapons as he let out a war cry of epic proportions. At first, Fluttershy was beyond terrified. She was frozen stiff with wide eyed fear.

But she was snapped out of it when she heard the screams of Muse behind her. Fluttershy turned and saw the fear instilled in the young alicorn, which seemed to trigger something inside her. Fluttershy turned back to the minotaur, looking as angry as ever as she flashed him her legendary ' _stare_ '. The minotaur was instantly frozen in place, unable to move an inch or look away from Fluttershy's glaring, disapproving eyes. Moon Bright took advantage and blasted a beam of attack magic into the minotaur's chest, knocking him to the ground.

Fluttershy looked to the unicorn behind her and they both smiled and nodded approvingly to each other. Then all three ponies continued their trek through the battlefield that was Willowbrook. As they ran on, all three ponies looked around them at the horrors of the war going on. It was more than any of them could take.

"Are we almost there, Moon Bright?!" Fluttershy called out over the sounds of war.

"Just about!" Moon Bright answered. Her eyes widened. "We can use that ramp to get up into the trees where our hut is!"

Moon Bright pointed a hoof, which Fluttershy followed to see the ramp the village leader was talking about.

"Alright then, let's go!" Fluttershy called out.

The trio changed course for the wood and rope structure that would lead them up to the bridges and balconies above in the trees. They were quickly cut off by a whole group of minotaurs. Four blocked the ramp while two more came up behind the ponies. Moon Bright immediately jumped in and began blasting at the minotaurs around her, her daughter. and Fluttershy. As the struggle between Moon Bright and the minotaurs went on, Muse and Fluttershy watched in fearful horror.

"Aren't you going to help your mom?!" Fluttershy asked.

Muse looked to the fight, though it was clear she did _not_ want to get involved. Though it was also clear she feared for her mother's life, but she couldn't bring herself to join the fray.

"Sh- She looks like she has everything under control," Muse managed to stammer out.

Fluttershy couldn't take it any longer. She grabbed the club of one of the fallen minotaurs. Despite how heavy it was, Fluttershy hoisted it forth with a cry of desperation. The wooden, spike covered object slammed into the front of the knees of two minotaurs that had yet to fall. After a blast by Moon Bright, the two minotaurs were dropped to the ground.

That was the last of that particular group of minotaurs, though there wasn't anytime for celebrating. They had to hurry and resume their trek to Moon Bright and Muse's hut. But they couldn't even do that either. After the fight, it seemed like Moon Bright could barely keep herself on her hooves. She was breathing heavily and her whole body was trembling in pain like it could fall apart at any moment.

Fluttershy and Muse both ran up to Moon Bright and carefully tried to check on her.

"Are you okay, Moon Bright?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, I'm fine," Moon Bright said. "I just hurt a little is all. Oh, and I'm old."

"Are you really okay, Mom?" Muse asked, despite knowing the answer.

"No, I'm not," Moon Bright answered with a sob. "My body feels like it's breaking into a million pieces. I can't breathe at all. And I can't even take care of the ponies I'm suppose to both as a mom and a village leader. I mean, look at all this!"

Fluttershy and Muse all turned to look out at the war going on around them, though they knew what they would see. They had seen it all before while running for their lives and seeing it again wasn't any easier. The ponies, though they fought with all their might, were still struggling against the clearly superior fighters that were the minotaurs. Close by, Fluttershy even saw a minotaur jump forth at a flying pegasus and kick his hoof directly in the pony's face. When the pegasus fell to the ground, the minotaur began beating him with a billy club.

Muse turned away as she cried on her mom's shoulder, whereas Fluttershy's head lowered in sadness. She let out a small sob as her eyes shut tight, a single tear rolling from her eye down her face before dropping to the ground. Fluttershy's eyes then opened as she glared on and lightly nodded her head.

"I should've done this a long time ago," Fluttershy said.

The weeping Moon Bright and Muse looked to Fluttershy in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Muse asked in between sobs.

Fluttershy then lifted her head as she sang out a small series of notes. Upon doing this, her throat lit up with a pink, glowing aura that immediately faded away when she stopped singing. This confused both mother and daughter even more.

"What was that?!" Moon Bright asked.

"In what did you do it for?" Muse added.

"You'll see," Fluttershy answered.

Meanwhile, the bitter struggle between the duos of Black Lightning and Khaos Fury, and Twilight Sparkle and TJ raged on. TJ had just tackled Black Lightning to the ground, after which, the two wrestling stallions rolled across the ground for a little bit. When it was done, TJ came out on top of Black Lightning and took advantage by punching him repeatedly in the face. After four or five hits, Black Lightning used his horn to create a bright flash of light. It was so bright, it made TJ scream out as he grabbed at his burning eyes, allowing Black to use a teleportation spell and escape.

At the same time, Twilight Sparkle and Khaos Fury were swinging their horns at each other like crazy. They would ocassionally stop only to try and shoot several types of magical blasts at one another. Neither one managed to hit a bullseye, either because of a barrier spell, a teleportation spell, or jumping and moving out of the way in time. The two ran up and practically smashed their horns into each other's. Both had gritted looks of angry determination as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"You're no match for me, little filly!" Khaos Fury growled. "You should've never come to this island! But since you have and interfered with our plans, now you'll pay in the worse way! _I'll rip out your heart!_ "

" _Try it, cracked hooves!_ " Twilight Sparkle spat back.

The two growled loudly as the magic flow to their horns increased. It eventually ignited in a pulse that sent both ponies skidding backwards on their hooves. Both managed to stay standing as they glared on hatefully. Both charged up their horns and shot giant beams of attack magic at each other. The two continuous beams collided with each other, leading to a beam war.

Both mares concentrated with all they had in an attempt to push their beam forth. Each beam would only budge forth a little before being forced back into the middle. It seemed like the two were evenly matched, despite one being an alicorn princess. How a normal unicorn could hold her own against such a pony was a mystery. The only explanation could be that this Khaos Fury was a not so normal unicorn after all.

Whatever the reason was, Khaos Fury was stacking up to Twilight Sparkle quite well so far. It seemed like there was no end in sight for their beam war. That was why it was so surprising when it did end, mostly because of what ended it. A loud, bellowing noise that emanated from within the Willowing Forest echoed through the air. This caught both Twilight and Khaos off guard, as it did everyone else.

The two immediately ceased fire while everyone around them stopped everything they were doing as well. The sound was that loud, that mighty, and that attention demanding. The same was true for the following rumbles in the ground that only got louder and shook the earth harder as they went on. This was shortly followed by the sound of trees being moved aside and desperately trying not to break and fall. There wasn't a spine that wasn't tingling as these sounds, that were clearly that of a large creature's approach, rang on.

Pretty soon the sight of those trees being moved aside could be seen. It was amazing to see trees, the likes of those two hundred foot tall old growths being shoved aside. Though it was nothing compared to the creature moving them so he could walk through. Some saw the beast in his entirety as soon as he came into the clearing. For others, it played out in their mind like the image was far away but got closer like a framed picture being shoved at them.

Then there were those that saw the beast's mighty feet first and slowly looked up the massive monster's body until they saw his head. More specifically, they saw his reptilian and very intimidating face. They then saw as the monster opened his mouth to let out a loud, echoing, high pitched roar to announce his presence. _Godzilla had arrived!_

* * *

 **THIS IS SO EXCITING, ISN'T IT?! And now GODZILLA's arrived! Now it's gonna be a party! Hope you're all excited for the next chapter! I know I am!**

 **Before I go on, 2 things I want to get off my chest. To one reader, you know who you are, stop with all this "it's about time" or "took you long enough" crap. I don't appreciate it. You're lucky to get this at all (assuming you still enjoy it that is). Plus it's free. You're not paying for it, so don't be sounding impatient. There were actually times I considered not posting something for several months intentionally because of it. But I didn't for many reasons, one being it would be unprofessional... even though I'm not a professional, but it's a writer's honor type of thing.**

 **Second, why does everyone think they need to tell me how many forms Hedorah has? I already know. I've watched Godzilla vs. Hedorah several times. I own the mother fucker. It's not one of my favorite Godzilla movies, but I still own it and like the kaiju in it. So expect me to do justice to the material, folks.**

 **Sorry to rant. I get frustrated like any other person does. But I won't let it keep me from writing this story (which I still love to write by the way). And I hope my whininess won't keep you all from enjoying this story. If you do (which I hope is true) or even if you don't enjoy this chapter, I still hope you leave a review after reading. Also, please let me know of any grammatical errors I may have missed in proofreading so I can correct them. I am The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	12. Chapter 12: Battle of the Giants

The King of Monsters had made his long awaited first appearance on Pony Tale Island. It was every bit as attention stealing as one would assume. Godzilla stood at the edge of the clearing in the forest, which led into the village of Willowbrook. The mighty beast of beasts let out a low, growling roar that ended with a bellow as he raised his head. He then lowered his head down as he let out a shorter, high pitched roar and his yellow eyes looked all around.

As was to be expected almost every pair of eyes were locked on Godzilla in a fear filled, almost trance-like stare of horror. Nearly everyone's bones shook and their muscles trembled, they wanted to run away so bad. But none who feared Godzilla could find the will to make themselves move. They were frozen in place by the very same fear that made them want to run. They were afraid should any of them move before this giant monster did, it would invoke his wrath.

The only ones who didn't feel this way at all were the members of the Mane Six, along with TJ. They all smiled with joy at the grand arrival of Godzilla. They had known he was coming, but they didn't know exactly when he would arrive. When the previous battle had started, they had all hoped that Godzilla would come soon. Now here he was, his presence having made all the fighting stop with all the locals looking on in great fear of this kaiju of mighty magnitude.

The one who had the best idea of when Godzilla would actually be arriving was Fluttershy, for she had called out to him. She knew it was likely he'd arrive on his own, but the ponies of Willowbrook were running out of time. So Fluttershy called forth the great giant and she couldn't have been happier about it. Fluttershy was probably the happiest of all to see Godzilla in fact. Nearly everypony else around TJ and the Mane Six didn't exactly feel the same way, though.

The ponies of Willowbrook, who the Mane Six and Godzilla came to aid, trembled in fear at the sight of the Kaiju King. They had never seen him before and every kaiju they had seen up to that point was always bad news for them. So, despite already being informed ahead of time that a new kaiju was coming, they cowered at Godzilla; they couldn't help themselves. Who could when gazing at a three hundred foot tall plus, reptilian monster as imposing as Godzilla for the first time? They were all so small in comparison, even the minotaurs who had towered above the ponies were dwarfed by the monster, who the bulls also feared a great deal.

The only ones who were just as shocked as they were afraid, though they'd never admit it, were Khaos Fury and Black Lightning. Nothing could keep their mouths shut or their eyes small at that moment. Most of their shock stemmed from the fact that they had seen this monster once before. Not too long ago they witnessed, through a magic crystal ball, this beast destroy one of their lesser kaiju in a fight that took place far away from their island. Yet here he stood now and all signs were pointing to him not exactly being on their side.

"K-k-k-Khaos," Black Lightning stammered out. "Uh- uh Are y-you... seeing what I'm seeing?"

"Yes," Khaos Fury responded in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Th- That thing," Black Lightning said. "The one that killed Kamoebas... It's here!"

"I know," Khaos Fury said in a voice with a light growl of agitation to it.

"But... how... and why?!" Black Lightning said.

"I don't know!" Khaos Fury shouted. Then her eyes widened further. "Unless..." The evil unicorn mare turned to Twilight Sparkle and TJ, who were both still smiling. "It can't be... He... He's with you?" Khaos asked as she pointed a hoof to the monster.

Twilight Sparkle and TJ both nodded their heads.

"Yep," Twilight said as confident as ever.

Khaos Fury's eyes widened further. "Impossible!... Then... you're from Equestria!... Aren't you?"

"Yes we are!" Twilight Sparkle announced proudly. "We came here to help these poor ponies when we learned you and these evil minotaurs were oppressing them! Such injustice will not be tolerated any longer! You evil toads just met your match! There's two thing you apparently didn't know about this world!

"One is my friends and I! The other is... _Godzilla!_ "

At that moment, the ever so awesome Godzilla raised his head and let out a deep, low pitched, bellowing roar that rang loud and proud through the air. While the Mane Six and TJ all cheered, the majority of the crowd looked on fearfully. Only some actually had the ability to be confused at the cheering for the monster at that moment. Among those were Firefly, Moon Bright, and Muse, who looked to the Mane Six members nearest to them that were cheering.

"Fluttershy?" Moon Bright managed to gasp out. "Is that... the monster you were telling us about?"

"Is that Godzilla?" Muse asked.

"Yes it most certainly is," Fluttershy said before Godzilla roared out again. "And don't worry, he's on our side. I know you both were told before, but the looks on your faces say I should probably remind you."

Elsewhere, Firefly was looking to both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie in confusion, though the fear was still plain to see on her face.

"What is that thing?" Firefly let out.

"That's Godzilla!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily.

" _The G-Dude!_ " Rainbow Dash shouted out loud.

Twilight Sparkle used a voice amplifying spell before speaking.

" _Ponies of Willowbrook, have no fear. That monster is on our side. We brought him here with us to help save you from the evil clutches of these vile bulls. You were told of him before, but now I want to properly introduce you to him. He's the best friend you'll ever have, I promise you._

" _Fillies and gentlecolts, I give to you, the King of all the Monsters... I give you... GODZILLA!_ "

The entire time Twilight Sparkle was talking, Godzilla had been nodding his head as if to reassure the ponies that what his alicorn friend was saying was true. The folks of Willowbrook were surprised to see that the giant actually seemed to be smiling, too. Despite it belonging to a monster, it was a warm, friendly sort of smile, not at all threatening in anyway, shape, or form. And just like that, as impossible as it may sound, all the ponies' fears were gone. In place of their fearful faces were smiles of relief, and joy, which they felt with every inch of their being.

Godzilla then lifted his head and let out a roar, which drew applause and cheer from the ponies in the crowd. The minotaurs, on the other hoof, were not so lucky. They were now more scared than ever.

"I am so glad I wore my brown pants today," one minotaur managed to mutter out.

Most of the others with him were not so lucky.

" _Sick 'em, Godzilla!_ " Twilight Sparkle called out before cutting off her voice amplifying spell.

The charge was sounded and Godzilla was ready to go, as he announced his march with a roar. Then came the first step, the first mighty, earth shaking, all so powerful step as Godzilla made his way into Willowbrook's interior. The minotaurs all took this as their cue to start running for their lives. Most of them dropped their weapons before turning to run in the opposite direction of Godzilla, screaming as they did so. Some ponies, however, weren't willing to let them get off so easily.

Rarity, who stood next to Applejack, shot her horn into the back of a fleeing minotaur, sending him sprawling to the ground. Applejack followed up by sticking out her back legs, tripping a minotaur running by. He ended up crashing into two other bulls fleeing like cowards. Applejack then ran up to another bull and jumped into the air, kicking her back hooves into his face. Then Rarity and Applejack jumped up into the air together and kicked their back hooves into the faces of three different minotaurs.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had picked up a mace that a minotaur had dropped and flew off as she started swinging it at any bull she could. Pinkie Pie got out her billy club and went after Rainbow Dash, followed by Firefly carrying a sword. All around, this newfound courage caught on as ponies rose up and started fighting back against the fleeing minotaurs. Twilight Sparkle and TJ even began taking down minotaurs that got close enough to them. Twilight used her magic, while TJ used the natural super strength that seemed to come with being an Earth pony.

It actually amused Godzilla how he didn't really have to do anything at that point. All he did was walk and the minotaurs were running scared while the ponies did all the work he was brought in to do. If Godzilla could laugh, he probably would've at that moment. Instead, he continued doing whatever he thought he could to look scarier to the bad guys, despite being quite a sight just standing there. Godzilla let out a roar, as if to announce the ponies' victory.

This was also Fluttershy's cue to get her little group back on track to doing what they were before.

"Uh, Moon Bright, Muse," Fluttershy said, "I think maybe it's time we get back to heading for your hut. That is, if you still think we need to do what you wanted to before."

"Uh..." was all Moon Bright could say at first.

Her eyes, along with Muse's were still locked on the amazing sight that was Godzilla.

"Uh... Muse?" Fluttershy said questioningly. "Moon Bright?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," Moon Bright said, having finally snapped out of her daze. "Of course! Every little bit helps. Yeah, we should definitely do that... Except..."

"What, Moon Bright?" Fluttershy inquired.

The blue unicorn had a very embarrassed look on her face to the point where she nearly turned red.

"I had a little... _accident_ when Godzilla showed up," Moon Bright admitted. "Now I'm afraid to move."

"Oh," Fluttershy said with a blank look on her face. "So that's what I was smelling."

"Uh... I had an accident, too," Muse admitted. Both Moon Bright and Fluttershy looked to the alicorn, who stared back defensively. "Hey, that's a big, freaking monster, okay?! I didn't know he was on our side! He scared the heck out of me.

"Not to mention the-"

"Girls, it's okay, I understand," Fluttershy said. She then leaned in and whispered, "I did the same thing the first time I met Godzilla."

Both mares looked to the yellow pegasus in shock as she looked away with an embarrassed smile.

"Yeah," Fluttershy said softly.

"No way, really?" Moon Bright asked.

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Fluttershy recited as she did the theatrics that came with the Pinkie promise.

"Huh?" Moon Bright and Muse said together.

"I'll explain later," Fluttershy said. "Right now we need to get moving."

"Right!" Moon Bright and Muse said before the trio took off again, being sure to avoid the messes that were made.

Black Lightning and Khaos Fury slowly turned from the awesome sight of Godzilla and looked around as their forces fled and were beaten like fools. Seeing the ponies rise up again when they had come so close to being defeated angered both Khaos Fury and Black Lightning beyond all belief. Khaos Fury's anger seemed to show the most, while Black Lightning still displayed the fear he felt for Godzilla. The gray furred unicorn mare was seeing red and it almost seemed like she was about to breath fire like a dragon. The infuriated Khaos Fury lifted her fore hooves into the air and screamed loudly.

" _How can this be?!_ " Khaos Fury cried. " _We almost had them!_ "

"Uh, Khaos, my dear sister?" Black Lightning said. "I do share your anger and your pain. But, uh... clearly this isn't the time, nor the place to dwell on it. May I suggest we make haste and head back for the base before we meet out maker?"

Khaos Fury looked to her brother with dagger-like eyes.

"We're not going anywhere!" Khaos Fury said. "We're gonna stay and fight these ponies until we've beaten them down into the ground!... But we won't do it alone." A wicked smile crossed Khaos Fury's face. "You know what I mean."

"The signal?" Black Lightning asked.

"Yes," Khaos Fury said as she slowly nodded her head.

"Solomon?" Black Lightning inquired further.

"Yes," Khaos Fury said. "We'll watch him make an endless supply of wallets out of that lizard they call Godzilla... Then we'll finish off these ponies. _They will all die like the dogs they are!_ "

Black Lightning flashed an evil smile that matched his sister's.

" _Alright, let's do it!_ " Black Lightning said. "It's time these outsiders saw what true power looks like!"

The two unicorns' horns lit up, after which they lightly tapped them together three times. Each time they touched, a bright flash of light illuminated the space around them. This got the attention of many others around the evil unicorns, including Godzilla, who looked on in confusion. Another who saw the lights was a specific minotaur, who knew right away what it meant. The other minotaurs did, too, but only he could actually do something about it.

The lone minotaur looked around before reaching into a side pouch that was strapped on him. What he pulled out looked to be extremely out of place. It was a small radio transmitter with an antenna on top, which the minotaur pulled out to its full length. Then the minotaur pressed his thumb against the button on the side of the small transmitter, which made a small beep as it sent out a signal. The minotaur pushed the antenna back into the radio, then out it back in his pouch before giving one last evil smile and running off with the rest of the minotaurs.

"It is done," Khaos Fury said. "I can feel it."

"Then that means all that's left to do is wait," Black Lightning said.

Khaos Fury looked to her brother as if he said something offensive.

"The heck with that!" she said. "We're gonna go find those two fools we were fighting before and _crush them into dirt!_ "

"Okay, sis, I'm with ya!" Black Lightning said quickly, so as to appease his psychotic sister.

As the two evil ponies ran off to find Twilight Sparkle and TJ, Godzilla had ceased his approach. Most of the minotaurs were gone now, having ran off in fear of the kaiju's presence. Those that were left were either being beaten down by ponies or were dead. Godzilla didn't want to get too much further into Willowbrook's interior because of all the ramps and bridges and stuff he saw. He didn't want to accidentally destroy any of the village's architecture, however little of it there may have been.

Instead Godzilla looked around for all his friends in the crowd. He spotted Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie trying to shove a stick up the back end of a hog tied minotaur. Then he saw Applejack and Rarity standing on a wagon that laid atop several minotaurs. The one he couldn't find was Fluttershy, who he wanted to see the most. She saw him, though, despite being a distance away and heading in the opposite direction.

Fluttershy, Muse, and Moon Bright all kept stealing glances back at the incredible sight of Godzilla. The Kaiju King's eyes ended up falling upon Twilight Sparkle and TJ. This made him a little happy, at least until he spotted another duo of ponies come up to them. He watched both unicorns blast Twilight and TJ with their attack magic, which invoked his fury. Godzilla let out a roar as he began making his way over to put a stop to the two unicorns hurting his friends.

Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle and TJ were both thrown through the air by the force of the spark filled explosions made by Black and Khaos's magic blasts. Both ponies screamed all the while they flew before dropping to the ground. It took both ponies a little bit before they were able to move at all. When they finally stirred and started to get back on their hooves, they didn't even get halfway before more small explosions went off all around them. Twilight and TJ looked to each other to make sure they were okay before turning to see Khaos Fury and Black Lightning trotting up to them menacingly.

"You two might as well stay down," Black Lightning said. "No matter if you get up or not, you can't win."

"Doesn't seem that way from where I'm standing," TJ said. "Or at least where I will be standing when I get up."

The Earth pony and Twilight both forced themselves back up on their hooves. They were held up by shaky legs and their bones and muscles ached like crazy. But both ponies were able to take it.

"In case you haven't noticed," Twilight Sparkle said, "you're not exactly in a winning position yourselves!"

"If anything, we're more likely to win than you are," TJ added."

"Your army ran off and any of them still here are laying in the dirt," Twilight Sparkle said. "Plus, we have a monster here that you just ticked off."

"Face it, kiddies, you ain't coming out on top in this one," TJ said.

"Things can change in an instant," Black Lightning said.

"Don't be so sure of yourselves, my little ponies," Khaos Fury spat. "You forget, you're not the only ones with monsters at your disposal."

"I don't see one here right now," TJ said.

"Give it a moment," Khaos Fury replied.

Suddenly, the shadow of Godzilla fell over the four ponies. They looked to see the angrily snarling beast gazing down on them. His eyes were like daggers pointed directly at Khaos Fury and Black Lightning.

"How about that?" TJ asked mockingly. "You were right."

"Just wait," Khaos Fury said confidently with a smile to match. "He'll have a playmate here to roughhouse with soon enough."

"Oh, yeah, we got more company coming on its way right now!" Black Lightning said psychotically.

Godzilla let out a roar cutting off the evil ponies as he prepared to teach them a lesson they wouldn't soon forget. But just as he was starting to move in closer, he was cut off by what sounded like an unearthly scream of a roar. It sounded almost demonic and chilled everypony to the bone, even Khaos and Black despite them still smiling. For the village ponies, it was a warning they had heard several times before that always foreshadowed trouble for them. For the Mane Six, it was a sound they'd never heard before, so for them the mystery of its source was just as frightening.

What made it worse was that it sounded like whatever made the noise was very big. It was hard to tell exactly which direction it was coming from, which meant whatever made the sound could be anywhere. Several ponies zipped their heads around looking for what made the roar while others were too scared to move. Then all of a sudden, a large gust of wind fell over the area. At the same time, a shadow passed over and the roar rang out again.

Twilight Sparkle looked up, but barely caught a glimpse of the creature above. Really all she saw was a dark silhouette, though soon she would be able to see more. The gigantic creature dropped from the sky and to the ground below, causing a loud rumble that shook the ground. Now the newly arrived giant monster was easy for everyone to see as it lifted its arms high and let out a demonic roar. Godzilla responded immediately, as if he had to to respond to any and all challenges this new beast might make.

This creature had a very similar physical build to a human body trainer. He had a barrel chest, a muscular abdomen, large muscular arms, and powerful looking legs. But while the basic shape was the same, everything else was far from human. Hanging from its arms were large, bat-like wings that were spread out for all to see. The monster was mostly covered in blue fur, except certain places where its gray skin was exposed.

There was no fur on either sides of its wings with their inner sides being gray and the outer sides being blue. Its kneecaps, its two clawed feet, its large chest, the inside of its palms on his four clawed hands, and its head were all hairless. This allowed all to see its face, which almost looked like a demonic skull face. It had glowing red eyes and razor sharp fangs that jutted out of its mouth, four bigger than the others with two on top and two on bottom. What was worse was its face seemed to be stuck in a sickening grin as if to bask in how unaplogetically evil it looked.

Being nearly as tall as Godzilla, this creature was a sight to fear, which the ponies all did. They all trembled at the horrifying sight of this beast. The village ponies had all experienced his horrors before. The Mane Six were seeing this evil being for the first time. This encounter was just as terrifying for both parties.

"TJ... is that...?"

Twilight Sparkle never got to finish.

"Sugar flank... you and your outsider friends meet Solomon," Khaos Fury announced before she let out an evil laugh.

"He's even worse than you said he would be," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Words will never truly be able to capture the horrors of this beast," TJ said. "What we're looking at here is one of the most truly evil creatures to ever exist on the planet."

"That's right!" Black Lightning said. "And it's the power of that evil that will allow him to crush you all. That includes that Godzilla lizard of yours you cherish so much."

"Now you just hold on a moment," Twilight Sparkle said, the strength returning in her voice. "While that Solomon demon may be pretty scary, he's still nothing to Godzilla. It doesn't matter if he's uglier or not, his power is still no match for Godzilla's! Solomon will fall and Godzilla will win!"

"Well, we'll just see about that," Black Lightning said with a laugh.

"But you'll be seeing it from the ground!" Khaos Fury inserted. "Right before we put you six feet under it! Time to die now, little ponies!"

Both sets of ponies took battle stances as they prepared to fling themselves at each other with every inch of fight they had left. But then suddenly, TJ's demeanor changed as he stood up straight.

"Uh, how about we finish this _not_ in between two monsters about ready to try and rip each others guts out?" TJ suggested.

The other three ponies looked to the Earth pony stallion with blank looks on their faces. Several seconds went by before TJ got a response.

"Good thinking on your part," Khaos Fury admitted.

Twilight and Black Lightning agreed as they nodded their heads. Then everypony went back to fighting mode as Twilight Sparkle used her magic to teleport herself and TJ away. At the same time, Khaos Fury and Black Lightning used their own magic to teleport themselves after their opponents. When both duos reappeared, they were standing nearly smack dab in the middle of Willowbrook. This was much far removed from the border of the village where Godzilla and Solomon still were.

Their fight began a new with Twilight Sparkle and Black Lightning running up to each other and clashing their glowing horns together yet again. At the same time, Khaos Fury and TJ ran up and began kicking their front hooves at each other like crazy. It wasn't long before Khaos realized she could never hope to match the physical strength of an Earth pony. So Khaos Fury used her magic to disappear, much to the aggravation of TJ who tried to find her again. When Khaos Fury reappeared, it was at TJ's side where she tried to jab her horn into him, though she failed and their physical fight began again.

Meanwhile, ever since Solomon's grand entrance, neither he, nor Godzilla had budged an inch. They stood their ground and stared across the way at one another, glaring and snarling all the while. Both kaiju knew right away that the other was a foe. They knew they were meant to try and take each other down like the savage animals they were in a battle for dominance. There were other reasons, too, but in that moment those reasons didn't seem to matter as much.

Godzilla held his hands at his sides, fangs bared, and eyes glowering at his demonic looking opponent. Solomon was a near copy with his own battle stance, his wings folded back at the time. His own face was a hard scowl, despite still appearing to have a sadistic looking smile. Both creatures began to emit low growls that got louder as they went on. Finally both Solomon and Godzilla threw their arms back as they raised their heads to the air and let out their own loud battle calls.

With that attention stealing exchange, the two kaiju struck quick battle poses before they charged forth at each other. All other activity ceased as all pony eyes locked on the two giants destined to collide. The kaiju stared dead ahead at each other as their earth shaking battle marches brought them closer to each other. Godzilla and Solomon crashed against one another before they grasped each others shoulders. They squeezed tight and dug their claws into each others flesh as they shoved, tugged, and generally wrestled for leverage.

It was only seconds before Solomon and Godzilla reached the same conclusion that this would get them nowhere. Thus they released each other and began throwing punches at their opponent. They mostly aimed for each others heads, though they would also swing for anywhere on the body such as the chest, ribs, and the like. Both swung their punches very savagely, almost like cavemen, though sometimes they seemed aimless, too. Their punches would sometimes end up colliding into each others arms and fists, but they didn't care.

Despite what it may have seemed like, both kaiju knew what they were doing and were determined to punch each others lights out. Both struck hard with punches that looked and felt like they could take out the side of a mountain. Each punch, which seemed like it should be body crushing, let out a sound akin to thunder erupting and echoing on for miles. Just like one would expect, every single one of the punches Godzilla and Solomon received hurt like hell. While half the roars they let out were battle cries, the other half were cries of the pain and agony they were feeling from the punches.

Still, it almost seemed like there was no end in sight, with both monsters seeming determined to crush the others bones into dust. But then, finally, after several savage punches, Godzilla and Solomon ceased their exchange and clasped their hands together high above their heads. The two slowly brought their hands down until they were in front of their chests. During that time and even after, both monsters' hands and arms shook like crazy as both tried pushing forward. Both creatures' gritted their teeth as they continued their greco-roman knuckle lock, growling angrily all the while.

Several moments went by and neither kaiju were able to press forward or gain an advantage. Eventually both must've realized the knuckle lock wouldn't work and they needed a new tactic. This was when the two monsters reared their heads back then swung them forth, smacking them heads into each other. The impact of the collision made a sound that sounded like the world's loudest canon going off. It also sent both kaiju reeling back and stumbling around as they tried to stay on their feet, grabbing at their aching heads all the while.

What was clear was that both kaiju had been knocked silly by their meeting of the minds. It was also hard to tell when they would come out of their haze or who the first would be to do so. That ended up being Godzilla who, despite still being slightly dizzy from the headbutt, charged forth and rammed his body into Solomon's. The demon with wings stumbled, but managed to get his footing and braced himself so he wouldn't fall. Godzilla saw this and rushed forth as he slashed his claws across Solomon's face repeatedly.

After four slashes, Godzilla followed up with a right uppercut planted firmly on Solomon's chin. The kaiju stumbled back from the blow, but then immediately shot back by driving the back of his right elbow into the side of Godzilla's head. Solomon then swung his left elbow forth, driving it into Godzilla's face. Then Solomon swung his right elbow into Godzilla's face twice before swinging his left elbow again. Finally, Solomon spun around for a spinning back elbow that hit Godzilla directly in the snout.

While this combination of blows did hurt Godzilla, it wasn't enough to keep him from firing back. Godzilla wrapped an arm around one of Solomon's and grabbed him in the back of the head. Finally the Kaiju King swung his right knee up into Solomon's gut. Then Godzilla kicked his foot twice into Solomon's kneecap before switching feet and kicking Solomon in his second kneecap. Godzilla then swung his leg into the side of Solomon's before then swinging it into his midsection.

Solomon managed to break himself free of Godzilla's grip and grab him as he drove his knee into the saurian's stomach. As Godzilla cried out in pain, Solomon managed to straighten himself up and get both hands around the back of Godzilla's head. Solomon then began driving his knees into Godzilla's stomach and rib cages. After several MMA-styled knees to the midsection, Solomon pulled Godzilla's head down so he could start driving his knees into his foe's cranium. After three knee strikes, Solomon performed a jumping knee into Godzilla's head, the impact of which forced him to stand up straight again.

Solomon followed up by violently swinging his knee across Godzilla's stomach, making him hunch over in pain. Then Solomon kicked his leg into the side of Godzilla's before spinning around and kicking his right foot into Godzilla's stomach. Finally Solomon kicked his right foot up into Godzilla's snout, making the mighty monster stumble back as he shrieked out in agony.

"What the heck is going on?!" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief. She, along with many other ponies had been watching the fight as it progressed. "I've never seen any kaiju fight like that before!"

"It's the fighting style of the minotaurs," Firefly explained. "They utilize these same tactics in combat all the time. I guess they must've somehow taught Solomon to use them, too. Though how you teach a monster martial arts is a mystery to me."

"Rainbow taught Godzilla how to wrestle and to box," Pinkie Pie mentioned.

"Well I hope that's enough to save him," Firefly said. "Cause right now it looks like Solomon has the edge on him so far."

"Don't count the G-Dude out, Firefly!" Rainbow Dash spat, leaving her mother stunned. "He's got more to him than you'd give him credit for. Just wait and see!"

Solomon swung four uppercuts into Godzilla's lower jaw in a right-left combo before wrapping his left hand around his foe's throat. Solomon grinned wickedly as he drove his right fist into Godzilla's face three times before swinging it upward into Godzilla's lower jaw. While this did make Godzilla reel, it wasn't enough to make him fall. In fact, he almost seemed to recover instantly from the combo of punches as he charged forth, driving his head into Solomon's chest. This attack nearly knocked the wind out of the demon with wings as he grasped at his chest and gasped for breath.

Godzilla quickly followed up by swinging around and smacking his tail into Solomon. While he didn't fall, Solomon did stumble back from the force of his foe's mighty tail. Godzilla rushed up to Solomon and unleashed with a gigantic volley of punches. Everywhere Godzilla's fists could reach on Solomon's body, from his chest to his stomach and, of course, his head, he would take a swing. Godzilla threw so many punches so fast that it was impossible to count how many times he actually hit Solomon.

This display of punching power stunned all nearby who watched. While those of the Mane Six watched the fight mostly knowing what Godzilla was capable of, even they were still a bit surprised at how well he was handling his punches. Godzilla finally finished his uncountable combo of punches with a straight right shot to Solomon's throat and a left hook to the side of the head. Godzilla didn't give Solomon a moment's rest as he grasped his evil opponent's throat and right arm. Then, with all of his incredible strength, Godzilla lifted Solomon off the ground and threw him through the air.

Everypony watched in wide eyed amazement and disbelief as Solomon went flying a long distance. Luckily, Godzilla had tossed the evil kaiju so he was heading away from the village and towards the edge of the clearing. He also threw him hard enough so that was exactly where he'd land. The tremendous impact of when Solomon smashed into the ground and was sent tumbling and spinning several more meters afterwards was felt far and wide. It almost made the entire island shake or at least that's what it felt like to everypony there.

The ground shook so hard that everypony had to halt all their activity and try to brace themselves to stay on their hooves. A lot of them weren't successful and ended up dropping, as did several leaves and branches from the trees along with other things dropping or falling apart. Some ponies were afraid their huts, bridges, and the like would also be ripped apart by the impact of Solomon's fall. While their shopping stands and other things on the ground suffered, their system in the trees stayed mostly intact, save for some scratches here and there. The ponies themselves had to take a moment and recover from the impact of what happened.

Even after the ground ceased shaking, many ponies were still trembling as if the ground itself still was. Among the shocked ponies were Khaos Fury and Black Lightning, who's fight with Twilight and TJ was immediately halted when the ground shook. Even after it was all over, they still couldn't believe what happened. They looked in disbelief at the fallen form of Solomon as the beast tried desperately to get up without much success. The kaiju could barely move and inch, he hurt so bad.

Seeing what their monster was reduced to slowly mutated the two evil unicorns' shock into boiling anger. Of the two, Khaos Fury's rage was most on display as she scowled with gritted teeth, glared with hate filled eyes while her whole body trembled angrily.

"Told you to watch out for Godzilla!" Twilight Sparkle boasted.

Khaos growled as she and her brother looked back to see Twilight Sparkle and TJ standing tall. Though they both smiled confidently, it wad clear they were still shaken up by the earth shaking attack from before. In fact TJ was more so looking off to the side at Godzilla and Solomon than the unicorn twins.

"He's beaten kaiju much more powerful than that gargoyle of yours," Twilight Sparkle boasted further.

" _No monster is more powerful than Solomon!_ " Khaos Fury screamed. "Especially not some lizard from Equestria! Just you wait and see! Solomon will get back up and then he's gonna crush your pet _like a bug!_ "

Khaos Fury ran up to Twilight Sparkle and, as the two mares' horns lit up, they began clashing them together like before. This time, the strikes were so hard that sparks flew every time the two horns collided. Black Lightning was about to run up and assist his sister when TJ caught sight of him. The Earth pony stallion leaped through the air and dived at the stunned Black Lightning, tackling him to the ground. TJ sat atop Black Lightning's chest as he started punching his front hooves into the unicorn's face.

Elsewhere, Rainbow Dash was flying around and cheering as happily as could be.

"What did I tell you, Firefly?!" Rainbow Dash said as she pointed a hoof at her mom. "Don't count out the G-Dude! The almighty one himself! He's got this in the bag!"

"Uh... yeah... sure," Firefly said half heartedly .

She wanted to join the celebration, but she couldn't with how Rainbow Dash was treating her at the moment.

"Hmm," Rainbow Dash hummed as she scanned the area. "Doesn't look like we have anymore minotaurs to beat up on."

"We ran into that same problem ourselves," Applejack said as she trotted up with Rarity.

"AJ, Rare, s'up?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed happily.

They, along with Pinkie Pie all joined together for a group hug as they expressed how happy they were to see each other. Firefly looked on with a small smile on her face. It did her good to see her daughter had so many good friends, despite how Rainbow Dash was acting towards her. She didn't really blame her daughter at all really. She watched as the group of friends ended their group hug.

"So, we're out of baddies to beat on, at least for now," Pinkie Pie said. "What're we gonna do in the meantime?"

"Hmm," everypony said as they thought on it.

"Well, we could go try to find the rest of out friends and see if they need help," Rarity suggested.

"I'm with Rare on that one," Rainbow Dash said.

"But how're we gonna find them?" Applejack asked. "This village is so dang big. They could be anywhere."

"We'll find them the old fashioned way, Tex," Rainbow Dash said. "We look for them."

Applejack rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything. The group didn't even get a chance to move a hoof before they caught sight of a sparks show going on not too far away.

"I'll bet you one or more of our friends are in that general direction," Pinkie Pie said.

"Twilight Sparkle," the four friends said together.

"Let's go!" Rainbow Dash barked as she flew off.

The others all ran after their friend, leaving Firefly to stand alone solemnly in silence. Only seconds later she decided to join her daughter and the others, despite Rainbow Dash''s current disdain for her. No matter what, she was still Firefly's daughter and the pink furred mare was determined to be there for her now that she could be. Plus, this village was still her home and she planned on defending it no matter what. With that in mind, Firefly flew after Rainbow Dash and the others at full speed.

Meanwhile, Godzilla roared out as he stomped over to where Solomon fell. As he made his final approach, he saw Solomon was slowly stirring more and more. It started with Solomon just rocking from side to side as if he thought it would help him roll back up on his feet. As Godzilla slowly approached with his stomping march, Solomon was able to just barely start moving his limbs around again. It didn't seem as though he was recovering fast enough, though, for Godzilla was now standing just above his head.

Solomon was gingerly trying to sit up while he also tried to turn onto his hands and knees. Godzilla didn't wait for him, grabbing Solomon's head and turning him onto his knees before he started lifting him up. This turned out to be a big mistake for the King of Monsters. With a sudden rush of energy that nopony saw coming, Solomon quickly rushed to his feet and wrapped his arms around Godzilla's waist. Just as quick, Solomon lifted Godzilla off the ground and swung the reptilian kaiju over his head and through the air.

The overhead, belly-to-belly suplex sent Godzilla crashing into the ground with an impact that, while not as strong as his toss of Solomon, shook the ground. Once again, everypony had to stop what they were doing to get their footing. Twilight, TJ, and their friends nearby looked to see, much to their horror, what had happened to Godzilla. Khaos Fury and Black Lightning, on the other hoof, couldn't have looked more pleased by what they saw.

"See?" Black Lightning said. "You should never underestimate a herald of the light."

Everyone continued to watch as Solomon slowly rolled back up to his feet, moaning and groaning all the while. Once the blue furred kaiju got back to his feet, he still had to take a moment to gather himself so he wouldn't just fall down again. After several seconds, Solomon held his hands up at his side as he took a deep breath. He felt as though he was ready to continue his fight. Solomon then turned to Godzilla when he heard the monster's low growls.

He saw that the saurian was, in fact, already on his hands and knees pushing himself back up on his feet. Solomon snarled in anger as he ran up to Godzilla, kicking his right foot into the Kaiju King's chest with his knee hitting his snout at the same time. Godzilla's head snapped back from the blow, but he still tried to get on his feet. Solomon followed up with several fast thrown right hand punches to the side of Godzilla's head. After seven hard hitting blows, Solomon kicked his left foot into the side of Godzilla's face, making his head snap to the side.

Solomon then quickly reached down and wrapped his arms around Godzilla's arms and waist. He lifted Godzilla up onto his feet before popping his hips and throwing his foe up for yet another overhead, belly-to-belly suplex. Like before, the ground shook as if a god from the clouds above struck his mighty fist against the earth. While everypony was stumbling from the shaking ground, Khaos Fury was able to stay pretty still as she smirked at what she saw. It pleased her even more when she saw Solomon waste no time as he picked Godzilla up off the ground again.

This time when he wrapped his arms around Godzilla, he had one of the kaiju's arms trapped while the other was draped over Solomon's shoulder. Solomon roared out as he once again threw Godzilla for a third and final overhead, belly-to-belly suplex. Everypony, even Khaos Fury and Black Lightning, gaped in open mouthed, wide eyed amazement at what they saw. The ground shook as hard as ever with the crust even cracking and an impact crater forming around Solomon and Godzilla. Nopony could believe their eyes, for this was a fight unlike any they had seen before.

The sheer brutality of how these two kaiju were going at each other was unbelievable. Not since the battle of San Flankciscolt had a kaiju fight escalated like this so quickly. Even then, it didn't seem like it was finished, but was, in fact, just getting started. Solomon sat up before pushing himself back onto his feet. It infuriated the demonic looking kaiju since to see Godzilla already trying to get back up again.

No matter what Solomon did, it seemed like he could not keep Godzilla down for very long. Still, Solomon was beyond determined to finally put Godzilla down for good. He rushed to grab the head of the very slowly rising Godzilla. But then, all of a sudden, faster than thought possible, Godzilla swatted Solomon's hands away before shooting his atomic breath at his foe. Blue and white glowing, irradiated power beam burned, drilled, and exploded into and across Solomon's body as he stumbled back and screamed in agony.

Godzilla stood up straight and roared with fury as he spun around, slamming his tail across Solomon's body and sending him tumbling to the ground. The evil kaiju was able to turn his tumble into a roll that took him up to a knee. Solomon was unable to get himself back to his feet, though. He actually ended up needing to take a moment to try and catch his breath. Every gasp he took was deep and heavy, his body was being pushed so hard.

As much as he needed it, Solomon didn't have a whole lot of time to take a breather before Godzilla's atomic breath came blasting into the front of his body. As a jerk reaction to the explosive, burning, and plowing force of the blast, Solomon sprung up to his feet as he cried out. Godzilla roared angrily as he stomped up and started swinging his fists across Solomon's face. The mighty King of Monsters punched fast and hard, driving his more than mountain hard fists into his opponent's face hatefully. It almost looked like Solomon's head could be caved in or ripped off at any moment, the punches by Godzilla were so powerful.

Eventually Godzilla moved his fists down to Solomon's chest and lower body, the speed of his delivery never slowing. No one knew just how many punches Godzilla threw to Solomon's body, though it looked like it was a great many. Eventually he moved back up to punching into Solomon's face, which eventually just turned to straight right hand punches. After six right hands, Godzilla threw three uppercuts in a right-left combo before ending it with a final right haymaker. The last punch was so hard that, blood flew from the demonic kaiju's mouth.

TJ, the members of the Mane Six, and village ponies who saw all this occur were cheering at the top of their lungs. At the same time, Black Lightning and Khaos Fury looked on in horror and disbelief.

" _He made Solomon bleed!_ " Black Lightning screamed.

" _This is impossible!_ " Khaos Fury screeched in anger.

Suddenly the two unicorns were hit by a beam of attack magic. They looked to see it was not shot by Twilight Sparkle, but by Rarity. She had just arrived on the scene along with Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Firefly.

"Don't ever bet against the G-Dude!" Rainbow Dash boasted.

"But you _can_ bet we're about to take your flanks to the shed right now!" Applejack quipped.

At the same time all the ponies were gathering to take down Khaos Fury and Black Lightning, Godzilla continued his assault on Solomon. He kicked his left foot into Solomon's gut, making him bend over as he grabbed at his aching midsection. Godzilla then roared out as he used his legendary strength to pick Solomon up in his arms. He lifted Solomon up high before turning him upside down and finally slamming him, back first, into the ground. Once more the earth shook and cracked from its meeting with a large creature's body.

Just like all the times before, it seemed like the violent force of the ground's shaking should've torn Willowbrook apart. But the village was, surprisingly, able to stay standing, save for smaller damages here and there. The ponies, however, were thrown around by the unnatural earthquakes just like all the times before. Luckily, the ground shaking had no effects on Rainbow Dash and Firefly, who flew above ground as they pounded their hooves into Khaos and Black. Twilight and Rarity even managed to blast the evil unicorns with their attack magic, despite the shaking.

Meanwhile it seemed like Godzilla's mighty bodyslam didn't have as much effect on Solomon as one would think. Much to Godzilla's surprise, Solomon kicked his left foot up and managed to connect with the end of Godzilla's snout. As Godzilla stumbled back, grabbing at his snout, Solomon managed to roll out of the imprint his body made in the ground and onto his belly. Solomon pushed himself up to his feet and stumbled over to Godzilla before he began punching him in the face. He only got about four punches before Godzilla shoved him back and fired his atomic breath at Solomon yet again.

Solomon stumbled backwards as his adversary's bad breath continued to burn into him. Godzilla stomped after him, never ceasing fire of his thermonuclear blast during his march. This went on for eight straight seconds before Godzilla finally stopped in his tracks and stopped shooting his breath. Solomon fell to one knee, struggling to keep himself from falling the rest of the way as Godzilla roared into the sky triumphantly. He then struck a quick battle pose and roared a challenge at Solomon, daring him to keep fighting.

Elsewhere, the trio of Fluttershy, Muse, and Moon Bright were finally on a bridge that would lead them to the latter two's home. The hut in question was even just up ahead, as if to greet them. Unfortunately, more obstacles came when two minotaurs jumped from a higher bridge above, right in front of the trio. One held a claymore sword while the other held two throwing axes, weapons they both raised as they snarled at the ponies.

"Oh, great, stragglers," Moon Bright said in annoyance as she rolled her eyes. "Can't they take a freaking hint?"

"Apparently not," Muse said.

The minotaur with the claymore tried to rush the three ponies, but was cutoff when Muse fired a small beam from her horn. While the beam stunned the brute, it clearly didn't have the same effect as attack beams shot by other ponies. Moon Bright followed up by shooting one of her own beams into the minotaur's chest. The spark filled burst stunned the minotaur so much he stumbled off balance to the point where he went flying over the side of the bridge. The second minotaur ignored his comrade's screams and tossed an axe at the ponies.

Muse tried to use her magic to stop the axe, but it ended up being Moon Bright who had to stop it with her levitation magic. Moon Bright then used said magic to swing the axe back at the bull who threw it. The blade of the weapon ended up lodging into the minotaur's chest with a loud and sickening 'SLUNK' sound. That unsettling noise was replaced by one even louder, which was the minotaur's screams of pain as he grasped at the axe in his chest. Fluttershy, as horrified as she was, managed to spot how badly the minotaur was stumbling around.

She quickly galloped up and grabbed the injured bull by his legs.

"Celestia, forgive me for this," Fluttershy said before pulling at the minotaur's legs while also pushing her body weight against him.

The minotaur let out even more screams as he felt his body being forced over the side of the bridge. It all happened so fast that he didn't have time to do anything except look on and scream as his body fell to the ground below. Fluttershy, Muse, and Moon Bright all looked away as they heard the minotaur's screams getting further and further away. Eventually they were replaced with a loud crashing sound that came from the minotaur's body meeting solid ground. They were slow about it, but eventually the trio of mares looked to each other before peering over the side at the dead minotaur.

They all quickly looked away from the sight, it horrified them so. Fluttershy was even feeling like she would throw up. In fact she almost did, as she choked and gagged and heaved heavily. She managed to keep her food down in the end.

"That's why I don't get involved," Muse said.

"You mean your magic doesn't work right when you want it, too?" Fluttershy asked. "Or do you mean the killing that comes with fighting?"

"Yes," Muse said before she began galloping for her hut.

Moon Bright and Fluttershy watched her for a moment before they looked to each other. All Moon Bright could do was give a half hearted shrug before she ran after he daughter. Fluttershy watched them for a moment, her eyes conveying several emotions. She didn't give herself time to dwell on any of them, though. Fluttershy soon joined the other mares as they ran to the hut.

Meanwhile, Black Lightning and Khaos Fury were having more than a hard time fighting against seven other ponies. Despite how powerful their magic was, the other team had two powerful magic wielders in their own right. Because of the magical interference from Twilight Sparkle and Rarity, the others were able to move in on the distracted unicorn twins and get several hits on them. Khaos Fury and Black Lightning didn't make it easy for them, though. For every three hits the good ponies got on them, the evil unicorns still managed to get in one powerful magic attack.

They tried using physical attacks early on, but they figured out pretty quick that wasn't gonna help them. They had to rely solely on their magic and even that was proving problematic. While Rarity was not as well versed in attack magic, Twilight Sparkle's mastery of it more than made up for the unicorn's shortcomings. At first the two only attacked Khaos and Black from a distance, but when they saw the pressure mounting on them, they got in closer. Everything that was being thrown at the evil unicorns, from punches, to kicks, to horse bucks, to horn slashes, and magic blasts, it was all mounting up and becoming too much.

The two desperately teleported out of the spot they were in and reappeared behind the group of good ponies. They did not attack, though, for they were unable to in their state. They had to try and catch their breaths. The group of ponies spotted them and turned to face their foes. They stood at the ready to fight whenever the unicorn twins wanted to start again.

"Sister..." Black Lightning said in between heavy breaths, "I want to fight as much as you do... But... given the circumstances... Our army ran away and our monster is on the brink of defeat... I suggest we run away and live to fight another day..."

" _No!_ " Khaos Fury screeched. " _We're not leaving until we see these ponies fall at our hooves and Solomon rips that lizard to shreds and they all die!_ "

It seemed that would be easier said than done. Solomon had just barely stumbled back to his feet when he was hit with another hot blast of Godzilla's atomic breath. Solomon had to use everything within his being to keep from falling to his knees again. Godzilla struck a battle pose as he let out a loud roar. Solomon peered out from behind his raised arms with glaring, glowing red eyes.

The winged demon was beyond furious with the recent turn of events. Because of that, he decided to reveal some of his own secret weapons as Godzilla did with his breath. Solomon roared loudly as he threw his arms out at his sides and his wings unfolded open. The inside of the evil kaiju's opened mouth began glowing bright orange. Before Godzilla knew what was going on or how to react, several giant orbs of glowing energy escaped Solomon's mouth.

The first five orbs hit Godzilla directly in his chest with the last two hitting his head and then his arm as he raised it to protect his face. Each orb exploded with a magnitude unlike any Godzilla could've possibly imagined would come from such objects. A single orb held nearly the same amount of power as a single blast of Godzilla's atomic breath, they were so powerful. Of course, Godzilla felt a tremendous amount of pain as the blasts tore across his body. Burning chunks of Godzilla's flesh were sent flying as blood seeped from the opened wounds on his body.

The sound of the explosions and Godzilla's cries of pain got everypony's attention that the fight didn't already have. This included Khaos Fury, Black Lightning, and all the ponies they were fighting. While the good ponies all gaped in horror at what they saw, wicked grins of sick happiness slowly crossed Khaos and Black's faces. They all watched as Solomon threw his arms back and took a single step forward to roar at Godzilla. Shortly after, Solomon stomped towards Godzilla as fast as his legs could carry his mass.

When he was only a few meters away, Solomon flapped his wings to help lift himself up into the air as he jumped and kicked his feet into Godzilla's chest. Godzilla's arms flailed through the air as he screamed and fell on his back. The earth shook once again as Godzilla crashed into the ground. When the earth ceased shaking, the good ponies all called out for Godzilla, hoping he could recover and get back up. Khaos Fury cackled loudly while her brother just smiled.

"What's wrong, my little ponies?" Khaos Fury asked mockingly. "Did our pet hurt your pet?... Ohh... Well now you're gonna get to witness our monster put yours down for good! Then you all will _die!_ "

Solomon flapped his wings, which lifted him up off the ground while also causing an amazingly powerful gust of wind. Some ponies had to brace themselves to keep from being blown away. Others lifted a hoof to their face to cover themselves and still watch the fight while the rest ran away. Those who stayed watched as Solomon slowly hovered until he was just above Godzilla. Solomon then flapped his wings harder to lift himself higher into the sky and fired more blasts of his orbs at Godzilla before finally letting himself fall.

" _NO!_ " several ponies screamed as they saw Solomon's feet crash into Godzilla's chest.

The King of Monsters tried to scream, but his breath was caught in his aching chest. It wasn't helped any when Solomon jumped up and let his lower body drop onto Godzilla's sternum. As he sat on Godzilla, Solomon angrily swung his fists across his foe's face eleven times. Once his aggravated assault was finished, Solomon used his wings to lift himself up again and fly over to his fallen adversary's tail. Once Solomon landed on the ground, he grasped a hold of Godzilla's tail before letting out a loud scream of rage.

Nearly everypony looked on in horror as Solomon swung Godzilla up in the air by his tail and slammed him down on his other side. The ground gave way, cracking and falling apart under and all around Godzilla's body. Solomon even got caught in the forming crater as he fell down atop his foe's fallen form.

" _Twilight, what are we gonna do?!_ " TJ asked frantically.

"Seriously!" Rainbow Dash chimed in. "Godzilla's down and if even he can't stop that thing, how are we gonna be able to stop the minotaurs when they got it?!"

" _You won't!_ " Black Lightning shouted. Everypony looked to see the evil unicorns staring at them. "Is it finally getting through to your heads?! There is absolutely _no way_ you are going to _win!_ "

" _You're finished!_ " Khaos Fury shouted as she let loose several electrical blasts from her horn. Everypony screamed as they were hit by lightning bolts and knocked to the ground. "You outsiders will soon wish you never came and interfered. And you locals... We'll just have to reteach you the meaning of fear, along with what happens when you try and ruin our plans!"

At the same time this was all going on, Fluttershy, Moon Bright, and Muse were searching desperately through the latter two's hut. Unfortunately they weren't having much luck. They were digging through shelves, cupboards, closets, and bags full of junk and none of it was what they were looking for.

"Sorry to ask this," Fluttershy said, "but... what are we looking for?"

"You'll know it when you see it!" Moon Bright said. "Muse, where did we put it?!"

"I already told you, I don't remember!" Muse called back. "I'm sorry, but we have too much stuff in too small a hut!"

"That's ridiculous!" Moon Bright said. "Our house is bigger than most of the other ponies' around here!"

"It's still small compared to how much junk you like to keep!" Muse called back.

Moon Bright growled in frustration, but continued looking.

 _I'll just have to give her the what for later,_ Moon Bright thought to herself.

"Moon Bright, Muse, come quick!" Fluttershy called out. The two mares rushed over to where they heard the yellow pegasus' voice coming from. "I think I found it," Fluttershy said when the two mares found her.

They saw her holding, much to their surprise and relief, a small, very old looking lock box.

"That's it!" Moon Bright said as she pointed. "That's the box we put it in!"

"Way to go, Fluttershy!" Muse said enthusiastically.

"Yes, thank you so much for your help, sweetie!" Moon Bright agreed as she and Muse gathered closer.

"Oh, it was nothing," Fluttershy said with a pleasant smile on her face. "I'm happy to help. But would you mind finally telling me what this is? Or at least show me, please?"

"Of course," Moon Bright said.

She then took the box from Fluttershy and used her unicorn magic to unlock it. Then Moon Bright slowly opened up the box's top, which revealed a brilliant glow of bright green light. The light kept illuminating brighter and brighter inside the hut until Moon Bright had fully opened the box to reveal what was inside. Fluttershy gazed in wide wonder at the object laying inside the lock box. Even though they had to have seen the item several times before, Moon Bright and Muse looked just as amazed as Fluttershy.

"What is it?" Fluttershy managed to ask.

"The alpha stone," Muse replied.

"And our biggest hope right now," Moon Bright added.

The oval shaped stone was green in color and looked completely smooth to touch with no rough edges at all. It seemed slightly transparent and almost looked like someone had taken an emerald and sculpted it into the shape of an egg. Inside looked to be a glowing light, which was the source of the glow that lit up the room. Even though she had no idea what exactly this alpha stone was, Fluttershy could tell there was a great deal of power to it. She could feel it deep inside her very being.

"How does it work?" Fluttershy asked.

"Follow me," Moon Bright said.

Moon Bright took the stone out of the box and carried it with her levitation magic. The trio walked out to the front of the hut and to the edge of the balcony. Moon Bright brought the alpha stone up close to her face as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Suddenly, the bright violet glow of her horn got bigger and brighter and turned emerald green, matching the stone's glow. Moon Bright's eyes then opened to reveal they were glowing just like her horn and the stone.

A beam of magic escaped Moon Bright's horn and fired directly into the alpha stone. The object's glow seemed to intensify as a small gust began to blow. The alpha stone lifted up higher as several beams of energy escaped from it and flew all over the village. Fluttershy watched as the beams all converged on the pony statues located on the separate sides of Willowbrook. The beams seemed to be absorbed into the jeweled eyes of the statue, which lit up before releasing several bolts of what looked to be green lightning.

Once all this occurred, Moon Bright's eyes returned to normal before she suddenly began to collapse. Fluttershy managed to catch the unicorn mare before she hit the ground. At the same time, Muse used her levitation magic to catch the alpha stone before it could fall. Both Muse and Fluttershy hovered over Moon Bright with concerned looks on their faces.

"Moon Bright, are you okay?!" Fluttershy asked urgently.

"I... I'm fine..." Moon Bright managed to cough out. "Just old... Happens whenever I activate the stone... It's normal."

"It's not normal!" Muse blurted out. "It didn't used to happen when we first got the stone! It's taking its toll on my mom trying to use that thing."

"I have to," Moon Bright said. "To protect Willowbrook."

The three mares looked to the light show going on around them. They were amazed at the display of power they saw going on before their eyes. Fluttershy had seen many things since she became a member of the Mane Six. But she had never seen such lightning storms of this magnitude or strange, mystical origins. The bolts of lightning crackling through the air were unbelievable to the young pegasus.

They were all big bolts, too, looking to be as big as a typical energy blast from a kaiju. Every beam of lightning fired from the eyes of the pony statues all converged on the area where Godzilla and Solomon were located. Even before that, this near celestial chain of events got the immediate attention of Twilight Sparkle and her group of ponies. It also got the attention of the evil unicorns they were fighting. TJ, Firefly, and the village ponies around them all smiled at the sight while Twilight and the Mane Six looked on in confusion, amazement, and disbelief.

Khaos Fury and and Black Lightning, however, looked on in horrified anger.

"No," Khaos Fury whispered. "They got to the stone before we could stop them."

The roars of Solomon stole back the attention of half the ponies. The other half couldn't help but keep staring at the electric bolts shooting into the air. Solomon had pushed himself up out of the crater and was now gingerly walking around, his breaths heavier than ever. This fight was taking its toll on the kaiju in a way that had never been done to him before. He was being taken to and beyond his limits and he was determined to finish the fight before he couldn't fight anymore.

But while his first instinct was to try and finish off his still downed opponent, he couldn't. Even Solomon couldn't help but look at the display of lightning created by the alpha stone, though he had seen it many times before. He had also felt it several times in the past and it looked like he was going to again. Solomon roared defiantly at the lightning bolts coming down from the sky upon him. That didn't stop them all from striking directly into his body, causing an electrical charge like no other.

As the lightning burned his flesh and sparks flew from his body, Solomon screamed out in agony. The ponies looking on had to turn away from the light that was made by the blast of unnatural electricity exploding across the kaiju's hide. Solomon's screams still painted a good picture of what was going on, though.

"I don't get it," Rainbow Dash shouted over the roar of the lightning and Solomon's cries. "How could a kaiju be effected so badly by everyday lightning?"

"But it's not everyday lightning, Rainbow Dash," Firefly said. "Can't you see it?"

"Firefly's right, Rainbow!" TJ called out. "That lightning field was created by the alpha stone!"

"What's an alpha stone?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"One of the most powerful objects in the entire world!" TJ answered. "Or at least it sure seems like it!"

"Well, it don't look like it's gonna be enough to take that winged nuisance down!" Applejack said.

"It can't!" Firefly said. "It can hurt him like no tomorrow, but it's never completely stopped him. Not on its own at least. We need more help!"

"Especially since it seems like that bat thing's about to destroy one of the statues!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she pointed a hoof.

Everypony gasped in horror and looked to see that Solomon was, indeed, stomping towards the nearest pony statue, the one shaped like a unicorn. He was very slow about it because of the electrical onslaught he faced, but he still managed to stomp forward despite it all. Despite the tremendous pain he felt, Solomon kept getting closer and closer to the stone structure. He glared hatefully at the giant piece of stone as the inside of his mouth began to glow.

" _It's going to be blasted into a million pieces!_ " Firefly said in despair.

" _Glorious!_ " Khaos Fury let out as she and her brother smiled wickedly. " _Then he'll destroy the other three and you will all be doomed!_ "

It never came to that, though, for all of a sudden a loud howl echoed out through the air and across the way. Everything and everyone froze, though their eyes continued to look around. Even the lightning fields ceased activity and disappeared. Everypony stood mouth opened and eyes wide as they looked around in surprise.

"Could it be?" TJ asked in disbelief.

"He's alive?" Firefly asked.

Elsewhere, Muse and Moon Bright were asking similar questions.

"Did you hear that, Mom?" Muse asked.

"I did..." Moon Bright said as she got up out of Fluttershy's embrace. "But I still don't believe it."

"Believe what?" Fluttershy asked in confusion. "What was that?"

As if to answer, a second howl echoed out through the air. Multiple village ponies smiled in joy and began cheering loudly. Khaos Fury's face conveyed great fear, but great anger at the same tine. Black Lightning was just scared.

" _I thought we finished that thing off for good!_ " Black Lightning screamed.

" _Shut up, you spineless bug!_ " Khaos Fury screamed back.

"TJ, what is that?!" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Oh, you'll see!" TJ said, the excitement in his voice being obvious. "Godzilla's about to get some _big time backup!_ "

A third howl rang out before a rumbling made itself heard. The thunder-like noise kept getting louder and louder until finally an object came out of the forest. It made its entrance in the grandest of ways, too, for it flew out of the trees and high into the air. The Mane Six all screamed out in utter surprise as they watched the gigantic ball spikes spin through the air. It hit the ground with a hard and loud bounce before going back up into the air again.

The spike covered ball bounced on the ground one last time and actually flew over the heads of Twilight and the others as it sailed towards Solomon. The demonic kaiju's red eyes widened as the spike ball came crashing right into his face. Solomon screeched as he stumbled then fell back back into the crater with Godzilla. The giant spike covered ball had bounced off Solomon's face and spun a few meters back the way it came. But nothing could prepare any of the Mane Six for what they saw next.

The ball of spikes actually _unrolled_ to reveal a gigantic creature underneath! The creature with a shell covered in spikes on his back crashed down to the ground on all fours. The four legged monster lifted his head into the air as he let out a howl similar to the ones from before.

" _ANGUIRUS!_ " TJ, Firefly, Muse, and Moon Bright all yelled along with several village ponies.

The Mane Six all looked at the ponies even more confused than they were before.

" _ANGUIRUS?!_ " they all asked together, despite Fluttershy being far away from her friends.

It was absolutely unbelievable to them to see not just another kaiju, but one that was apparently a good guy like Godzilla. They had no warning or word of any kind about this kaiju before this moment, which made it all the more surprising to them. Thus, while still trying to comprehend what they were seeing, the Mane Six all gaped at this new to them kaiju identified as Anguirus. And he was quite the sight to behold. His unique features made him resemble a four legged, plant eating dinosaur called ankylosaurus, though there were also differences between the dinosaur species and the kaiju.

Its rough, reptile-like skin was charcoal gray in color and all of its spikes on its body looked be dirty white with the dirty part probably not being natural to the color. In addition to the many spikes on its shell, there were several scattered all over its long tail. It had a crown of spikes on the top of its head and a lone spike on the tip of his crocodile-like snout. Its maw was filled with sharp looking teeth with two particularly long tusks sticking out at the sides of its mouth. From beginning to end, Anguirus looked to be 90 meters tall and 160 meters in length with a 60'000 ton mass to boot.

This truly impressive looking kaiju was glaring his menacing eyes directly ahead at Solomon, who was getting up slowly. This allowed those nearby time to see that Anguirus, while impressive looking overall, was also covered in injuries. These included scars, welts, cuts, scratches, bruises, burns, everything. It was clear to see that this kaiju had been through a whole lot of punishment. But at the same time, it looked like he was willing to take more as he glared hatefully at Solomon.

Anguirus roared at the winged demon as he pulled himself out of the crater and onto his feet. A small trickle of blood could be seen running down Solomon's face from right between his eyes. Solomon held a hand to his head as he lightly shook it and let out a moan. When Solomon pulled his hand back and saw his own blood on it, his eyes slowly looked to Anguirus. Both monsters stared with an intensity that could probably split a mountain in two.

"I take it these two have some history with each other?" Twilight Sparkle whispered.

" _Oh, yeah,_ " TJ replied.

Suddenly, the good ponies were all attacked by Khaos Fury and Black Lightning, who fired several bolts and beams of attack magic at them. Some blasts connected while others were to aimless to do so. But despite the results, everypony ran at the evil unicorns in an attempt to fight back. Both Khaos and Black tried to use their horns in various ways from lasers and lightning, to simple horn swings. Everypony else used a wider variety of attacks, which instantly gave them the edge over their opponents.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy, Muse, and Moon Bright appeared in a puff of smoke on the ground not far from where the other ponies' fight was taking place. Moon Bright moaned as she stumbled a little. Both Fluttershy and Muse were quick to catch her.

"Your over exerting yourself too much, Mom," Muse said.

"Maybe you could use your magic when we need it from now on?" Fluttershy suggested to Muse.

The alicorn froze for a moment, her eyes conveying a slight sense of panic.

"I..." was all Muse could say.

"Never mind," Fluttershy quickly said. "We can worry about that later." The yellow pegasus turned her attention to Moon Bright, who stood up straight and lightly walked out of Fluttershy's grasp. "Are you sure you're okay enough to walk, Moon Bright."

"Yes, I'm sure, Fluttershy," Moon Bright replied. "Thank you for your concern, sweetie. But right now I'm more interested in how all this fighting's gonna turn out."

"I'm afraid I have to agree," Fluttershy said. The trio all looked from the pony fight to Anguirus and Solomon, who were both still glaring at each other. "So, Anguirus is... a guardian to you all?"

"You bet he is," Muse said proudly. "And he's also a really close friend to our family."

"But... how?" Fluttershy asked. "How did you meet him?... And... where did he come from?"

"We'll explain it in detail later," Muse said.

"But basically," Moon Bright began, "Muse here found him in the forest one night and the next morning we found them sleeping side by side. When they woke up, Muse insisted he was good and he's had our back ever since."

"Wow," Fluttershy said in a stunned tone.

The conversation was interrupted when Solomon and Anguirus let out their own, unique roars. Fluttershy and her two local friends watched as the two hate filled titans of terror ran at each other. Anguirus's head ended up crashing into Solomon's quadriceps. At the same time, Solomon reached his arms down and tried wrapping them around Anguirus's neck. This would prove too difficult due to Anguirus's constant, fast paced, and animalistic thrashing.

Solomon kept trying desperately to grab a hold of Anguirus, while also trying to avoid any and all of his spikes, teeth, and claws. But the scrappy little kaiju was shaking and moving himself around too much for that to happen. It didn't help that he was now reared up on his hind legs and biting at Solomon. He also swung the claws on his surprisingly very hand-like front paws and would constantly try to slam his body into Solomon's. Regardless of whether his attacks were successful or not, it was clear Anguirus was a born fighter with the courage, tenacity, and spirit to match.

However, none of that guaranteed success, as those watching the fight saw. Solomon managed to grab Anguirus's head in his hands and forced the four legged kaiju back down on the ground with all the strength in his arms. Then Solomon began swinging his right fist into the side of Anguirus's head. He stopped on the sixth punch and backed up before kicking his right foot into the aside the quadruped's cranium. Then Solomon kicked his left foot up into Anguirus's lower jaw, the force pushing him up on his hind legs.

This proved to be a mistake for Solomon surprisingly, for Anguirus then rushed at him, bucking his front paws into his foe's face and chest. Solomon stumbled for a few steps before getting his footing back. But he lost it again almost instantly as Anguirus slammed the side of his body into Solomon's, driving some of the spikes on the side of his shell into him. Solomon screeched out in pain, but was instantly cut off when Anguirus slapped his left front paw across the evil beast's face.

Then Anguirus rushed forth and clamped his jaws down hard on Solomon's left forearm. More cries of pain escaped Solomon's mouth as he felt Anguirus's teeth sink deeply into his flesh. Anguirus didn't stop there, but kept trying to sink his teeth even deeper while also pulling back and thrashing from side to side like a wild animal. In sheer desperation, Solomon punched his free fist into the side of Anguirus's head as hard as he'd ever punched before in his life. After eleven punches, Solomon found it within himself to shake his arm free of Anguirus's jaws and teeth, though it costed him shreds of his flesh.

The spike covered kaiju never let up, for as soon as his bite was released, Anguirus got down on all fours and swung his tail forth. The spike covered appendage smacked across Solomon's chest, sending him stumbling back. The demonic kaiju found even more opposition when a hot blast of energy hit him in the back, igniting several explosions up and down. Godzilla roared out defiantly after he ceased fire and began pushing himself back onto his feet. At the same time, Solomon fell to the ground, being unable to take the pain he was sustaining.

Anguirus looked incredibly surprised at this turn of events. He walked over Solomon's fallen body and to the crater behind him. This was where he saw, for the very first time, the almighty Godzilla. At the moment, though, he didn't look so mighty, for he was still pushing himself up on his feet. Anguirus realized right away that this kaiju had been fighting Solomon, mostly because his fight with the winged creature was going so easy.

Unfortunately for Anguirus, his past fights had never gone this well for him ever before. His instincts told him he had this kaiju to thank for the ease of his current struggle with Solomon. They also said this kaiju was one that could be trusted and would make for a good ally. The enemy of my enemy is my friend was an old warrior's philosophy that rang true even in Anguirus. Because of that, he got closer to the side of the crater and roared out to offer his assistants.

He didn't wait for an answer, though, as Anguirus reached his head down and very lightly wrapped his mouth around Godzilla's arm and gently pulled him up. Godzilla didn't assist or do anything at the moment, for he was too stunned to. Godzilla looked up in disbelief at this little kaiju who had not only courageously fought Solomon, but was now trying to help the Kaiju King back onto his feet. Because of all these gestures, the King of Monsters already felt a deep admiration for the four legged kaiju and even roared in appreciation of his help. With the two working together, it wasn't long before Godzilla was both out of the crater and back on his feet.

Godzilla lifted his head and his hands as he roared out triumphantly before looking down at Anguirus. He roared his appreciation and gratitude to the quadruped, who then roared in kind reply. For a moment, neither kaiju did anything else except look at each other and emit growls of conversation. At that moment, it felt like they had both somehow found a long lost relative, despite obviously being two different species. The differences didn't matter to them, though; they were too overjoyed at the new ally, the new _friend_ both had found.

Meanwhile, Khaos Fury and Black Lightning were taking the hard brunt of a bad beating at the hooves of the ponies they fought. First, Twilight and Rarity slashed their magic covered horns across their bodies. Then Applejack and TJ rushed forth and bucked their hind hooves into the faces of both evil unicorns. Then Rainbow Dash and Firefly flew forth and picked the two up off the ground. The two pegasi flew up and spun before releasing Khaos and Black, letting them both fall on exploding cherry bombs lit by Pinkie Pie.

Despite their agony, both ponies managed to gingerly push themselves back up on their hooves. They all looked to see the ponies they had fought glaring at them. The sibling duo glared back defiantly, but stopped when they heard Godzilla and Anguirus let out loud roars together. Everypony looked in amazement at the newly bonded friends who seemed ecstatic to have found each other. While it made every good hearted pony there beam with delight, it horrified the evil unicorn twins.

"No," Khaos Fury whispered with a slight hint of fear.

"The other one's up," Black Lightning whispered in terror.

" _Of course!_ " Rainbow Dash boasted. " _You can't keep Godzilla down for long!_ "

"Now let's see what happens when your kaiju has to face _two_ of ours!" TJ spat at the evil ponies.

A scowl crossed Khaos Fury's face as she growled in aggravation.

" _Nooo!_ " Khaos Fury screamed.

At the same time, Solomon was moaning out as he got up on his feet. Godzilla and Anguirus both turned to see the fallen kaiju rising and both glared in anger. They turned to each other with intense and determined looks on their faces. Godzilla let out several short roars, to which Anguirus replied with his own along with a nod of the head. After Godzilla nodded back, the new dynamic duo turned to give Solomon the thrashing of a lifetime.

Anguirus quickly crawled around to Solomon's other side and prepared to attack. Godzilla roared and fired his atomic breath across Solomon's body and then quickly punched him in the face. Solomon stumbled towards Anguirus, who stood up on his hind legs and kicked his front paws into his foe's face. Solomon stumbled back towards Godzilla, who swung his tail into the weakened kaiju's body. Solomon stumbled back to Anguirus, who rammed his head into his foe's midsection.

Godzilla held Solomon up in place as he roared an attack order to Anguirus, who roared in reply as he nodded his head. Then the four legged kaiju turned his back to Solomon and waited for instructions. Godzilla roared out and shoved Solomon forward just as Anguirus sprung backwards through the air. Godzilla then charged forward, ramming his body into the back of Solomon's at the same time Anguirus's spike covered shell slammed into the winged kaiju's front. After being sandwiched in between two other kaiju, Solomon dropped to the ground as he cried in severe pain.

But surprisingly, he was able to spring up to his feet right away. Call it an adrenaline rush, but Solomon was actually able to get right back up. As soon as he did, though, he began running as far as he could and as fast as he could to get away from Godzilla and Anguirus. Solomon unfolded his wings from underneath his arms and flapped them. He headed for the Willowing Forest as he tried to run and fly away as fast as possible.

" _No, he's running away!_ " Khaos Fury yelled. " _That means he's accepted defeat! No, no, no, no, no!_ "

"Maybe you'd better follow he's example and get the heck out of here," Firefly suggested.

The two unicorns looked to see they were surrounded. The odds were stacked even more against them because now Fluttershy, Muse, and Moon Bright had arrived. What made it even worse was other village ponies were gathering around as well. Needless to say, both unicorns were feeling very unsettled at that moment. It didn't help when they saw Godzilla fire his atomic breath, knocking Solomon out of the sky and sending him crashing into the forest's confines.

"Uh, sis-"

" _Shut up, Black Lightning!_ " Khaos Fury demanded.

"You know, they say you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar," Pinkie Pie started.

"But danged if you ain't trying to prove them wrong right now," Applejack finished.

"Listen up, you two!" TJ shouted. "The ball's in our court now! So you and your minotaur friends best just forget whatever hostile takeover plans you had and get the heck out of here! _This is over!_ "

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie said. "So you best get to steppin' before we whack our hooves upside the downside of your backsides!"

Everypony gazed at the pink mare with bewildered looks, but none more strong than Khaos Fury and Black Lightning's.

"Huh?" Black Lightning said.

"What?" Khaos Fury added.

"She basically said, _get out of here and don't come back!_ " Twilight Sparkle barked. _  
_

Khaos Fury growled before saying, " _Fine! We'll leave... for now. But this is not over! This isn't the end of this by a long shot! You foals just got lucky this time around! But next time we'll be coming at you full force, stronger than ever!_ "

" _We'll be back!_ " Black Lightning shouted.

With that, the two unicorns used their teleportation magic to escape.

"Was that wise, just letting them go?" Rarity asked.

"Probably not," TJ admitted. Then a huge smile crossed his face. " _But I'm too happy right now to care! Woo! We won everypony!_

" _We rocked it! We did it! We won!_ "

Every single pony there began to cheer happily as they jumped, applauded, and even danced around happily. Friends and family all hugged each other in an overjoyed manner while Godzilla and Anguirus roared out in celebration. But while the celebration would go on for most, it was ended prematurely for Firefly. She spotted Rainbow Dash looking at her disdainfully.

The Mane Six all hugged each other while TJ, Firefly, Muse, and Moon Bright shared their own hug. Then TJ ran over and joined the Mane Six at their insistence.

"You know darn there's a huge mess to cleanup," TJ said. "But that's for later! Right now, _par-tay!_ "

When her group's hug ended, Firefly attempted to walk over to her daughter. But when Rainbow Dash saw her coming, she backed away, held a hoof up, and shook her head. Firefly did as Rainbow Dash wished and stopped her approach, though she _really_ didn't want to. Firefly looked on sadly as Rainbow Dash took to the air, turned away, and flew off.

* * *

 _ **HEY, KIDS, IT'S ANGUIRUS!**_ ***applause* That's right, fillies and gentlecolts, the spiked kaiju himself has debuted in my Godzilla/MLP series! How and why will be explained later. I'm just gonna let this chapter speak for itself. I'll just update and say I won't be working on this for a while. I'm currently writing all original material that someone wants to publish in a book of short stories. And yes I will be paid for it and yes it IS kaiju-related. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	13. Chapter 13: Slow and Fast Recoveries

Khaos Fury and Black Lightning both rushed through the channel of tunnels to reach Isarem's quarters. Both moved as fast as their hooves could take them without braking into an actual run. They pushed and forced their way passed many a minotaur and slave pony.

" _Out of the way, jumbo!_ " Khaos Fury let out as she shoved a large minotaur aside with her magic.

" _Move it!_ " Black Lightning shouted to those around him and his sister. " _Let us pass! Get out of our way!_ "

Seeing how agitated the two unicorns were, everyone was sure to try and get out of their way as best they could. Khaos Fury and Black Lightning kept their angered demeanor even when they were approaching the door to Isarem's chamber. When the guards at the door saw the approaching ponies, they could tell the two were upset. They all still stood at attention for them, though neither pony noticed the sign of respect. Khaos Fury and Black Lightning both fought for the handle to the door with their magic, but eventually Black Lightning backed off.

Khaos Fury opened the door and hurried into the room along with Black Lightning, who closed the door behind them.

"Lord Isarem, we have a problem!" Khaos Fury said urgently.

But all her bravado, her angry demeanor, and the like were instantly muted, along with Black Lightning's at the sight of the head bull. His back was turned to them and he was sitting in his large stone throne at his even larger desk that was also made of stone. Though they could barely see him like this, they still felt his tremendous presence. This was enough to make anypony, or any minotaur for that matter, feel small and meek. That was how both Black Lightning and Khaos Fury were feeling, despite trying their best to keep up appearances.

"A problem you say?" Isarem's voice asked calmly, though strongly at the same time. Khaos and Black both twitched nervously when they saw Isarem stand up from his desk and turn to them. "Well it must really be bad if you feel the need to pass on the traditional greeting."

A tremor ran through both ponies that shook them to their bones. They heads lowered as they said, "May Paradise shine its light on you, Lord Isarem!"

"Hmm... a little late," Isarem said. "But may Paradise shine its light on you as well, my friends. Now tell me, what is so urgent that you come to me? I assume it has something to do with the village raid?"

"Yes, sir, my lord, sir!" Black Lightning let out at the pace of a fly's wings. "It does indeed!"

"Well, what is it then that's upset you so?" Isarem asked. "Wait, let me guess. You failed to retrieve the alpha stone again, didn't you?"

"No!" Khaos Fury said. "Well, yes, but that's not-"

"Ah, failure once again," Isarem said as he lightly shook his head. "Such a pity. And I had such high hopes you would succeed this time around." The head of the minotaurs let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, I guess I should expect this by now.

"No matter, I'm sure you'll make up for it with some sort of success in the future. I assume you and your invasion party at least left an impression on Willowbrook and its ponies they won't soon forget?"

"Uh..." Black Lightning stammered.

"Actually, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury interjected, "I'm afraid there's more to it than that."

Isarem's disappointed frown slowly began to show more annoyance. This only masked the true frustration he felt.

"What?" Isarem asked, his real frustration showing a little in the light growl of his voice. "Come closer." The two ponies looked to each other with fearful uncertainty. "Come, come!" Isarem demanded.

"Yes, my lord," Black and Khaos said together.

The two hesitantly walked up the small set of steps that took them to the same level of ground Isarem, his desk, and his thrown stood upon.

"Now, what did you mean by that?" Isarem demanded.

"Well..." Khaos Fury said. "There was... There was... You see, in Willowbrook, there were..."

"The ponies there, they had..." Black Lightning tried to chime in.

" _Out with it already!_ " Isarem screamed.

Both ponies flinched and twitched at the sound of Isarem's more than agitated voice. They had turned away, but then slowly shifted their eyes back to their master.

"Lord Isarem..." Khaos Fury said, "the ponies of Willowbrook have brought in some help from the outside world."

Isarem's eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of his head.

"What did you say?!" his voice unable to hide his surprise.

"The Willowbrook ponies are receiving assistance from off island ponies, sir" Black Lightning said. "We think they snuck them in on that puny boat of theirs."

"These outsiders assisted the Willowbrook ponies against us in the raid today," Khaos Fury added.

Isarem gritted his teeth as his body shook in furious aggravation while he held his closed fists up at his sides. But then the head bull was able to miraculously regain control of his temper as he took in a deep breath and let it out.

"So that's the excuse you're going with for your failure?" Isarem asked. "New ponies come on the scene and they're too much for you to handle?"

"It's not an excuse, my lord, it's the truth," Khaos Fury said assuredly. "There really were ponies not from the island assisting the weaklings in Willowbrook!"

"Hmm," Isarem pondered. "I didn't suspect you were lying... I just know you two have a tendency to shift the blame away from yourselves... No matter. So there are some new players in the game, some outsiders you say?"

"Uh-huh," Khaos Fury said as she nodded her head.

"Yes, sir, Isarem, my lord," Black Lightning said.

"Most troubling, indeed," Isarem said as he looked down with a hand to his chin. Seconds later, he turned his eyes back to the ponies before him. "How many of them were there."

"Six mares, my lord," Black Lightning said. "Two Earth ponies, two pegasi, and a-"

" _Mares?!_ " Isarem blurted out, much to the cringe of the unicorn twins. "You're telling me the Willowbrook ponies were able to fight back against our forces just with the help of _mares?!_ And only six of them to boot? Oh, wow! So you're telling me these war hardened and supposedly fearless warriors I spent so much time enlightening can be frightened off by such insects?

"I have to wonder, though, was it them or the two ponies that led them that fled? You're not purposefully misleading the light's army to protect your own kind are you?"

" _NO!_ " Khaos Fury and Black Lightning blurted out at the same time.

" _Never, Lord Isarem?!_ " Khaos Fury said.

"You've enlightened us as you have everyone else here, my lord!" Black Lightning added. "The fact that we are ponies just like those who defy you means nothing to us!"

"Then that means you're just incompetent failures!" Isarem shouted. "How could you let my forces fall to such outsider rubbish?!"

"But, my lord, there's more to it than that!" Khaos Fury insisted. "One of them was an alicorn!"

Isarem's eyes, quick as whip, looked to his pony general in disbelief.

"An alicorn?" he asked in surprise. "You mean another one like that brat from the village."

"No, sir, much different," Black Lightning said.

"This one is not afraid of using her powers to their full potential," Khaos Fury said. "And it seems like she knows how to use them quite well based on our fight with her."

"She and the other mares are all incredible fighters," Black Lightning said. "They're unlike any ponies we fought before. Not even that old bat, Firefly or that thick headed, Thunder Jack could keep up with us in a fight like they could. Clearly they've done all this before, real professionals."

"Mercenaries?" Isarem asked.

"I suspect the alicorn is a princess, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury said.

"Why makes you think that?" the head bull asked.

"She just had that air about her," Khaos Fury said.

"I see," Isarem said. "And do you suspect those others are her royal guard or something?"

"No, sir," Khaos Fury said. "But it's clear they still have some sort of special connection. I just can't think of what it is at the moment."

"Ah," Isarem said. "It sounds like we have quite the new enemies."

"It may be hard to believe, my lord," Black Lightning said, "but together they have the power of any minotaur."

" _But you had a whole squadron of minotaurs with you!_ " Isarem shouted. " _E_ _ven then you let these newcomers get the best of you?! Look, if things were getting that bad, why didn't you just call one of our monsters to assist? I'm sure Solomon or Hedorah would be more than a match for six fillies, even if one is an alicorn princess! Or are you trying to say now that their strength is equaled to a god-sized monster?!_ "

"Not at all, my lord," Black Lightning said. "But..." The stallion was fearfully hesitant to continue on, for he knew too many bad reports would invoke Isarem's wrath. But so did beginning to speak and not finishing, so he forced himself to go on. "Before we elaborate further on, I must warn you that the situation becomes much more complicated."

Isarem's eyes focused intensely on Black Lightning as he said, "What do you mean?"

Black Lightning looked to his sister, who nodded her head to him.

"We did call in a monster, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury said. "We called Solomon."

"Ah, a good choice," Isarem said. "By far the best fighter we have of any of our forces here. But if that's the case, how could you still have lost?"

Both ponies were doing their absolute best to work up the courage to tell Isarem exactly what happened. They weren't scared of a whole lot of things, not even the kaiju they controlled or the threat of death. But they did, for certain fear Isarem, because he could and would make a pony beg for death if they rubbed him the wrong way. They had felt that type of wrath from him several times in the past and they feared they would again. But they had a feeling they would feel it either way and this new information was too important.

Because of that, they went on.

"Well, before we go any further, I must add on about the mares," Black Lightning said.

"I thought we were passed that," Isarem said.

"But, my lord, it's terribly important," Black Lightning said. "They're from Equestria."

" _What?!_ " Isarem shouted. " _Equestria?! How do you know that?!_ "

"They told us," Khaos Fury said. "And..." The unicorn had never been more scared in her entire life than she was at that moment. "Remember the monster we saw destroy Kamoebas in Equestria through the crystal ball?"

Isarem's eyes widened even further, the surprise on his face intensifying ever so more.

"No..." the minotaur whispered. "It can't be."

" _It's true, lord!_ " Black Lightning said at a fast pace. " _The monster! The one we saw kill our monster! It's here! It's on this island here right now as we speak!_

" _We witnessed it fight Solomon to a near standstill!_ "

" _How can that possibly be?!_ " Isarem let out. " _How can there be a creature mighty enough to lock horns with Solomon the way you suggest this creature has?! It's impossible! Solomon is the ultimate weapon we have! He and Hedorah were able to get rid of that defector beast from before, so why not this one now?!_ "

"I'm afraid that's not true, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury said as she cringed.

"What are you getting at, equine?!" Isarem said menacingly.

"Anguirus... is... alive," Khaos Fury very hesitantly explained.

Isarem screamed and his whole body shuddered as he stomped a step forward, making both unicorns flinch back in fearful anticipation.

" _He's alive?!_ " Isarem let out. " _How could he be alive?! That ambush I had you two setup should've been the end of him! You said it yourselves it went perfectly! Hedorah and Solomon had him beat to dead, you said! Your words, not mine!_ "

"I know, lord, but-" Khaos Fury started to say.

" _And now you're saying he survived?!_ " Isarem shouted.

The raging mad minotaur's whole body heaved as he breathed heavily as ever. He turned away from the unicorns and stepped over to his desk again. For some reason beyond explanation, Khaos Fury and Black Lightning followed him. Even more shocking, and some would say idiotic, they actually stepped in closer. They were way too close for comfort, though with Isarem that was always the same no matter how close or far you were.

Isarem bent down as he placed his hands on the top of his desk.

"So... let me get this straight," Isarem said in a softer, yet still agitated voice. "You failed to get me the alpha stone today... And that was because... ponies from Equestria... one being an alicorn princess... and their pet monster interfered. Also... they had... further assistance... from Anguirus... who you... weren't able to kill. Another failure on your part... even though you said you had destroyed him.

"Does that about sum it up?"

"Well... I wouldn't put it all that way, but..." Black Lightning began.

"Yes, sir, that is correct," Khaos Fury said.

"Ah... I see," Isarem let out with a hiss.

"Okay, we _did_ fail," Black Lightning said as he started to walk closer to Isarem. Khaos Fury reached out to stop him, but it was too late. "But we can do better. We still have the plan-"

Black Lightning was cut off when Isarem reached wrapped his left hand around the stallion's throat faster than any eye could see. Isarem screamed as he slammed Black Lightning against a wall.

" _The plan can only work if things go right!_ " Isarem screamed.

" _No!_ " Khaos Fury shouted.

Khaos Fury's body jolted forward as though she were about to jump in and assist her brother. She was halted instantly when Isarem looked to her and pointed a finger with his free hand.

" _Don't you dare, Khaos!_ " Isarem demanded. " _Not unless you want my hand around your neck, too!_ "

"Y- y- Yes, sir," Khaos Fury stammered as she looked on in horror.

Isarem turned his attention back to Black Lightning as he leaned in closer and said, "Listen to me and listen closely, Black Lightning. I picked you and your sister over there as my top generals because I thought you were worth something. The way you presented yourselves made it look like you were the right ones for the job. You made me believe that you believed with every inch of your being in the movement of Paradise.

"You also made me believe you could and would do anything in its cause and that you would do it right. I respected that and I respected you because of how sincerely you seemed dedicated to the cause. And yes, there were little things you accomplished here and there."

Isarem's glare intensified as he screamed the rest of the time. " _But lately you both have been screwing up when it matters most! I asked you to get the village ponies' alpha stone, you failed me! I asked you to kill Anguirus, you failed me!_

" _You even allowed a rouge group of outsiders to come in with a pet you already knew was immensely powerful! You failed me again! I have to wonder if you're really all you had claimed to be or if you have just gotten lazy and aren't working to your full potential!_ _Lack of effort that costs this movement so dearly will not be tolerated! I should send you both to Paradise right now, though the light knows you don't deserve it!_

" _I should destroy you both!_ "

Isarem screamed as he began repeatedly punching his free fist into the wall right next to Black Lightning's head. Khaos Fury nearly charged forward to attack because it looked to her like Isarem had actually punched Black Lightning. She stopped when she realized he was punching the wall, though she still feared for her brother's life. After eight punches, Isarem stopped his assault, holding his closed fist in the hole he left in the wall. Isarem breathed heavily as he looked on at Black Lightning in anger.

His eyes then turned to Khaos Fury who was staring dead ahead at Isarem and her brother.

"I'll bet you'd like to attack me right now, Khaos," Isarem said. He kept looking back and forth to the siblings. "I'll bet you both would like to blast me with your magic right now... So why don't you go ahead and try?... Come on."

Isarem shifted his gaze from Black Lightning to Khaos Fury, waiting to see if one or both of their horns would start lightning up.

"We don't want to fight you, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury hesitantly said. "We don't want to try and hurt you."

With those words, Isarem's body language, his facial expression, and his entire demeanor seemed to soften a considerable amount. He even released Black Lightning from his choke and let the stallion drop back to his hooves. Black Lightning instantly returned to his sister's side. Khaos Fury looked Black over to make sure there was no serious damage done to him. She was thankful to see that there wasn't and that her brother was out of harm's way for the time being.

"I don't actually want to hurt you two either," Isarem said as he placed his hands on his hips. He nodded his head toward the wall he punched as he said, "That's why that wall looks like that instead of your head, Black Lightning."

The unicorn stallion gulped nervously before saying, "I appreciate that very much, oh most merciful of leaders."

"That's right, I am merciful," Isarem said. "And it's because of that mercy and because I think you two can still serve a purpose that I'm giving you both one more chance. Don't blow it this time, my little ponies."

"Of course not, oh most gracious of all minotaurs!" Black Lightning said with a quick pace as he and his sister bowed.

"So what is our next plan of action, my lord?" Khaos Fury asked when she and her brother finished their bow.

Isarem placed his chin in his hand and thought silently for a moment.

"We proceed with the plan," Isarem finally said. " _But_... we will need to make some large adjustments that take into account the arrival of all these... irksome outsider who have come to assist the rebels in Willowbrook. Leave that to me. You give me the information you acquired based on your first encounters with these outsiders. Then I'll write out details in the modified plan to compensate for the villagers' new allies."

"Yes, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury and Black Lightning said together.

"But first there are some things I want you to do," Isarem added.

"Of course, sir, anything," Black Lightning said.

"First go to the lab and check on the top project," Isarem said. "As the heads of the project and the science division as a whole, I need you to keep making sure everything is progressing smoothly. Isarem groaned before he said, "I wish I could find the right ones to head the science division and the project so you can focus solely on your positions as generals. Unfortunately you two are the only ones here with more than half a brain besides myself. Without you guiding them, those fools in the lab wouldn't get anywhere, so I have no choice.

"Once you're finished doing that, head down to the mines and see how the digging is progressing and if it turned up any results. That last artifact is crucial in the final phase of the plan. Without it, the final phase may not go as well as I'd hoped. Do you understand and can you do all this for me?"

"Yes, master," both unicorns said as they gave small bows.

"Then be gone with you to carry out my orders," Isarem said as he waved them away.

The two ponies bowed before quickly exiting the room to carry out their new orders. When they left, Isarem turned to his desk and groaned as he pushed back the hood of his robe. He rubbed a hand against the side of his head as he lowered it and closed his eyes.

 _After all these years, it still hurts_ , Isarem thought to himself. _But why? Why does it all hurt so much? Why must I endure so many more hardships on top of this throbbing, aching pain in my head? Why is it, that when I'm trying to make things better for everyone, I must face so many obstacles around me?_

 _Could I have been wrong? Did I not see what I thought I saw? Has everything up to this moment been a lie?_

Isarem looked to the small lantern on his desk and stared at it for several seconds of silence. Then, as if he were renewed, a confident smile crossed his face.

 _No_ , he thought to himself. _None of that's true at all. These are just more tests. No one said getting to Paradise would be easy. But it will sure be worth it. That's why my movement, and especially I, myself will persevere._

 _The best things in life are worth working hard for and I've been working the hardest on this. I know it'll be worth it and soon everyone else will, too. They'll see what we've been trying to accomplish and when they do... they'll thank us... They'll thank me. So by the will of Paradise's light, I will go on as had been predestined oh so many years ago._

With that, Isarem sat down at his desk, grabbed a pen and paper, and began scribbling outlines for strategies based on what new information he had so far.

* * *

 **WILLOWBROOK, PONY TALE ISLAND**

It's not an easy, nor a quick process cleaning up a village after it faced such a terrible battle as Willowbrook and its population did. But despite that, the villagers pushed on and did the best they could. Nearly every capable pony did all they could to clear away any debris left by the battle their village had just endured. Mares, stallions, and even some children banded together and did their best to fix up all the damage done to their home. Overturned wagons were stood up straight, shopping stands were either repaired, or cleared away, and weapons left laying around were removed from the area.

Much _messier_ things that were not suitable for children were taken care of first. That particular mess was one the adults of the village wanted their children to have absolutely no part of because of how gruesome it was. They wanted to reserve their children's' innocence as much as possible. Despite this, a good lot of the children had experienced what the adults tried to shelter them from up close several times in the past. In the kind of situation the ponies had been facing for so long, it was nearly impossible not to.

Aside from the gruesome mess that needed cleaning up, the adult ponies didn't want their children going near the more dangerous things that needed attending to. This included things like the overturned wagons and the weapons laying all over the place among others. Some of these things were allowed so long as there was adult supervision, but the majority was off limits to kids. Most believed it didn't matter either way with how long it usually took to clean these messes left by the terrible battles with the minotaurs. This time, however, was very different in a lot of ways.

For one, none of the ponies there had to pick up the bodies of their comrades and drag them out to be buried. Not a single pony lost their life in this last fight. Because of this, along with other reasons, there was the second unusual thing. There was actually celebration going on amongst those that were not apart of the cleanup crew. There was music, dancing, laughing, smiling, and all sorts of good times going around.

Joined amongst both the cleanup crew and the celebrating crowd were the members of the Mane Six. Mares like Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Rarity pitched in and helped with the cleanup. At the same time Pinkie Pie would celebrate with the others, ocassionally joined by Rarity who switched in between the two groups. Applejack would go around helping the other ponies with whatever they needed, especially if it was heavy lifting. She handled that part very well on her own, much to the others' surprise.

Twilight kept close to TJ, who was neck deep in the cleanup crew. Moon Bright even helped with some of the lighter stuff, despite her physical health having faced a steep decline in recent years. She was far too stubborn to let that keep her from working like she had most of her life. Most joked she would die working, though her children feared that may one day become a reality. They would rather she get looked after at the infirmary like several other ponies that participated in the big battle.

However, between the cleanup, the celebration, and the infirmary, there was one particular pony that wasn't at any of them. This lone pony was Rainbow Dash who stood on a bridge with her back turned to everything else. Occasionally a lone pony or a small group would pass by, but she would pay them no mind even if they tried to be pleasant and greet her. She just leaned against the rope that held up the wooden bridge and stared off somberly. Right now she was in no mood to be friendly or even be around another pony at all.

All she wanted was to be left alone with her emotions to sulk. Some would say, though, at the moment she had every right to. Long ago, when she was just a little foal, her mother disappeared entirely from her life. She didn't realize it at first, but apparently a deep seeded resentment was growing inside her because of this. This bitterness didn't make itself known until that day when Rainbow Dash saw her mother for the first time in forever, discovering she was living on her own somewhere else.

It crushed Rainbow Dash to find this out so suddenly, because she never knew what happened to her mother. Now to find out like this was a surprise, one that came as a blow to her. Aside from Rainbow Dash herself, no pony recognized this more so than her friends or the pony currently approaching her. Firefly, like everypony else, had decided to stay back and just give Rainbow Dash time to herself. But ever since she first laid eyes on her now adult daughter, Firefly wanted so much to get some time between them just to talk.

Firefly had been stalling by joining the cleanup crew to give her daughter space, but now no more. She had decided that it couldn't be put off any longer. Now the time had come where they would _have_ to face each other, regardless of the results. She desperately had to talk to Rainbow Dash no matter what the outcome. Thus, as slowly and as gently as she ever had, Firefly flew up to the the bridge where her daughter stood.

Despite how gently Firefly landed on the bridge, Rainbow Dash still felt and heard her land. She even knew right away that it was her mother, despite never turning around to look. Her sad face slightly changed to also convey more anger, which had been a more underlying emotion up to that point. Despite Rainbow Dash only slightly lifting her head, giving no other indications, Firefly still knew that her daughter was aware of her.

"Rainbow Dash," Firefly said softly. The daring speedster only slightly turned her head before turning back and lowering it once more. "Rainbow Dash, we _have to talk_ ," Firefly said with a tiny more force in her voice.

Again Rainbow Dash turned her head only slightly, but did respond, albeit in a weak voice.

"Is this where you've been all this time?"

"No!" Firefly answered quickly. "Well, yes! I mean-! Maybe! I..." Firefly groaned as she looked away and lightly shook her head. "Well, this is off to a great start."

"You're the one that wanted to talk, Firefly," Rainbow Dash said bitterly.

Firefly was getting ready to say something, but eventually decided against leading with it and began with something else.

"Yeah, I guess I did. But could you please not call me that?"

"What would you rather have me call you?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question. I know what you want me to call you. But as far as I'm concerned you haven't earned it. Not from me at least.

"From TJ and his little sis maybe. Celestia knows you've been more of a mom to them than you have to me."

"I understand why you would think that, Rainbow Dash," Firefly said. "But if you knew the full story, you might think differently."

"What full story?" Rainbow Dash asked. "The one where you take off when I was a baby leaving me without a mom growing up and making a large void in my life?! Some story, Firefly!"

"Oh, Rainbow Dash," Firefly said sadly as she hung her head and closed her eyes. She then opened them and looked directly at Rainbow Dash. "You know, you're just as I remember you."

"You actually remembered me?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Well, it sure doesn't feel like it."

"Well, I do remember," Firefly said. "I'm looking at those memories right now before my eyes. You were bite sized back then, but except for your size, nothing else has changed. Well, except for maybe how you let out your energy. You always had a whole lot of energy no matter what time of the day it was.

"You were a nightmare to put down for a nap or put to bed at night in your crib. But it was always worth it. Getting to hold you, feed you, play with you, read you stories, and just being a mother to you overall. It was the best feeling in the world."

" _Then why would you give it up if it was so good?!_ " Rainbow Dash spat at Firefly as she turned to look at her.

"Well before I start explaining," Firefly said, "I need to ask you if you remember what my occupation was."

Rainbow Dash shook her head.

"Didn't even know you had one," the rainbow maned pony replied.

"Of course," Firefly said. " You were too young. But didn't your dad tell you anything about me? Didn't you ask? There had to have been some photos or something at least."

"No," Rainbow Dash said as she shook her head. "Every time I tried to bring you up, Dad would always change the subject."

"Oh... I see," Firefly said sadly. "Well I want you to know that my occupation wasn't just some run of the mill gig. In addition to being a mom, which I loved _way more_ , I also had a career. I was a flier by profession. Was part of what was back then Equestria's elite flying team.

"They called themselves-"

"The Wonderbolts?" Rainbow Dash asked, a tiny hint of anticipation in her voice.

Firefly looked to her daughter in surprise and took note of her small change in demeanor before she hid it away.

"Yes," Firefly said. "You've heard of them? Are they still the top fliers?"

"You know they are," Rainbow Dash said. "They've only been the top fliers for several hundred years."

"Well, yeah," Firefly said, "but you know, things can change at the drop of a bit. Also, I have been away from Equestria for a while."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said as her glare intensified. "I know."

"Oh... right," Firefly said. "Anyways, being named after the founder of the Wonderbolts by my parents, it was practically destined I'd become a member."

"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked, her interest peeked yet again.

"Yes, I did," Firefly said as she nodded her head and a confident smile crossed her face. "I don't like to brag... but I was super good at it, too. So good in fact that I became the best flier on the team and climbed the ranks super fast, just like I flew. The choreography, timing, agility, formations, all that stuff was a breeze to me."

"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yep," Firefly said proudly. "And I did it all while still doing what I enjoyed most, being a mother. I was so good I was made a captain near instantly. Or it sure felt like it. Time flies when you're having fun."

"I'm assuming this trip down memory lane will have a point eventually?" Rainbow Dash said impatiently.

"Of course," Firefly said quickly. "Sorry about that... Anyways, getting that good that fast can sometimes lead a pony to make enemies. Of course, I eventually did... but not where you'd think or for the reasons you'd think. Turns out there were several... _bad eggs_ within the ranks of the Wonderbolts.

"Somehow they flew under the radar for a really long time. But when I found out about it, I exposed them as soon as I could. I knew what they were doing was wrong and I wasn't afraid to let everyone know about it."

"You're talking about the great crash landing?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed in amazement.

"Is that what they call it?" Firefly asked with a chuckle.

"Well... yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "It's said that a pony in the Wonderbolts exposed a rink that were dealing out performance enhancers while also taking them themselves. The enhancers had dangerous side effects that were so bad they were made illegal. The ponies dealing them were prosecuted and removed from the ranks of the Wonderbolts."

"You know your Wonderbolts history, Dashie," Firefly said, using one of her old nicknames for her daughter.

"The pony who exposed the rink never came forth or was revealed by anyone else," Rainbow Dash said, the urgency in her voice rising. She looked to her mother with amazed eyes. "That was _you?!_ "

"Yes," Firefly said as she nodded her head. "I couldn't let them get away with what they were doing. It was wrong. I knew it and they knew it, too, but they did it anyway. What most ponies forget was those guys did a few other illegal things, like some mafia stuff to keep others quiet...

"Well I headed them off before they could get to me. I was still afraid, though. Not just for myself, but I was mostly afraid for you and your dad. I didn't know how many connections those ponies had or how deep they went... So I decided the best thing to do... was to disappear.

"That's just what I did. I told your dad... told him there wasn't a choice. I had his name changed and my name changed... and then I left."

Firefly looked to see her daughter staring at her with a stunned expression.

"That... That's why you left?" Rainbow Dash asked in a shaky voice.

"Yes," Firefly said. "It was the toughest choice I ever had to make... But at the time I thought it was the right one. Several times, it didn't feel like it, though. Every single moment of every single day I missed you, Rainbow Dash.

"I missed your dad, too, but I'll admit, it was such a gratifying feeling being a mother. I always missed that feeling so much that I thought I wouldn't be able to live without it. To try and get over my pain, I traveled and that eventually led me here. I met Moon Bright and her family and for a little bit, I felt like myself again... But I quickly came to the realization that it was just a substitute for what I gave up before.

"I'm not gonna beat around the bush with you, Rainbow Dash... I love you. I've always loved you and I always missed you everyday you weren't near me. I still have pictures of our family together back when my life was at its best."

Rainbow Dash looked away as her eyes shut tightly and tears began to stream down her face.

"I only had one picture of you growing up," Rainbow Dash said in between sobs. "Dad didn't know I had it. I looked at it so many times growing up... I always wanted to know you... But all I had were faint images from when I was a baby.

"I don't even know if some of what I remember really happened or they were just dreams of moments I wished we had."

"I'm willing to bet they were real," Firefly said. "You know, it's not impossible to dream about things that actually happened to you, Dashie. Even if some of what you dreamed didn't really happen... well... it can now... Do you get what I'm trying to say, Rainbow Dash?... I know now leaving you was a mistake and that I should've just taken you with me.

"I should've taken you and your dad both. Then again things may have been too different for you, I don't know. But I should've been willing to find out... and now... now that you're here... I am. I'm willing to take several chances... just like I'm sure you are, my little Dashie. I will literally do _anything_ to make things right between us again.

"I want us... you and me... to be a family again. I want my daughter back... I want my little Dashie back."

Rainbow Dash saw the tears building up in her mom's eyes before they began to run down her face. She saw the sadness, but she also saw the hope and sincerity, the love and the compassion in Firefly's trembling eyes. Her whole body was shaking as she stared at Rainbow Dash, her expression conveying everything she just said, amplified to a thousand. Rainbow Dash didn't know what to say, what to think, or what to do. There was massive emotional hesitation on her part, but it was clear she was still thinking it over.

Firefly didn't wait for her to decide, though, instead approaching to try and embrace Rainbow Dash. She moved too soon and realized it too late as Rainbow Dash flew up off the bridge and backed away from it.

"Don't hold your breath," Rainbow Dash said angrily. "You have a long way to go if you want things like that with me again. Frankly, I don't think you can even get there at this point. Now buzz off and leave me alone."

"Rainbow Dash, wait!" Firefly called out.

But it was too late, for the blue furred pegasus was already flying away as fast as she could get. Firefly watched her go and kept staring even after Rainbow Dash was out of sight. After several moments, Firefly walked to the spot Rainbow Dash had been standing in. She placed her forelegs on the rope holding up the bridge before she laid her head down and began to sob.

* * *

 **ELSEWHERE:**

Muse and Fluttershy stood side by side in a clearing within the Willowing Forest. Only a cluster of trees separated it from Willowbrook. Though not as big as the space in which the ponies' village stood, it was still a pretty wide open area. It had to be because of who's home it was. At that moment, Fluttershy and Muse were not only accompanied by the creature that dwells in the clearing, but another giant as well.

Anguirus, who's den this was, laid down on his belly while looking up at Godzilla. The mighty saurian sat in front of the four legged kaiju, with whom he was sharing a conversation. The vocalization the two giant monsters made to each other ranged from soft short roars to low, quiet growls. Very rarely did either one of them let out a trumpet of their regular roars during their exchange of communications. Regardless of what sounds they made, Fluttershy and Muse both looked on in fascination with big bright eyes and smiles on their faces.

While both ponies were happy about how well the monsters were getting along, they couldn't help but be awed at the kaiju most new to them. Despite everything they had all just went through, the village ponies, the Mane Six, and even the monsters themselves were amazed at each kaiju's existence. Now actually getting to see the two exchanged pleasantries was almost an overload of amazing for both Muse and Fluttershy. It was even more of a treat for Fluttershy, who could actually understand animal talk. For the first time ever, she was getting to hear a genuine, friendly conversation between two kaiju.

She had heard kaiju shouting hateful things at each other and even heard some battle strategies exchanged. Never, though, had she seen or heard two kaiju sit down and just shoot the breeze and make small talk like Godzilla and Anguirus were. She hoped to see a lot more of this in the future and judging by how well the two monsters were hitting it off, there was a lot more to come.

"Wow, it's so great Anguirus finally has someone to talk to like this," Muse said.

"I feel the same way for Godzilla, too," Fluttershy said.

"Well, of course," Muse said. "I'm happy for both of them. It's just that Anguirus and I are real close, you know?"

"I understand, Muse," Fluttershy said with a confirming smile. "I'm guessing you're probably the closest to Anguirus of anypony here, is that right?"

"Yeah," Muse said. "Probably the only other ones in the village that come this close are TJ and my mom. But... I don't want to sound egotistical or anything, but Anguirus and I just have that special connection, you know? We've been tight ever since the beginning when he first arrived. I feed him, I come to see him more than anypony else, and I was the one who found him."

"Oh, really?" Fluttershy said in fascination.

"Is that a fact?" an approaching southern voice asked.

Fluttershy and Muse looked to see an exhausted, yet still pretty spry Applejack trotting over to them

"Hiya, Applejack," Fluttershy greeted pleasantly.

"Howdy, Fluttershy," Applejack called back.

Fluttershy flew over, meeting Applejack halfway, and hugged her, which the Earth pony mare returned.

"How are you doing?" Muse asked.

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you, Ms. Muse," Applejack said. "I'm just plum tuckered out is all. That cleanup really took it out of me. Not surprising with how much that needed to be done. Also not surprising considering what went down before. Frankly, it's more surprising how good a time we're making.

"Anyways, I reckon the cleanup is just about done with. There's only a few things left to deal with here and there. I'll help eventually, but right now I really need to take a breather."

"I hear ya, Applejack," Muse said. "I've been a part of several of those kinds of cleanups before."

"So have I," Fluttershy said.

"I've done it a few times myself," Applejack said.

"I can't say I'm surprised," Muse said. "Guess that's the territory that comes with having your own giant monster."

"Oh, we don't just cleanup after kaiju messes," Applejack said. "We've had our fair share of other things to deal with that needed cleaning up afterwards."

"Yeah, I figured," Muse said. "Us, too. The minotaurs don't always bring their little _pets_ on their _play dates_. But either way, they always leave a big mess we _get_ to cleanup! _Yay!_

"I'd be out there myself helping you guys, but Mom told me to feed Anguirus. I already know you asked Fluttershy just to look after Godzilla, too."

"Eeyup," Applejack said. "Since I don't see any food laying around here, I think it's safe to say both of our big boys have been taken care of."

Fluttershy and Muse both nodded their heads before saying, "Absolutely."

They looked to each other in surprise before they both smiled and giggled as they shut their eyes. Afterwards, all attention was given to the astounding sights that were Godzilla and Anguirus. It was easy to tell both were still very much delighted talking to each other and partaking in their company. They seemed to be having the best time of their lives and the three ponies watching couldn't have been happier.

"I'm sorry, but I can't get over how perfect this is," Muse said.

"You mean having two kaiju on our side?" Applejack asked.

"Well, yeah," Muse said. "But I was mostly talking about how they both have someone they can relate so close, too. I mean, Anguirus and I have always been best friends. But these two are connecting on a level I never ever could with Anguirus. I'm still happy he has someone like that now even if it isn't me.

"I want what's best for Anguirus."

"I understand, Muse," Fluttershy said as she looked up at the two happy monsters. "Really, I do. I feel the same way. It may be a little different since I can actually have conversations with Godzilla. But even then I don't feel like I could connect with him in the same way Anguirus can despite my best efforts. Honestly, I'm just fine with it so long as Godzilla has someone like Anguirus to do that with.

"Godzilla and I are a lot like you and Anguirus. I was the first one to ever meet Godzilla when he came to Equestria. We got off to a rocky start, but it all turned out for the best."

"Well," Applejack said, "I think anypony could understand why you two didn't exactly hit it off at first, Fluttershy. Including Godzilla. He was a big old thing and you were just a little old thing. Plus it was in the middle of the night. That'd be freaky for anyone."

"Yes, but to be fair, he did save me from a dragon right then and there," Fluttershy said.

"That's amazing," Muse said. "A lot of that sounds like what it was like when Anguirus and I met. Some differences, though, but still pretty similar."

"Oh, really?" Fluttershy asked. "Like how?"

"I'd like to hear how you happened to come across Anguirus, myself," Applejack said.

"Well... it's a long story," Muse said with uncertainty. "It's actually also kind of the story of how I became an alicorn."

"Then by all means, go ahead," Applejack said. "I didn't want to be rude and dwell on it, but I was wondering about that, too."

"About what?" Muse asked.

"If you were born an alicorn or got turned into one like Twilight," Applejack said.

"I'd like to know that myself."

Everypony looked to see Twilight Sparkle and TJ walking up to the group.

"Well, howdy there, Twilight," Applejack said as she tipped her hat. Then she tipped it to TJ as well. "TJ."

"How're you doing, Applejack?" TJ asked.

"Tired as a bull after a rodeo, but I'll live," Applejack replied.

"That's about where I'm at right now," TJ said. He then lightly groaned as he rubbed his hoof across her back. "Plus I think I might have pulled a muscle or two... or seven."

"I told you just to let me handle that stuff," Twilight Sparkle said. "But no, he had to act all macho and try handling that stuff all by himself."

"Trying to impress the pretty princess, TJ?" Muse asked teasingly.

"Shut up, I was not!" TJ blurted out as everypony else started laughing. "I just wanted to handle that stuff myself. I get that from my dad... He was always a do it yourself kind of pony." For a moment a sad look crossed TJ's face. Eventually, though, he fought it away and continued on like nothing happened.

"What about you, Muse? How are you and Fluttershy getting along."

"Oh, she's great," Muse said. "She's a joy to be around and keep company with. We've just been having a good time hanging out with Anguirus and Godzilla."

"I feel the same way," Fluttershy said. "Muse has been such a delight. It's really nice to see how much she cares for Anguirus. She's taken to Godzilla pretty well, too."

"Fluttershy also likes Anguirus pretty well now," Muse said.

"Well, of course, what's there not to like?" TJ asked. "We got two really awesome, really amazing monsters here who love and protect ponies with all they have. Plus, they're just some very nice guys."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Twilight Sparkle said. "Since the cleanup is finished, TJ and I decided to come visit the kaiju and you guys to see how you're all doing. Looks like everything's good, and Godzilla and Anguirus seem to be doing really well."

"Oh, they're becoming the best of friends," Fluttershy assured.

"That's good," Twilight Sparkle said. "They both deserve someone like that."

"Doesn't hurt that their new friendship will work out in our favor," TJ said. "Sorry to keep going back to that, but having two monsters on our side really increases our chances of success against the minotaurs and their monsters."

"Anguirus needed some help, that's for sure," Muse said.

"Based on what I saw of the fight between Godzilla and Solomon, our boy needs it, too," Applejack said.

"Yeah, but not nearly as bad as Anguirus," TJ said.

"What do you mean?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well..." TJ started. "How do I say this?... I love Anguirus. He's my buddy through and through. But he hasn't exactly been very successful fighting against the minotaurs' monsters.

"I mean haven't you seen the injuries all over him?"

Everyone focused closer on Anguirus, despite all his injuries being clear to see.

"He sure looks like he's been through the ringer a few times alright," Applejack said.

"How horrible," Fluttershy said, to which Twilight nodded in agreement.

"It's worse than you think," TJ said. "All those wounds came from fights that Anguirus wasn't able to win by himself and he barely got out of by the skin of his teeth."

"Really?!" Twilight Sparkle asked in disbelief.

"I wish I were making this up," TJ said. "But it was only with assistants from the alpha stone's power that Anguirus was able to survive all those fights. Recently the minotaurs lured him into a trap to try and take him down for good. Anguirus was fighting both Solomon and Hedorah at the same time far away from the village. I was there with some others and we saw Anguirus go over a cliff into the ocean with Hedorah.

"When only Hedorah came out again, we thought Anguirus was dead and gone forever."

"I was devastated," Muse said.

"She cried herself to sleep for weeks," TJ said.

"Don't act like you didn't, too," Muse said, sounding a little bit more emotional than she meant to.

"Oh, I sure did," TJ confessed. "You're darn right, absolutely I did. All of us mourned Anguirus because we hadn't just lost a protector... we lost someone we came to know as a good friend. In between fights, Anguirus always treated us good. He walked with us sometimes when we went out of the village, he was always supportive even if he was only able to interact from just outside the village.

"He was just a good guy all around. That's why all our hearts were lifted so high to see Anguirus alive, despite how bad of a beating he took last time. I'm hoping that now he won't get such bad beatings with Godzilla here... I hate to say this. Anguirus has a lot of heart, really he does.

"He may have the most heart of any living creature I've seen, fighting on until the end. But while he may have the heart, clearly he doesn't have the body to match. As impressive as he looks to us, on the kaiju's level, he's probably the runt of the litter."

At that moment, Anguirus looked down and roared in angry protest.

"I'm sorry, Anguirus, but it's the truth," TJ said. "You remember all those fights don't you? You were outnumbered, out sized, and out powered. It killed me each time to see how close you were to being killed yourself. It hurt us all when you were hurting, Anguirus.

"But we always stuck with you."

Anguirus nodded his head as he begrudgingly roared that TJ was right.

"But all that past stuff may not matter now," TJ said. "Now that you have a friend like Godzilla by your side... maybe your luck will change."

"Oh, it will," Applejack reassured. "With Godzilla here, I guarantee it. If Rainbow Dash were here, she'd be guaranteeing it a lot louder than I ever could."

"We've told you before, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "Godzilla's always been about helping those who need it. So that's how I know, through his and Anguirus's combined power, we _will_ prevail."

Everyone smiled as their confidence rose higher. Muse smiled to Anguirus, who stuck out a paw that she instantly hugged as best she could.

"Of course, it won't hurt any with us also having that alpha stone thingy of yours," Applejack said.

"Yeah, what's up with that, by the way?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"What do you mean?" TJ asked in reply.

"Well... for starts, what _is_ the alpha stone?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "Where did it come from? How did it get here? How is it so powerful?"

Both TJ and Muse looked to each other with uncertainty.

"You mean, neither of you know the answers?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well..." TJ said.

"We only kind of, sort of know the answers to some of those questions," Muse said.

"Huh?" Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack said together.

"Let's try this again," TJ said. He paused for a moment as he tried to think of what to say next and how to say it. "I have something to confess to you, girls."

"What's that, TJ?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well..." TJ began. "We... didn't exactly... _make_ this village... We added onto it, no doubt. But the majority of what you saw with the bridges, balconies, huts, and the statues were all here before we were."

The trio that made up half the Mane Six gasped in surprise.

"Really?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yeah, it's true," Muse said.

"But I thought you said the settlers on this island never found anyone else living here," Applejack said. "You also said they didn't find any trace that anyone had lived here before either."

"They didn't," TJ said. "Records show no recorded encounter with Willowbrook before and none of us ever saw it while exploring the island. Or at least we didn't until we decided to leave Seaside Hoof and strike out on our own. It just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. We never did find anyone who might've lived here before and it seemed deserted when we first got here.

"So we fixed the village up and made it our own home. We even gave it its current name. I can only guess whatever group made Willowbrook before somehow made the alpha stone, too. But the thing is that we didn't find the stone here in Willowbrook."

"Well, where did you find it then?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"I didn't," TJ said as he looked to his sister. "Muse did." The others looked to the young alicorn in surprise as she smiled nervously. "We found her holding it while she was sleeping. That was the first time we saw her as an alicorn... and the first time any of us ever saw Anguirus."

" _What?!_ " Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy said together.

"We found Muse sleeping on the big guy's snout," TJ said with a little laugh. "Both were fast asleep and Anguirus was covered in the forest's terrain. We were frantic and looking for Muse as soon as we realized she wasn't in her bed, at home, or anywhere in the village. We were all more than happy to find her. But, needless to say, the whole search party got quite the scare when we discovered Anguirus was there, too."

"Oh, I don't doubt it," Applejack said.

"I was quite surprised when I saw Godzilla for the first time," Twilight Sparkle said. "Didn't help that I was surrounded by fire and that there was another monster there when that happened."

"How did you come across Anguirus, Muse?" Fluttershy asked.

"And the alpha stone, too?" Twilight Sparkle added.

"Well..." Muse stammered. "Uh... I..."

"She doesn't remember," TJ explained.

"That's not true," Muse asserted. "I remember it... a little."

"Well then, don't keep us in suspense," Applejack said.

"Yeah, Muse, let us in on it," Twilight Sparkle said. "Start with how you became an alicorn."

A deadpan look crossed Muse's face as she stared at Twilight Sparkle for a moment.

"Seriously?" Muse asked. "You're still on this whole me being an alicorn thing?"

"It ain't just her, sugarcube," Applejack said.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't get over it," Twilight Sparkle said. "Coming here, one of the last things I ever expected to find was another alicorn... I also didn't expect to find another good kaiju or a powerful rock either."

Everyone shared a quick laugh at the princess's last sentence.

"I guess a lot of this stuff is pretty shocking to learn for the first time, isn't it?" Muse said.

"Yeah, it is," Twilight Sparkle said. "So please bare with me for a moment?... How about you just start at the beginning?"

"Go ahead, Muse," Applejack said.

"Please?" Fluttershy asked softly.

"You might as well let them in on it, sis," TJ said.

"Okay, okay," Muse said. "I'll try and tell you as best as I can remember it."

"Thank you," Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack all said together.

"Hmm... where to start?" Muse wondered out loud. "Well, I guess I'll start by telling you I used to take a lot of late night walks. I used to have a lot of trouble sleeping. Sometimes I still do, but that shouldn't be too surprising considering what me and our village go through on a regular basis."

"Our mom has problems like that, too," TJ said. "Sometimes I do, too. It's really mostly stress related."

"At first I mostly stuck to strolling around the village," Muse said. "But eventually I started walking around the immediate area of the forest around the village. I have no idea why I did things that stupid. Maybe I was suicidal back then. Let's not dwell too much on that subject, though.

"Anyways, one of my late night strolls brought me face to face with Anguirus. By that time, the minotaurs were already using their giant monsters to attack us. So, naturally, I thought Anguirus was one of theirs. I still think he might've been at the time. We may be best friends now, but that first time, Anguirus was anything but friendly.

"He looked like he had every intention of making me a late night snack. He probably would've, except for his stomping split a part of the ground open, which revealed a bright glowing light."

"The alpha stone," Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack said together.

"I'm guessing that's what it was, too," Muse said. "Then all I remember is a flash of light an then waking up on Anguirus's snout surrounded by several scared ponies, including TJ and my step dad. I'm told, I immediately told them all Anguirus was a good guy. That was when I first gave him his name, too. I don't really remember that part, but TJ insists it's true."

"It is," TJ said. "Just like what she said about Anguirus being on our side was true because he's had our back ever since. Muse is the one who hangs with him the most, but that's okay. I think that's the way he wants it and that seems appropriate to me. I really appreciate him looking out for my sister like he does.

"I have a whole lot of respect for Anguirus."

"You say TJ's father was there, too, Muse?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yeah," Muse said.

"It was right before he disappeared," TJ said as he looked on solemnly, his voice matching his changing mood.

Muse walked up and rubbed a hoof on TJ's back as Twilight Sparkle came and placed her hoof on his.

"You'll get him back, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "I promise."

TJ smiled in appreciation before he tried to buck up a little.

"You okay, TJ?" Muse asked concernedly.

"Uh, yeah," TJ said. "Or at least, I will be now."

TJ kept looking at Twilight Sparkle, who continued to smile supportively.

"So you also woke up with new wings, Muse?" Applejack asked.

"Yes," Muse said. She spread out her newest limbs for all to see. "I also got a serious power boost. It was so powerful, it made me afraid to use my magic even for the smallest things. No matter what I did, nine times out of ten I ended up using too much power.

"I sort of mastered using it for small things like cooking and levitating, but I'm still afraid of using my full power. Using too much led to... disastrous results."

"I know what you're getting at, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said. "I actually had some experiences like that, myself."

"So do you think it was the alpha stone that turned Anguirus good and you into an alicorn?" Fluttershy asked.

"It must be," Muse said. "There's just no other explanation. Or at least not one I can think of."

"Me neither," TJ said.

The other ponies all agreed as well.

"Well, I'd say things turned out for the better with you finding the alpha stone," Applejack said.

"Yeah, they'd turn out even better if we could find the other three," TJ said.

" _The other three?!_ " Fluttershy, Twilight, and Applejack asked together in surprise.

"After we found the stone," TJ said, "we found what little records were in the village left by those who lived here before us. They showed records of there being three other alpha stones. They also said that's what they were called, but we first learned their names when we found Muse that night. She said it was called the alpha stone and the records confirmed it, as did the minotaurs shouting they wanted it when they found out we had it."

"I have no idea how I knew their name," Muse said.

"So that's probably the biggest reason they keep attacking you," Twilight Sparkle said.

"One of them, probably," TJ said. "Plus I get this feeling they just don't like us that much."

Everypony let out a small laugh, despite the seriousness of the situation.

"It's okay, though," Muse added. "We don't like them all that much either."

"Do you think they might have the other stones?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"No, I don't," TJ said. "If they did, they probably would've figured out how to use them and probably would've by now."

"But these _are_ minotaurs we're taking about," Applejack said.

"Minotaurs with access to two very intelligent, albeit psychotic, ponies," TJ replied.

"That's true," Fluttershy said. "From what I saw and you all said, they seemed really mean."

"Oh, they were," Twilight Sparkle said as a glare crossed her face. "I really couldn't stand that Khaos Fury thing... But I have to admit... it seemed like if anyone had a chance to unlock the stones' power, it was her and her brother."

"Thankfully, it also seems like it hasn't come to that," Muse said. "It took Mom a dog's age to figure it out for herself."

"She must be a truly remarkable pony," Fluttershy said.

"You have no idea," TJ said. "She's one of the most remarkable, most resilient, most amazing ponies I've ever met in my life. Her and Muse here... My whole family actually."

"From what I've seen I think you're all pretty great," Fluttershy said.

"Yes you are, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I think Fluttershy meant the whole village, Twi," Applejack said.

"Oh!" Twilight Sparkle let out. "Of course! That's what I meant to say, too!... It's only that... well, I've known TJ the longest of everypony that lives on this island!"

"Uh-huh, sure," Applejack said, sounding unconvinced.

"I appreciate you all saying that," TJ said. "You girls already know I think your the cat's pajamas and the bee's knees. You already showed me that several times before. Now you've shown the whole village, too, so I know they think the same about you as I do. It all makes me feel like things are gonna take a turn for the better."

"I certainly hope so," Fluttershy said.

"I know so," TJ said. "You've already inspired so many ponies here. We're _actually_ celebrating after a cleanup that came from a minotaur battle. That _never happens_ here! If you keep this up and we all work together, then there's nothing we can't do!"

Everypony looked to their kaiju friends, who were still exchanging pleasant conversations with each other.

"I agree with you, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "But I got a feeling that rings especially true for Godzilla and Anguirus."

"Oh, yeah, no doubt about it," TJ said.

"Celestia knows they could both use it," Applejack said.

"I still think Anguirus might need it more than Godzilla," TJ said. "Seriously, what I saw go down between him and Solomon today was amazing. I've never ever seen Solomon go that long in a fight or have to work so hard. Godzilla fought him to a near standstill."

"But eventually he did take Godzilla down," Muse asserted. "It was only because Anguirus showed up and helped him that Godzilla was finally able to beat Solomon. They did it together just like they need to keep doing and just like _we_ need to do."

"Oh, believe me, Muse, we will," Twilight Sparkle said confidently. "With the combined might of Godzilla's power, Anguirus's heart, and our spirit, we'll take these turkeys down easily!"

" _Yeah!_ " everypony shouted together.

They then looked to the monsters when they heard a change in their tones. Anguirus had looked away from Godzilla in sadness, shame, and a hint of anger. Godzilla looked to his new friend sympathetically while also appearing to be mad.

"What's going on?" Muse asked.

"They had just started talking about the fight today," Fluttershy said. "Godzilla was upset at himself for not doing better. Now Anguirus is upset that he's never technically won a fight before today."

Anguirus looked around solemnly at some of the wounds on display all across his body, each one being a reminder of his past failures. The four legged kaiju hung his head as his eyes shut in sorrow.

"Poor guy," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I'm so sorry I was hard on you earlier, Anguirus," TJ said. "You do the best you can and that's all anypony could ask for."

Anguirus roared back a reply.

"Oh, you poor thing," Fluttershy said in a motherly fashion.

"What did he say?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"He said, not when lives are at stake," Fluttershy translated.

That made everypony even sadder, with Muse even coming up to rub and nuzzle Anguirus's paw. Everypony was taken aback when a bright pink glow suddenly illuminated the area. They looked to see Godzilla's back spikes were the source of the glow because they were lighting up in a pink aura. Muse trotted back to the group and watched with them as the scenario played on.

"What's he doing?" Muse asked.

"I don't know," Fluttershy confessed.

Suddenly, Godzilla opened his mouth and a strange, pink mist escaped his maw. The mist washed over Anguirus as he began to glow in a white flashing light. Everyone marveled at this sight until the lights got too bright and they had to look away. Only seconds later, did everyone look to see the lights were all gone, as was the mist. In their place, the ponies saw, much to their delighted surprise, all of Anguirus's injuries had disappeared.

Everyone gawked in astonishment, their eyes darting all over the spiky kaiju's body. It was true that there wasn't a single scratch left on him. None were as surprised by this as Anguirus was. His wide eyes looked across as many parts of his body they could as he lifted his front legs to his face and even brought his tail around. He couldn't believe that not only were the injuries gone, but so was every bit of lingering pain they left.

"What just happened?!" Muse asked in amazement.

"Godzilla must've somehow used his healing powers to heal Anguirus!" Twilight Sparkle exclaime.

Muse looked to the trio from Equestria with disbelief.

"Did you say healing powers?!" Muse asked.

"Yes," Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy said together.

"Godzilla can heal his injuries much faster than any other living creature on the planet," Fluttershy explained. "We've seen him do it hundreds of times before."

"Haven't you noticed there isn't a scratch left on his body from the fight with Solomon earlier?" Applejack asked.

Muse looked again and her eyes seemed to widen even further as she gasped in astonishment.

"Oh, my gosh, you're right!" Muse said. "He really doesn't have any injuries on him at all! I can't believe it! I guess I was just distracted by what an amazing sight he already was. He was already extremely cool... Now he's twice as awesome!

"The way he grabbed Solomon and just threw him! That was unbelievable! I've never seen anyone or anything do something like that to that skull faced, bat-winged pain in the flank! I hope I get to see it happen again."

"With these two working together, I can almost guarantee it," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Especially if Anguirus uses his spikes as good as he did before," Applejack added. "Seriously, launching himself backwards to slam his spikes into Solomon was a stroke of genius! Anguirus is pretty cool himself."

The ponies all looked up happily when they heard Anguirus growling to Godzilla. He appeared to be very emotional based on the look on his face. His eyes were practically trembling, he felt so happy. Godzilla was smiling back as he replied with his own low growls. Fluttershy giggled as her eyes shut and her smile got bigger.

"What are they saying?" Muse asked.

"Anguirus thanked Godzilla," Fluttershy explained. "Now Godzilla is saying that he is more than happy to share whatever he's got with his friends."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Muse said.

"That's the kind of guy Ziller is," Applejack said.

"Do you think Anguirus can heal himself like Godzilla now?" TJ asked.

"Probably not," Twilight Sparkle said. "I think if he wants a quick heal in the future, he'll need more treatments from Godzilla like what he just had here."

"Then we have nothing to worry about," TJ said. "I already know these two are gonna end up being the best of friends. And it'll be through the light of friendship's might that we'll come out on top in the end."

Fluttershy suddenly let out a little laugh.

"Now what are they talking about, Fluttershy?" Muse asked.

"Somehow they got on the subject of each others eating habits," Fluttershy explained between laughs.

This got the rest of the group laughing, too as they watched both Godzilla and Anguirus bond even closer together.

"Oh, Fluttershy, I am so glad you're willing to translate everything they're saying," Muse said between laughs. "Beyond just being fascinating, turns out in can be hilarious, too."

"Well, I'm happy to do it whenever you want me, too, Muse," Fluttershy said.

"Thanks," Muse said as she and Fluttershy smiled at each other.

They soon turned their attention back to the monsters so they may continue to marvel at them with everyone else.

* * *

 **Holy exposition, Batman! Lol Sorry about that. I just wanted to get all this exposition and backstory out of the way and I felt this was the best way to do it. Anyways, here's the next chapter. I decided to keep working on this story while I'm writing my all original content short story (which is about half way done BTW). I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and regardless of how you feel, please leave a review after reading. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.  
**


	14. Chapter 14: Plans at Sunset

Twilight Sparkle and TJ both walked along a bridge, one of many that stretched through the otherwise open air high above the ground. Both were looking around at what wonders Willowbrook had to offer. It was starting to get late, so the ponies that had been gathered around Godzilla and Anguirus decided it'd be best to head back into the village. They had mostly gone their separate ways for the time being, but Twilight Sparkle and TJ found they were enjoying each others company, so they stuck together. Both ponies were smiling and having a great time as they had been since the cleanup had finished.

There had even been laughs shared between the two with both enjoying how funny the other could be. Besides the jokes, there had been much conversation shared between TJ and Twilight as well. It wasn't anything very important, but more so mildly amusing small talk. It was basically trivial things one would discuss if they didn't really have anything to talk about, but wanted to anyways. Along the way both had suggested, at the same time no less, that TJ show Twilight Sparkle around Willowbrook, which had led them to that moment.

Seeing more of the village and from different angles as well was actually an enjoyable experience for the violet alicorn. She was getting to see things she wasn't able to when she first arrived. Twilight also saw how much better parts she'd already seen looked since they no longer bared the scars of the minotaur raid. What made Twilight so passionate to look around was not just the village itself, but also the community of ponies who inhabit it. Despite clearly showing the emotional wear and tear they had gone through, they all still tried to carry themselves like everyday ponies.

They walked around the bridges, high balconies, and the forest floor like it was their normal commute. They also greeted each other in a pleasant manner, smiling, tipping a hat, waving, saying "hi", and even striking up really quick, really small conversations before moving on. It was still plain to see their long standing struggle with the minotaurs had taken its toll on them all. Yet somehow they were still fighting passed it and were still trying to to be as civilized as possible. How was it then that despite all they had gone through they could still muster the effort to be civil?

Had they become numb to the emotional and psychological turmoil that came from fight with the minotaurs? Were they at a point were they could actually and legitimately move pass such emotions? Were they just living in denial? Or were their spirits really so strong that none of what the minotaurs threw at them was enough to break them? Or was it just months and months of therapy?

In Twilight's opinion, looking around the village at that moment, she believed the villagers of Willowbrook were strong willed. She believed that deep down, they were all genuinely good ponies and would do their best to stay good no matter what. That was the kind of vibe Twilight was getting looking at the crowds of ponies walking around and going about their lives in Willowbrook. Again, there was still a clear underlying fear and anxious anticipation for when the next minotaur strike would be. But Twilight Sparkle had a huge amount of respect for the villagers because they clearly refused to let that fear and anticipation get to them.

Twilight had stopped in the middle of the bridge and leaned up against the side to look out over everything. She had been in motion practically all day, so she had decided she just wanted to take a moment to relax. Plus, Twilight Sparkle also wanted to see what the village activity looked like when she wasn't trotting around all the time. TJ respected her unspoken request and stood by with her as she marveled at what the village had to offer. Plus, he was pretty tired himself, though he would never admit to it.

"Wow... it really is amazing," Twilight Sparkle said.

"It sure is," TJ agreed.

"Absolutely," Twilight Sparkle said. "As far as I'm concerned, this place is great. I mean, not everypony can say they live in a village built by an ancient civilization filled with so many wonderful ponies."

TJ smiled as he looked out across the way at his fellow villagers.

"They are pretty awesome aren't they?" TJ asked.

"Yeah," Twilight Sparkle said. She then raised an eyebrow. "Though... there is _one_ pony here I'm not sure about."

"Hey!" TJ said with a surprised, open mouthed smile on his face.

Twilight Sparkle let out a little giggle before saying, "Seriously, though, I got to know some of the other villagers during the cleanup. They were all really helpful like you are."

"Thanks, Twilight, I try to be," TJ said.

"You are," Twilight reassured.

"I guess that's just the influence everyone here has on me," TJ said. "Though, I think mostly it comes from my dad. He used to always be trying to help somepony, _everypony_ do something somewhere no matter what it was."

"Don't say used to, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "Your dad's alive. I know he is. Somehow... I can feel it."

"Oh, so do I," TJ said. "No, don't worry, Twilight. I totally agree with you that my dad's alive. I'm going to see him again no matter what. I'll fight Tartarus if I have to.

"But what I mean is he used to work harder than any other pony I ever met... until..."

"Until what, TJ?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Until he got old," TJ finished.

Twilight Sparkle had to fight with all her might not to laugh, though it slipped out a little. The smile was clear to see on her face despite trying to cover it with her front hooves. Twilight's reaction actually got TJ to start laughing, which made the princess release her laughter as well.

"I'm so sorry," Twilight said in between laughs. "It's just the way you put that, it..."

"No apology needed," TJ said with a chuckle. "If anything, I should be apologizing to you. I laugh at stupid stuff like that all the time. You've just been hanging around a bad influence too long, that being me."

"Oh, you're not so bad," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I go right up to my parents and tell them they're old to their faces before laughing at their anger," TJ said bluntly.

Both ponies laughed out again.

"Okay, I take it back," Twilight Sparkle said. "You're a pretty bad boy."

"Uh, not _as_ much," TJ said. "They always know I'm joking and fake getting mad to make me laugh. Worse thing that happens is they come up with something better to say that makes _me_ look like the goober."

"How often does that happen?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

TJ was silent and blank faced for a moment before saying, "Anyways-"

"You answered without answering," Twilight Sparkle said with a laugh.

TJ joined in for a moment before saying, "In all seriousness, that's what happened. My mom and dad both got old. Having to deal with all this minotaur garbage as you get older can take its toll on a pony's physical health."

"You mean-?"

"That's exactly what I mean, Twilight," TJ said. "My dad beat his body into pulp doing all he did well into her later years. Even worse was he didn't stop with the minotaurs. He still went around helping ponies with big chores around the village and still tried to run the place like he was twenty five. In truth, he's even older than my mom is."

"How old is your mom?" Twilight sparkle asked.

"Fifty four," TJ answered. "And my dad is sixty three."

"Whoa!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. "And they haven't let up at all?"

"Not until their bodies forced them to," TJ answered. "They still try to push themselves, but eventually the side effects of old age forces them down... That's why I'm so worried about what happened to my dad... It's also why I'm so worried about my mom now."

"If you are, then why don't you take over running the village?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"I've tried several times, Twilight," TJ said. "But I'm usually either told no or just flat out ignored... Honestly that hurts more than being told no... Oh, well. It doesn't matter because I think my mom is setting up or at least trying to set up Muse to become the new village head."

"What makes you think that?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Because she's Mom's biological child," TJ said. "But mostly I think it's because of her becoming an alicorn recently. I think Muse senses this, too... Unfortunately, I think she's also frightened to the bone about it."

"You do?" Twilight asked.

TJ nodded his head in reply.

"You heard her earlier," TJ said. "You think a pony who's afraid of their power would want to try and use it to run a whole village? Or do you think she'd want to run the village even without that power?"

"I guess not," Twilight Sparkle said.

"It's a shame, though," TJ said. "I honestly think she'd turn out to be very good at being a leader and using her new powers if she gave both a chance. She's a strong willed pony, Twilight... and also very special. She can do things and figure things out faster and better than I ever could. She's really smart; so smart she can actually figure out how to work an egg timer."

"And you can't?" Twilight Sparkle asked playfully.

TJ gave his friend a sideways smile both of amusement and fake annoyance.

"Shut up," TJ said in an exaggerated tone. Twilight Sparkle laughed in amusement before TJ went on. "Seriously, though, she's very talented at a lot of things. I know leadership and using her alicorn magic would be two of those things if she gave them a try. She'd probably end up being a better leader than I ever could... Although, at the same time, I could see why she wouldn't want to pursue either of those things."

"Me too," Twilight Sparkle said. "When I first moved to Ponyville, I wasn't interested in making friends. But somehow, they all just flocked to me even though I wasn't even trying to get them to. Applejack brought something up to me recently that I honestly never noticed. I guess I somehow became the unofficial leader of our little gang of friends.

"Friends who somehow ended up being really important ponies going on really important journeys and doing really important things."

"I can see why that ended up happening," TJ said.

"You do?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Absolutely," TJ said as sincerely as he could muster. "Twilight, you're a natural born leader. I saw it in you from the moment I met you. It's not just cause you're a princess either. If you take that away, there's still something... I can explain it. You just got something special about you that makes you a pony other ponies would want to follow.

"You're special in other ways, too, but that's one of them."

"Wow," a stunned Twilight Sparkle managed to say. "Thank you, TJ."

"You're welcome... Twilight," TJ responded.

"I can only guess what you're saying is true," Twilight Sparkle said. "That's only because even before I became an alicorn princess, my friends still followed me like I was a leader."

TJ gave Twilight a confused look.

"You haven't always been an alicorn?"

"Yeah, didn't I tell you that before?"

"Probably. Unfortunately I have a tendency to forget some things sometimes. I even forget things I've been told several times... Like my pet goldfish's birthday."

"You have a pet goldfish?"

TJ stared at Twilight Sparkle with a blank expression for several seconds before answering.

"Not anymore."

"Oh," Twilight Sparkle replied.

The two stood in awkward silence for a moment before moving on.

"So, you were transformed into an alicorn?" TJ asked. "I'm guessing it wasn't by a magic rock?"

"No," Twilight Sparkle said. "It was Princess Celestia who did it. Apparently it was a path I'd been put on since the first day Celestia made me her apprentice."

"Really?" TJ asked in amazement.

"Yep," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Far out," TJ said. "And... how did you take it?"

"Well, to be honest," Twilight Sparkle said, "I was kind of in the same boat that Muse is in. I felt the exact same way about becoming an alicorn and a possible leader as you think she does. I was afraid of using my magic and what heights it could possibly reach in the future. But even more than that I was afraid of taking the rank of princess and the authority that would come with it."

"How did you cope with your fears and eventually get pass them?" TJ asked. "How were you able to overcome it all and not only master your alicorn magic, but accept and fit into your new position of power?"

"Hmm," Twilight Sparkle mused. "You know, I think it was just something I eased into over time. It was practicing both of them a little bit here and there over an extended period of time. I was already working hard on mastering my magic when I was just a unicorn. So it was only natural I kept doing it even as an alicorn.

"Then there came a day where I got even more alicorn magic and was forced to master it in a situation that could've meant the end of Equestria. It got to the point where I needed to find an even greater magic that could only be wielded by not just me, but my friends as well. After that, my regular load of alicorn magic just seemed like a breeze."

"Wow," TJ said in awe.

"Now as for leadership," Twilight Sparkle went on. "According to what everypony says, including you, I was already a natural leader. I guess that kind of carried over with the authority that comes with my princess title. So as you can tell, apparently I had both my magic and leadership skills well in hoof. But I still do my best to hone both and practice hard at them, even to this day. So it's hard for me to say if it's all really natural or if it's the hard work I put into learning my skills."

"Maybe it's both," TJ said. "Wouldn't surprise me considering what a remarkable pony you turned out to be."

Twilight Sparkle looked at TJ with a bit of surprise before lowering her head to look to the ground.

"Thanks, TJ."

"You're very welcome, Twilight... I'm honestly surprised how well things have turned out with since I met you and your friends... I guess I was just lucky getting you all as my friends, too."

"Well, we're lucky to have you, too," Twilight Sparkle said. "So far the same seems to be true with the rest of Willowbrook's ponies. Your mom was very nice and very inviting and from what Fluttershy told me, she still was even during the battle. Muse seems like she's a very sweet pony, too."

"She is," TJ said. "I can't wait for you all to get to know each other better."

"Do you feel like _we've_ gotten to know enough about each other?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"You mean you and I personally?" TJ asked. "Or do you mean you plus your friends getting to know me and vice versa?"

"Both," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Oh," TJ said. "Hmm... Well... Probably for now. I'm sure we'll get to know each other more overtime."

"Well, I've learned you're a sweet pony," Twilight Sparkle said. "You love your family and you and your dad can sing. I learned a few other things, too, like you're a really hard worker. What have you learned about me?"

"Well, I know you're crazy about books," TJ said.

"How did you know that?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she raised an eyebrow. "I don't remember if we ever got to that or not."

"We didn't have to," TJ said. "The big poster in your room back at the castle in Ponyville that read, _'I LOVE BOOKS'_ in big purple lettering was a dead give away."

"Oh," Twilight Sparkle said as an embarrassed smile crossed her face and her cheeks turned red.

"Hey, don't sweat it," TJ said. "I dig that. Also, pretty much everything you said about me is stuff I learned about you and your friends. You all have your own little quirks and different ways you go about things. But at your cores, you all have those same awesome qualities, thus making you all super awesome ponies."

"Wow," Twilight Sparkle said. "Thanks again, TJ. " Twilight dug her hoof at the wooden planks of the bridge. "All the girls think you're a pretty awesome pony yourself."

"Well, I try to be," TJ said. "Again, you have all these ponies in this village to thank. Speaking of which, remind me to thank the girls later for their nice words. They did use the word awesome, right?"

Twilight Sparkle nodded her head as she said, "Yes, they did."

"Cool," TJ said as he looked out at the village.

Twilight Sparkle stared out for a moment as well. She then noticed the change in the rays of the sun shining through the gaps between the trees and their branches.

"You know," Twilight Sparkle said, "the sunset makes this place look even more beautiful than it already is."

"Eh, I guess," TJ said. Twilight gave the stallion a questioning look. "I mean, don't get me wrong, Willowbrook's great and the forest is amazing... But I honestly think I've started to grow numb to it all."

"Why?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Because," TJ said, "everything I see around me now has just become a reminder of what we ponies here have to endure from the minotaurs. There isn't a spot on this island where I've set hoof that I haven't had a confrontation with a minotaur. Whether it was a physical confrontation or not, I've still had bad run ins with the minotaurs everywhere I've been on this island. Even here on this bridge, I've had to deal with some horn heads.

"I've never been able to feel truly safe where I'm suppose to feel at home. The closest I've come was being surrounded by the ponies I love, whether they were family or just close friends here in the village... _They_ are what makes this fight worth it the most for me. At this point, I honestly wouldn't care if Willowbrook was raised to the ground so long as it meant everypony came out of it alive, safe, and sound."

"But what about their homes?" Twilight asked.

"We'd all persevere and find new homes," TJ said. "I know everyone's strong enough to get through something like that! They've got tough hearts and determined spirits... and overall, they're just great ponies. So I fight on for them just like they fight on for me and each other."

"That was beautiful, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "Even more beautiful than the sunset."

"Well, neither one are as beautiful as..." TJ stopped himself and covered his mouth with his hoof."

"As beautiful as what?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Never you mind," TJ said, albeit in a muffled voice since he had not removed his hoof from his mouth.

Twilight Sparkle looked away nervously before looking back to TJ.

"Can I ask you something, TJ?" Twilight Sparkle asked, her voice sounding shaky with nervousness.

"Uh... sure," TJ said after removing his hoof from over his mouth.

"Now answer honestly," Twilight Sparkle said. "You've said it before, so I want you to clarify... Do... Do you really think I'm pretty?"

TJ gagged on a lump of air that got caught in his throat. He was dreading this moment, though he knew it was inevitable with his constant slip of words. After TJ coughed up the air stuck in his throat, he put a hoof to his chest and beat on it a few times. He turned to Twilight, but was unable to speak at first. He kept trying to form words, but he couldn't even let out a single syllable, instead making nonsense sounds.

"Yes, I do!" TJ finally let out.

Twilight Sparkle's eyes widened before catching herself and looking away. Both ponies were feeling incredibly awkward at that moment, but they wanted to try and press on.

"Whoa," was all Twilight Sparkle could say at first. "Okay... Wow... How pretty do you think I am?"

 _She won't let this get any less awkward, will she?_ TJ thought to himself.

"How do I put this?" TJ asked himself. "Well, I guess I should start by admitting there wasn't a mare in Ponyville I didn't think was cute in some way. Seriously, do you all put something in the water or something like that?" Twilight Sparkle just gave him a confused look. "Right... moving on then.

"Anyways, every mare in Ponyville was either a nine or a ten on cuteness factor... But you... you're a solid twenty, Twilight Sparkle... You are, what my mom likes to call, a real cutie patootie." Twilight Sparkle looked on with an embarrassed look, as did TJ, both ponies' faces turning red. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I just said that!"

"That makes two of us," Twilight Sparkle said as she watched TJ put his hooves over his face.

He stayed that way for almost eight seconds before finally peeking an eye out. She saw Twilight was still there looking at him and waiting. TJ finally got the guts to face the alicorn princess as he removed his hooves from his face and looked to her.

"Sorry about that, Twi," TJ said as he rubbed a hoof across the back of his neck. "I didn't mean to creep you out."

"Oh, no, it's okay," Twilight Sparkle assured him. "I'm not creeped out. I asked you a question and you answered it... Thank you for that by the way. Actually... I think it's kind of... sweet."

TJ's eyes widened for a moment as he looked to Twilight Sparkle with renewed interest.

"Really?!" TJ asked in amazement.

Twilight Sparkle nodded her head as a cute little smile crossed her face.

"Absolutely," Twilight Sparkle said. "Sorry if I embarrassed you, TJ."

"Oh, that's alright!" TJ said with a chuckle. "I think we both got embarrassed there a little... good thing nopony was around to hear all that."

"Not all of it, no!" Twilight and TJ both let out small yelps as they looked to see Firefly landing next to them. "But I did come in at cutie patootie. You know, I still can't believe, TJ, out of all the things you got from your mom, that had to be one of them."

"Firefly," TJ said through a large, gritted, embarrassed smile. "How nice to see you."

"Can we help you?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"I hate to break up your moment," Firefly said. "But, TJ, your mom says she wants to see all of us back at your hut."

"We're on our way," TJ said with a determined tone that matched his expression. Both briefly turned to uncertainty. "Now, when you say all of us, do you mean...?"

"I mean, you, me, the princess, and all her friends you brought with you," Firefly said. "Some of them are probably already there."

"Okay , got it," TJ said as he nodded his head.

"We'll be right over," Twilight Sparkle said.

"See you there," Firefly said before she took off into the sky at a bullet's speed.

"Let's go," TJ said before he started trotting towards his house.

Twilight Sparkle trotted after him, but was stopped when Firefly landed next to her. It was so fast and sudden that it scared the daylights out of Twilight, who let out a small yelp of surprise.

"You know, I couldn't help noticing," Firefly said. "You never did tell him whether _you_ thought _he_ was cute or not."

Twilight Sparkle stared at Firefly with an alarmed, open mouthed expression.

"I... Uh-"

"Now you don't even have to say," Firefly said with a sly smiled on her face. "I know the answer already. See you two love birds at Moon Bright's hut."

With that, Firefly took off again, causing a gust that nearly knocked Twilight Sparkle off her hooves. Even several seconds after Firefly was long gone, Twilight was looking in the direction she had flown.

"You coming, Twilight?" TJ called from the end of the bridge.

This snapped Twilight Sparkle out of her daze, after which she hurried over to TJ.

"Yeah, I'm coming," Twilight Sparkle said as she trotted. It wasn't long before she was at the Earth pony stallion's side yet again. "Sorry about that, TJ. I got... distracted."

"Don't worry, it happens to me all the time," TJ said. His smile turned to a small frown as he thought harder about it. "Actually, more times than I like to admit."

Twilight Sparkle smiled as she poked at TJ's side with one of her wings.

"I'll race ya," Twilight Sparkle said.

"You don't know the way," TJ said with an amused smile on his face.

"Then it's gonna be even sadder when I beat you!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

"It is _so_ on!" TJ said as he and Twilight began to run. "You know, you sounded just like Firefly right then."

"Really?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "I was going for Rainbow Dash."

"Well, you know, when you're related," TJ said. "Too bad it seems like Rainbow Dash wants to forget that right now. But I don't know the full situation, so I'll stay out of it for the time being."

"I will say, they do at least fly a lot like each other," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah, I know," TJ said. "Firefly's been trying to teach Muse to fly... but her flying scares the daylights out of my sister. It scares me, too, honestly, but I think that Muse is more so scared of using her wings in general."

"I can understand that," Twilight Sparkle said. "It was a total nightmare when I was learning how to fly. And it was Firefly's daughter that was teaching me!"

The two ponies shared a laugh with each other as they continued to run, albeit lightly.

"But you can fly now, right?" TJ asked.

"I sure can," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Then why don't you do it more often?" TJ asked. "I mean I think I might've only seen it happen once or twice."

"Oh," Twilight Sparkle said. "I guess I just like keeping my hooves on the ground. I'm used to it, being that I used to be a unicorn and all, you know?"

"Well, I think you should try flying a little more," TJ said.

"You think so?" Twilight Sparkle inquired.

"Sure," TJ said. "I know if I had wings, I'd be flying all the time. I'll bet it's a ton of fun."

"It can be," Twilight Sparkle admitted.

"Plus, it could probably be a very useful tool against the minotaurs," TJ said. "I don't think I saw you fly once during that raid today. I mean, think about it. A magic wielder as powerful as yourself, who can get airborne and attack from above. You'd probably be near unstoppable."

"Are you sure about that?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Absolutely," TJ said. "Plus, I think you'd look totally awesome flying. You'd probably look more majestic than an eagle."

Twilight Sparkle gave TJ a sly smile before she suddenly opened her wings and took to the sky. TJ watched her fly off in disbelief. On one hoof, he was right about her looking cool flying. On the other hoof, she was leaving him far behind.

"Hey, I didn't mean right now!" TJ yelled after the giggling alicorn. "Come on, Twilight! That's cheating! Wait up!... _You still don't know the way to my house!_ "

* * *

Fluttershy sat quietly at the table in the living room, which also doubled as a kitchen and dinning area. The huts that were the Willowbrook ponies' homes weren't that big, so some rooms served multiple purposes. Despite the room being slightly cramped, Fluttershy sat calmly and patiently as she flashed a pleasant smile. She watched as Moon Bright showed Rarity around the room. They mostly stuck close to the multiple shelf units that held all sorts of trinkets, treasures, and knickknacks.

There were several smooth, polished, multicolored river rocks. The shelves also held many beaded and non-beaded bracelets and necklaces. There were also several delicate and decorative plates, bowls, and vases. The shelves also housed decorative and expensive looking drinking glasses and silverware. There were also statues, along with painted, drawn, and photographed pictures.

There were also crystals and other small gems of varying shapes and sizes. The shelves also had all kinds of boxes, both decorative and non-decorative that held other treasures inside. There were just too many items on the shelves to keep track of it all. It almost seemed impossible for somepony to be able to fit so much stuff into a hut so small and still be able to walk around in. But Moon Bright still managed to pull it off.

On top of all those treasures, there was many a tapestry and quilt hanging about. Some of the smaller ones hung off the shelves that housed the rest of Moon Bright's treasure trove. The bigger cloths hung from the walls fully displaying the unique designs, color patterns, different fabrics, and artistic influence of the nation or culture they came from. In that moment, Rarity couldn't help gushing over all of it.

"My, Moon Bright, I must commend you," Rarity said. "Never in my life have I seen such eclectic and unique tastes put on display so efficiently. It all proudly displays itself so you know the origins of where the items all came from. Yet, at the same time, it's done in a manner where it all blends perfectly well together. Look at those glitter covered hoof held fans of different colors hanging around what is clearly a portrait of an amazonian river!

"They're obviously from different backgrounds, but you make them look so well together! That's merely one simplistic, yet ingenious design choices of many more intricate ones that help make this all look simply divine."

"Well, thank you, Rarity, sweetie," Moon Bright said with an ecstatic smile on her face. "Most ponies don't bother to notice that and think it's all a mess. If my kids were here, they'd tell you that's what it all is. But what do they know? I mean, it's totally not like I was going for a theme than gave up because I was getting so much junk.

"Other ponies might think that, but you, on the other hoof, clearly got a special eye for detail."

"Oh, I have to for my line of work, darling," Rarity said.

"Ooh," Moon Bright said with interest. "What kind of work are you in, dear?"

"She's a dressmaker," Fluttershy said.

"A bit of an over simplification, don't you think?" Rarity asked. "No, while dress making is the bigger part of my work, I am a full on fashionista! I make shoes, hats, scarves, necklaces, shirts, and yes, dresses, too. But I make _so many other things_ , too!"

"Well, I believe it," Moon Bright said. "A spunky thing as energetic as you. I'll bet you're very successful, too."

"Oh, well thank you, Moon Bright, darling" Rarity said in a flattered manner. "But, at the risk of sounding egotistical, I am _way more_ than _just_ successful. I've managed to run two of the biggest fashion shops in Equestria! What I've accomplished all came from the hard work and dedication I put into everything I do."

"Awesome," Moon Bright said. "I'm happy it turned out that way because of your hard work. True work and dedication like that will always be rewarded. We need more ponies like that... Like you, now more than ever."

"Thank you again, Mrs. Moon Bright," Rarity said respectfully.

"Oh, just call me, Moon Bright, please, dear."

"Yes, ma- I mean, Moon Bright," Rarity said as she smiled. "All these tapestries are so fantastic. Tell me, did you purchase them from different places? Or did you buy them all at the same shop?"

"I actually made some of those myself," Moon Bright said proudly. She pointed to a tie dye colored tapestry. "Like that one. I made it."

"How lovely," Rarity said. "So colorful."

"Everything was at Pony Stock," Moon Bright said with a laugh.

"Huh?" Rarity and Fluttershy asked together.

"Never mind," Moon Bright said. "But yeah, most of these tapestries I did buy. But there's some of this stuff I actually wove and made with my own hooves... My horn, too, but that's besides the point. My daughter, Muse made some of those tapestries, too.

"Every time, I get so surprised even though I should know by now she has a talent for it like I do. I usually get so proud that I just can't help but put what she made out here on display for all to see. I do it so I can say, 'Yep, that's right! My baby girl made that!' "

"Oh, how wonderful," Rarity said. "I can't begin to fathom how truly proud you must be to have your daughter inherit such creativity from you."

"I'll bet you're very proud of her," Fluttershy said.

"I am," Moon Bright said. "I am _very_ proud of Muse. But I think she would've turned out creative whether I was or not. I'll admit, though, a large majority of that stuff you see that my daughter and I didn't make wasn't even bought by me. A lot of it are presents given to me by my family and friends.

My husband, Strong Courage used to buy me a lot of stuff before he went missing... Lately, my son, TJ has been buying me a lot of stuff, too. I think he does it to make me feel better about our situation and about... Anyways, would you like to come with me so I can show you the crown jewel of my collection?"

"Absolutely!" Rarity said. "I would be most honored!"

"Then come on and follow me!" Moon Bright exclaimed.

Moon Bright and Rarity hurried over to a shelf like two giddy school ponies with Fluttershy even getting up and following them. Moon Bright looked to her right and left to see both mares on either side of her. She then used her magic to levitate a decorative box, slightly bigger than the others, up to her, Rarity, and Fluttershy's faces. Moon Bright slowly opened the box and revealed the object within, which made both of her house guests gasp in amazement.

"Ooh," Rarity marveled.

"Oh, my," Fluttershy let out. "Is that a genuine baby dragon scale?"

"Yes it is," Moon Bright said. "Well, based on all the studying I've done on it, in other words staring at the shiny object, I'd say the dragon it came off of was a little bit older than a baby. An infant for sure, but this dragon was probably spitting out its baby teeth by the time this scale dropped off of it."

"Oh, I hope the poor thing didn't feel any pain," Fluttershy said.

The scale practically glowed its magenta color it had been polished so well.

"Fascinating," Rarity said. "I see you go to great lengths to keep it in tip, top shape, Moon Bright."

"You should've seen it when I first got it," Moon Bright said. "It was in such bad condition, I thought I wasn't going to be able to save it. But ta-da."

"Marvelous," Rarity said. "But that leaves the question... how did you get it?"

"You didn't actually... go..." Fluttershy started, but wasn't able to finish.

"Go pull it off a dragon?" Moon Bright supplied. She followed up with a loud, roarous laugh, she felt so amused. "You're cute, the both of ya. But no, I didn't. It was actually a gift."

"Who gave it to you?" Fluttershy asked.

"I did," a voice said. Everypony looked to see that Firefly had just stepped into the hut. "I found it laying around one day and when I came to the island, I saw Moon Bright was into this kind of stuff. So I gave it to her."

"Firefly, sweetie!" Moon Bright said happily as she trotted up and hugged her friend. "I'm glad you were finally able to come."

"Glad I could make it," Firefly said before she and Moon Bright broke up their hug.

"Did you go talk to everypony like I asked?" Moon Bright inquired.

"Yeah, they're all on their way," Firefly said.

It was at that moment when Rainbow Dash flew in the open door of the hut and landed.

"Oh, so you were telling the truth," Rainbow Dash said with disdain. "This wasn't some cheap trick."

"Good band," Moon Bright said.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at Firefly and then trotted over to the table and sat down.

"Thank you for inviting me into your home, Moon Bright, ma'am," Rainbow Dash said.

"Of course, sweetie, you're always welcome," Moon Bright replied. She then looked to her other two guests. "That goes for you girls, too."

"Thank you," Rarity and Fluttershy said together.

"So you say the dragon scale is the crown jewel of you collection, Moon Bright," Rarity said. "I honestly would've expected you to say that alpha stone object of yours was."

"The alpha stone isn't just mine alone," Moon Bright said. "It does a service to the whole village. It's way more valuable than any of my junk on the shelves... Though they are pretty shiny and... Anyways, the point is, the alpha stone isn't just mine, but all Willowbrook's crown jewel.

"Now what's taking Princess Twilight Sparkle and that son of mine?"

"Oh, I may or may not have interrupted a tender moment between them," Firefly said with a smirk on her face.

"You, what?!" Moon Bright asked.

"Not that tender," Firefly assured her unicorn friend. "You asked me to get them, so that's what I did. I'd look out if I were you, though, Moonie. Turns out that boy of yours is a real lady killer. Or at least, princesses have a thing for him."

"You mean, my son got game?" Moon Bright asked in disbelief.

"Looks like it," Firefly said. "It just took the right filly to come along so he could use it."

Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy were all listening intently with more than a passing interest. Even though Rainbow Dash may not have cared for her mother that much, she was still talking about one of Rainbow Dash's closest friends. More specifically, it seemed like Firefly was talking about her love life.

" _You must tell us everything!_ " Rarity practically screeched out in excitement. Her anxious smile turned to a blank face when she noticed everypony looking at her strangely. Rarity then put on a more subdued and slightly embarrassed smile before she said, "If you would, please."

"There's not much to tell," Firefly said. "I just came in at the last moment. I thought about letting them go on, but Moon Bright wants us all for something very important. So I had to break it up... even though I really didn't want to."

"Well, did you at least here anything they said?!" Rainbow Dash asked excitedly.

She then caught herself and tried to fight back against her excitement.

"Basically, TJ told that Twilight girl that he thought she was cute," Firefly said.

" _Ooh!_ " Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy loudly let out together.

"Where were they standing when he said it?" Fluttershy asked.

"In the middle of a bridge that overlooked the village as the sun was setting," Firefly said.

" _How romantic!_ " Rarity let out. "I _so_ cannot wait to heckle and hound Twilight for more details!"

"Same with me and TJ," Moon Bright said. "But please try to wait after the meeting. I know it's hard to. Heck, I'm gonna have trouble, but still."

"Yes, of course, Mrs. Moon Bright," Rarity said. "I mean, just Moon Bright."

"When did I add 'just' to my name?" Moon Bright asked.

The group all shared a laugh, though Rainbow Dash cut hers off when she spotted Firefly laughing with the group as well. It was at that moment when Twilight Sparkle and TJ walked in to find everypony laughing.

"See, it's like I told ya, Twilight," TJ said. "I'm so hilarious, ponies start laughing before I even step in the room."

"Oh, yeah, TJ, you're funny," Moon Bright said.

The unicorn looked to Firefly with a smirk, who returned it in kind.

"LOOKING!" both mares said together.

The entire group of ponies began laughing, even Twilight, much to TJ's annoyance. He glared with a none-too-amused frown and waited for the laughter to die down.

"You're both old," TJ let out, sounding bitter.

"Hey!" Moon Bright let out half heartedly.

"Look here, young whipper snapper!" Firefly said in an elderly voice. "In my day!"

The three ponies shared a quick laugh before TJ and Twilight Sparkle walked up and joined the rest of the group.

"Are we all here?" TJ asked.

"Yep, yep, yep," Moon Bright said. "We are _all_ here."

"But where's Applejack and Pinkie Pie?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"And where's Muse?" TJ added.

" _TA-DA!_ " a very Pinkie Pie-like voice called out. It was revealed to be Pinkie Pie herself stepping out from behind a beaded curtain. "Here we are! I'll bet you missed us!"

The pink Earth pony stepped aside to let Applejack and Muse step out from behind the curtain. With them was a tray of brownies that, judging by the smell of them, were freshly baked and out of the oven. Muse held the try with her levitation magic. While she tried to put on a smile like her baking buddies, it was clear she was nervous about something, possibly using her magic.

"Brownies anypony?" Muse asked.

Everypony asked for at least one as they gathered around the table. There were only six seats, so some ponies had to stand, though Moon Bright did bring in an extra seat from the other side of the room. TJ actually pulled out a chair and offered it to Twilight Sparkle, who graciously accepted it.

"Smooth," Firefly whispered into TJ's ear.

TJ felt a chill run down his spine. He was preparing to tell Firefly off, but stopped when he realized everypony was smiling at him and Twilight Sparkle. He was beginning to feel very uncomfortable, so he tried to change the subject.

"So these brownies are just made, right?" TJ said. "But then why did you Pinkie, and AJ come out of your room, Muse?"

"Oh, no one told you?" Muse asked. "I got a new mini-oven in my room."

TJ's eyes widened.

"You what?!" the stallion exclaimed.

"Yeah," Muse said. "I figured since I get in the mood sometimes when Mom doesn't want me in the way, I'd just put one in my room. I had it put in there while you were gone."

"I wasn't gone that long!" TJ said.

"It was almost a week, TJ," Firefly said.

"Can we _please_ get on with this meeting already?!" Rainbow Dash asked, making it obvious she was annoyed. "I'm sure Moon Bright didn't call us in here for chit chat while we play candy land."

"No, but the evening _is_ young," Moon Bright said with a mischievous smile on her face. She then instantly went back to being serious. "First of all, thank you all for coming. I don't just mean coming to this meeting, but especially thank _you,_ girls for agreeing to come and help us when we really need it the most."

The Mane Six all spoke at the same time. Though their actual words were different, they mostly said the same thing in that they were happy to assist Willowbrook.

"We really needed a leg up in this whole thing," Moon Bright said. "Now it looks like we have more than one. In addition to you girls and your monster friend, Godzilla, it seems we stumbled across something else very useful. I won't get into details about how this got started, since I'm sure TJ already told you all about it. But basically it's been a nightmare ever since then.

"It only seems like it's gotten worse since we left Seaside Hoof and struck out on our own. But we still did it all and still continue to fight the minotaurs despite everything. While we've been doing it, everyone of us has had the same idea in the back of our heads. The minotaurs must have some sort of gathering place where they coordinate all these evil things they do. From monster attacks to village raids and even their concentration camp-like tactics of running Seaside.

"They have to have some sort of base or something."

"It must be Seaside Hoof itself," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's the only place on the island I've seen that's fit for it."

"We thought so, too, Princess Twilight Sparkle," Moon Bright said. "We even sent spies into town to see if they could find the exact spot where the minotaurs congregate and make their evil plans. But most of what we got were empty leads that pointed us to thinking they weren't making their plans in town. Now we think the town is just a front while the real base is located somewhere else entirely."

"How can you be sure of that?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well," Moon Bright said, "about a week ago, Firefly went out on one of her unauthorized and unwanted patrols." She looked deadpanned at the pegasus mare. "Those patrols usually lead to her sneaking into the forest at night and looking for the minotaurs. She's got it in her head that she's Superpony and needs to patrol the night and fight the minotaurs herself."

"Hey, if I don't, who will?" Firefly said. "Besides, it ended up paying off didn't it? You were all about safety, but my _reckless_ behavior was what got us to this point."

"I'm never gonna hear the end of this," Moon Bright muttered.

"Anyways, like she said," Firefly continued, "I was flying through the forest at night... looking awesome while doing it." Rainbow Dash scoffed in contempt only to have Applejack dig her elbow into the pegasus' side. "I was looking for any sign of the minotaurs, because they had done night raids before. Also, I was just in the mood to whoop some bull butt. But I couldn't find any sort of minotaur activity near Willowbrook.

"So I went out deeper into the Willowing Forest. I was sure that something was up and that I chose that night to go out for reason. My being out there had some purpose. Or at least that's what I thought. It turned out to be so, because I found a whole group of minotaurs skulking around like the thick headed animals they are. But the thing was they were nowhere near the village and were actually heading in the opposite direction.

"They weren't heading for Seaside Hoof either, so I followed them. To make a long story a little shorter, I think they may have led me to the entrance of their real base."

The group of ponies all gasped in amazement.

" _Really?!_ " Rarity asked in amazement.

" _You're absolutely sure?!_ " Applejack asked excitedly.

"I'd stake my reputation on it," Firefly said with a confident smile on her face. "I hid out of view and watched this huge opening in the side of a stone wall open up seemingly of its own will." The others awed in wonder at this development. "I saw all those minotaurs go in and then the opening closed up behind them."

"What did you do then?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, what do you think I did?" Firefly asked. "I flew back here as fast as I could. Wasn't easy because along the way I encountered some minotaurs that weren't exactly happy to see me. They chased me all the way back to Willowbrook with their pet timberwolves."

" _Timberwolves!_ " the Mane Six exclaimed together.

"You mean, the minotaurs also have trained timberwolves?!" Twilight Sparkle asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, they do," Moon Bright said.

"Didn't TJ tell you that?" Muse asked.

"If he did, I don't remember," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Well, yeah, they do," TJ said. "Some of them they ride and the others they let loose on us whenever they bring them on their raids."

"And they had them that night when they were hunting me down," Firefly said. "I could probably take some of those bulls on my own if it were just them... maybe. But there's no way I could take them on with those fang faces with them... What was worse was they were letting Solomon stomp around wildly. Or maybe he was a part of their hunting party, because even after I lost the minotaurs and wolves, I still ran into Solomon."

"How terrifying," Fluttershy said.

"It really was," Firefly said. "I don't like to admit when I'm scared or anything like that, but that night I was very, _very_ scared. Luckily, I don't think Solomon actually saw me, which made it easier for me to escape and come back to Willowbrook."

"Firefly, this is very important," Twilight Sparkle said, her expression conveying the same idea. "Do you remember exactly where you think you found this entrance?"

"I'm extremely confident I could figure it out again," Firefly said. "I remember where I left the village from and where I found the minotaurs. I could probably make out certain things that stuck out on the way like trees and marks and stuff like that. The image of the entrance itself and where I was, what angle, and everything is still very fresh in my head, though. The moment I see it, I can point it out no problem."

"And you're absolutely sure?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Princess, this is Firefly you're talking to," the pink furred pegasus said confidently.

"What are you thinking, Princess Twilight?" Moon Bright asked.

"Just that we might want to send a small team to scout out the area," Twilight Sparkle. "A small, exploratory, and examination mission could aid in a bigger incursion later on."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Moon Bright said. "Did you have anypony in mind to go?"

"Well, obviously we'll need Firefly to lead the team there," Twilight Sparkle said. "But I also want to go myself if that's okay."

Everypony agreed that decision was probably a good one.

"Sure," TJ added on. "A small team like that needs heavy hitters on it. What's heavier a hitter than a fully functioning alicorn?... Besides the monsters that is. I'd like to go as well."

"I figures you'd say that, TJ," Moon Bright said with a smirk on her face. "I'm okay with that. Who else?"

"I think we should take Rain... Applejack," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yee-Haw!" Applejack exclaimed. "I'm ready whenever!"

"So is that all the ponies for the team?" Moon Bright inquired.

"I do have a suggestion," TJ said. There was a pause as everypony quieted down to listen to what the stallion had to say, though he was clearly hesitant at first. "I think we should take Fluttershy with us, too."

" _WHAT?!_ " nearly everypony let out at the same time in a loud yell.

"You can't do that!" Rarity said.

"Take me instead!" Rainbow Dash insisted.

"I'll just be in the way!" Fluttershy said.

"Are you crazy?!" Muse asked in disbelief.

" _Please, please, everypony!_ " TJ shouted as he raised his front hooves defensively. "Get me a chance to explain before you sick the lynch around my neck! Now, we'll be going deep into enemy territory, right? Guess what else is likely to be in that territory. If we have Fluttershy along with us, she'll be able to call Godzilla if we really need his help!

"Plus, with how much they're bonding, I'll bet Anguirus will tag right along with the Big G."

Everypony's eyes widened as they realized what TJ was saying. They all looked around and talked amongst themselves. Mostly agreed that TJ made a fair point. They still didn't know, though, if they wanted to send a pony as delicate as Fluttershy into a mission so potentially dangerous. The only ones not talking were Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy herself.

It was clear, though, that both pegasi were deep in thought. Rainbow Dash seemed more infuriated while Fluttershy was calmly considering TJ's suggestion.

"I still say heck no!" Rainbow Dash let out as she slammed a hoof on the table. "Take me instead! I can handle any problems we run into!"

"You know that's not true, Rainbow Dash," TJ said. "As amazing a pony as you are, you're still no match for a kaiju."

"I don't care!" Rainbow Dash said. "I'm still not letting you take Fluttershy to-"

"I'll do it," Fluttershy said as she raised a hoof.

Everypony gasped as they looked to Fluttershy in shock, though none more so than Rainbow Dash, who sat right next to her.

"You will?" TJ asked.

"I will," Fluttershy said.

"You're game?" TJ inquired further.

"I'm game," Fluttershy reaffirmed. "TJ made a great point. Only I can call the monsters if the situation really called for it."

"Are you absolutely sure this is something you want to do, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No, I don't want to," Fluttershy said. "But I feel like it's something I have to do. That's what everypony's doing on this island right now. It's not stuff they want to do, but they know it's so important that they have no other choice. I shouldn't be willing to do any different."

Everypony sitting or standing around that table smiled in admiration for the yellow furred mare. While she may be afraid of a lot of things, Fluttershy was ready to face her fears head on, which was what made so many ponies respect her.

"Thanks, Fluttershy," Twilight Sparkle said. "That's very noble of you."

Fluttershy smiled as her eyes lightly shut.

"It's what I do," Fluttershy said, which garnered a small laugh from the group.

"If Flutters is going, then I want to go to," Rainbow Dash said.

"I'm afraid not, Rainbow Dash," Twilight Sparkle said. "Our group already has five and I think that's the number we need to cut off at."

"But it's not fair," Rainbow Dash said. "Who's gonna look after Fluttershy if I'm not there."

"I will," TJ said.

"So will I," Twilight Sparkle said.

"You know I'll be there, too, right, Rainbow?" Applejack inquired.

"I'll look out for her, too," Firefly said. "I promise as your mother, Rainbow Dash, that I'll take good care of Fluttershy."

"We all will," Twilight Sparkle said.

Rainbow Dash still looked uncertain until Fluttershy put a hoof on her shoulder.

"I'll be fine, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said. "I promise."

Clearly Rainbow Dash was still conflicted, for it told in her expression. However, she seemed to be relenting as she finally sighed.

"Okay, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash. "I trust you... All of you... Even you." Rainbow Dash's gaze was directly on Firefly. "So don't let me down."

"Right," Twilight, TJ, Fluttershy, and Applejack said together.

Firefly just nodded her head understandingly.

"So that takes care of who's going," Moon Bright said. "Now that leaves the question of _when_ they're going."

"I say we take care of this as soon as possible," Firefly said. "The entrance is still fresh in my memory and I want it to stay that way for when we go."

"I agree," Applejack said. "I say we do this thing tomorrow at first light."

"I'm for that," TJ said.

"Well, it looks like our team has made the decision," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Then it's settled," Moon Bright said. "Tomorrow Firefly will lead Twilight Sparkle, TJ, Applejack, and Fluttershy to the entrance. Then they'll come back with whatever information they acquire so we can make a bigger plan later. For now, though, the sun's going down and I don't know about you all, but I could sure use some sleep... _No, it's not for what you're thinking, TJ, so keep it zipped!_ "

"I wasn't going to say anything," TJ said defensively. Moon Bright gave her son a hard stare before he eventually cracked. "Okay, I was... But I actually agree with you. I'm really hoping I can get a good night's sleep."

"That makes two of us," Moon Bright said. "Hopefully this time I can actually sleep at all. And hopefully it's more than just an hour and a half."

"Oh, you poor thing," Fluttershy said.

"Eh, old age and anxiety does that to ya," Moon Bright said. "I'm used to it by now, so don't be worried, honey."

"I'll still be concerned," Fluttershy said.

"Aww," Moon Bright said as she smile gratefully across the table. "TJ, you picked some really sweet ponies to bring back with you."

"Not to mention adorable," Muse added.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Rainbow Dash interrupted. "Speaking of sleep, where will we be crashing?"

"We've arranged for you to stay at the hut across the bridge," Muse said.

"The pony who lives there spends most of his time on our village's boat," Moon Bright said. "He said you were more than welcome to stay at his hut while he's gone."

"When you leave, just keep walking forward across the bridge," TJ said. "You'll be there and sleeping soundly before you know it."

"Twilight should get the main bed," Applejack said, to which the other ponies agreed. "If there's another bed, I figured some of us can bunk together."

"I'll sleep on the floor if it comes to that," Rainbow Dash said.

"We'll work on sleeping arrangements later," Rarity said. "Right now let's just get to the hut. I _desperately_ need my beauty sleep, _oh so_ much."

"I think I'm gonna try and get to bed early, too," Firefly said.

"That's a first," Muse said.

"Quiet you," Firefly said sternly.

"I'm gonna turn in early, too," TJ said.

"Then I guess I'll just go to my room," Muse said. "If I happen to fall asleep while I'm in there, that's cool."

The Mane Six all got up from the table and made their way for the door.

"I still think I should be going on the mission tomorrow," Rainbow Dash said.

"But, Rainbow, you're needed here, too," Applejack said as she and Rainbow Dash stopped. "If we send all of our heavy hitters, Willowbrook might not be as secure. And, not to boost your ego any further, but you hit pretty heavy."

"I guess so," Rainbow Dash said.

"Like I said before, Rainbow Dash, I'll be there," Firefly said. "I won't let anything happen to Fluttershy."

Everypony else had stopped what they were doing and listened in on the entire exchange between mother and daughter. Rainbow Dash hesitated at first, but then stared hard and stern at her mother.

"You'd better not," Rainbow Dash warned. "You'd better not let anything happen to any of my friends. After that promise you made me before and because you have to lead them, I'm holding you personally responsible for their safety."

"I understand," Firefly said as she nodded her head. "I'll promise you again then, just to let you know how serious I am about making sure your friends are well taken care of."

"Goodnight, everypony," Twilight Sparkle said as she waved a hoof.

Everypony spoke at the same time, wishing everyone a goodnight. Just before she left the hut, Applejack stopped at the doorway. She looked to Firefly, who clearly wasn't so happy with how her exchanges with Rainbow Dash had been going.

"Don't worry, Firefly," Applejack said. "She'll come around... eventually... She always does."

Firefly looked to the orange furred Earth pony and gave her a small, grateful, and yet still sad smile.

"I hope so," Firefly said. "I truly do... Thank you, Applejack."

"Much obliged," Applejack said.

Then, with a tip of her hat, the last of the Mane Six left the hut. TJ went to one of the glassless windows and watched his friends go. Mostly, though, he was watching Twilight Sparkle. It almost seemed like she sensed him, because she turned and looked directly to the window he was looking out of. Seeing him plain as daylight, Twilight smiled and waved to TJ, who responded in kind.

Then Twilight Sparkle turned and started walking away once again, only to be met by her friends' snickering.

"Goodnight, princess," TJ whispered.

"Wishing we had asked them to stay the night here, TJ?" Muse asked teasingly.

"Grow up, Muse," TJ grumbled.

"Hey, Mom already told you she thought about it," Muse went on. "She said there wasn't enough room under this roof for us all. Sorry, but it was her decision to send your girlfriend away, not mine."

" _She's not my girlfriend!_ " TJ exclaimed.

He was breathing heavily as his scowling face looked around at all the smiling faces staring back at him. These included Muse, Moon Bright, and Firefly.

"Well, goodnight, everypony," Muse said as she headed for her room.

"Goodnight," the others all said at the same time.

 _She's not my girlfriend,_ TJ thought to himself as he went to his room. Then a small smile crossed his face as he thought, _Not yet anyways._

* * *

 **Dang, son. Looks like things are starting to heat up... in more ways than one. LOL Sorry about that. Anyways, now much I have to say about this chapter except that I actually had a good time writing it. Proofreading and editing was surprisingly fun, too. That's weird because editing is usually a pain in my backside. Oh, well.  
**

 **I hope you all enjoyed reading it anyways. Regardless of how you feel, I hope you all will leave reviews after reading telling me what you think, so long as criticisms are constructive. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	15. Ch 15: Hidden Entrances & Rough Exits

"Firefly, are you sure you're leading us in the right direction?" TJ asked bluntly.

"I recognize everything from my memories," Firefly said.

"You sure?" TJ asked again. "I mean, it was dark when you were out here before."

"Have you forgotten that I have the eyes of an _owl_?" Firefly said as she turned to let everyone see her try to make her eyes look more owl-like.

The other ponies all laughed, though it was clear that most of them were nervous. Some were even more nervous than others were. As had been planned the evening before, Firefly was flying and leading Twilight Sparkle, TJ, Applejack, and Fluttershy through the forest. While the pink coated pegasus flew at the front of the pack, Twilight and TJ stood close behind while staying side by side with each other. Applejack trailed them by a short distance with Fluttershy bringing up the rear, though she was starting to fall slightly behind.

All these ponies had gotten up at around the same time, almost six thirty in the morning to go on this mission. Only one or two of their friends or family had been able to get up in time to see them off and wish them fair well. Since then they had been walking through the forest following Firefly's lead.

"It's just that it looks to me like we're heading toward the volcano," TJ said.

"We _are_ heading toward the volcano," Firefly said. "That's where the entrance is."

" _WHAT?!_ " TJ and Fluttershy exclaimed together.

"Yeah," Firefly said. "It took me a little bit to remember. Seeing all this now, though, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the entrance was at the volcano."

"How do you build a secret base near a volcano?" Applejack asked.

"I think it might actually be _in_ the volcano," Firefly said.

" _WHAT?!_ " everypony else let out.

"It's true," Firefly said. "I think that there's a channel of tunnels that run inside of the mountain just ahead of the lava flows and the main pit."

"But that's what Muse said," TJ observed. "We all thought she was crazy. Oh, boy, we'll never hear the end of this one."

"But how could they live inside of a volcano, let alone make evil plans inside?" Fluttershy wondered. "It seems like it would be too hot for something to even step hoof into without being burned."

"Maybe it's insulated somehow?" TJ suggested.

"Either way, I'm a hundred percent certain that the minotaurs made their base in that volcano," Firefly said.

"Are you really sure?" TJ asked.

"I'm positive," Firefly said.

"Only fools are positive," TJ said.

"Are you sure?" Firefly asked with a sly smile on her face.

"I'm positive," TJ said. Seconds later, the stallion's face turned into a crimson frown as everypony else had a good laugh. "Curse you, Firefly."

"Ah, quit your muttering," Firefly said. "You know it was funny."

"Not as funny as your face," TJ said.

"Sorry, I was showing you my new mirror," Firefly said as she put away said mirror.

Everypony howled out again as TJ's frown grew bigger.

"Curse you again," TJ said. "Yeah, yeah, everypony just keep laughing like crazy and let the enemy know we're coming."

"Oh, come on, TJ, we're just messing with ya," Twilight Sparkle said. "Though you might have a point."

"I sure think he does," Fluttershy said. "I also certainly don't like the idea that any minotaurs found us because we were laughing too loud. This whole trip has been scary enough as it is. We could be attacked by minotaurs, timberwolves, and evil kaiju at any moment all the while we're willingly walking to a giant volcano. Ooh, it's too terrifying to think about."

"You know, Fluttershy, it might be less frightening if you came up here with us," Applejack said as she looked back to her friend.

Fluttershy's expression became one of wide eyed panic when she realized how far behind she had fallen. Her friends were several yards ahead of her, though they stopped so she could catch up. Fluttershy squeaked out as she flew up to the others. When she did finally reach them, Fluttershy landed next to Applejack, who put a foreleg around her shoulders.

"Relax, sugarcube," Applejack said. "We're all right here. We ain't about to let anything happen to ya. Are we, everypony?"

The others all assured Fluttershy they had her back and were looking out for her.

"Besides that, Godzilla is trailing close behind us," Applejack said. "Even if you can't see him, you know he's there. We actually went and got 'em before we left Willowbrook."

"I remember," Fluttershy said.

"I still kind of wish Anguirus was coming with us, too," TJ said. "But you made a good point back there, Twilight. If the minotaurs were to attack the village with a monster while we're gone, they'd be totally defenseless with no hope of survival."

"And that's why we only brought Godzilla along," Twilight Sparkle said. "Part of me wishes we brought both kaiju, too, but what can you do?"

"Not much," TJ said. "Which sucks, because I'd probably feel better about this whole going to a volcano thing."

"Oh untwist your hooves already, TJ," Firefly said. "Didn't a lot of the characters in those adventure books you used to read have to sneak into secret lairs in volcanoes all the time?"

"Yeah, but those were books," TJ said. "This is for real."

Twilight Sparkle looked at TJ with a hint of surprise.

"You used to read adventure books?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"A little while back, yeah," TJ said.

"Why didn't you tell me before?!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

"You didn't ask," TJ said before a small, amused smile crossed his face. "But yeah, I used to love reading all sorts of adventure books. From exploratory to fantasy to medieval and all that. I loved it."

"So then why did you stop?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well..." TJ said. "When you start living your own adventure and realize the hardships that actually come with it... that kind of takes the fun out of reading about what other guys are going through. I learned the hard way that these adventures aren't always the bright, shiny spectacle they're made to be in the stories. I learned these _adventures_ can sometimes be a downright drag. I can probably think of other adjectives to describe my love of adventure stories being murdered, but you get my point."

"He sure has a colorful way of saying things, don't he?" Applejack whispered to Fluttershy.

"From what I've seen on this island so far, they all do," Fluttershy replied. "But some of us might, too if we had to go through all they have over the past fifty years."

"Good point," Applejack said.

"I guess I can see how you might think of things like that," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I'm guessing you've delved into one or more of those kind of books before, too?" TJ asked.

"Yes," Twilight Sparkle said.

"And," TJ said, "I'm also gonna guess you didn't have the same reaction I did when you became an adventurer."

"Not really, no," Twilight Sparkle said. "If anything, I was the exactly opposite. I found it fascinating that I could connect with my heroes I read about on such a level. Actually, it was also pretty inspiring, especially when I read at the end how the heroes won. It always made me think I could win just like them if I put my heart, mind, and body into it."

"Huh," TJ let out. It was clear by the look on his face he was thinking over what Twilight had just said. "I never thought of it that way... That's actually a really good point... I may have to go back and give those books another read."

"Really?!" Twilight Sparkle asked excitedly.

"Maybe," TJ said. "That is... if I find the right... _inspiration_." The Earth pony stallion smiled at Twilight Sparkle, who returned his smile in kind, though hers was much more adorable. "I'm suddenly feeling very inspired."

It was then that TJ and Twilight Sparkle's ears picked up a giggle from Fluttershy, despite how quiet she tried to be. They looked to see both the pegasus mare and Applejack were giving them amused smiles. Twilight Sparkle and TJ were starting to feel a little hot under the collar, but it didn't end when they turned away from the mares behind them. Firefly had turned her head to smile at them, though she still flew forward.

"Hey, watch where you're going, Firefly," TJ let out. "You're liable to run into something ahead of you if you don't pay attention to where you're flying."

Firefly just laughed before looking away. She let out a small yelp when she saw she was about to run into an extended tree branch. Luckily, she was able to slow down and duck just in the nick of time.

"See?" TJ asked. "That's what I'm talking about."

"Shut up, TJ," Firefly said.

"I don't shut up, I grow up and when I look at you, I throw up," TJ said before faking that he was vomiting.

Everypony busted out laughing, though there was a great deal of surprise etched in Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy's smiles. They still couldn't believe the way this island ponies talked to each other sometimes. It was still pretty funny for the most part, though.

"Well, I hope climbing uphill don't make you heave any, because the time is now," Firefly said.

The others all looked to see Firefly leading them to a point where the forest terrain began rising upward into a big, slightly steep hill.

"Oh, no," TJ muttered.

"This is where I followed the minotaurs, so this is where we need to go," Firefly said. "So quit your whining, TJ."

"Easy for you to say," TJ spat back. "You get to fly. I can't-"

TJ stopped when he realized Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack were walking up the hill and already way ahead of him. The stallion panicked as he ran up after them.

"Hey, wait for me!" TJ shouted as he struggled to catch up with the rest of the group. When he finally caught up with them, the mares couldn't help but giggle a little. "That was not funny."

"Yes it was," the mares all declared together.

"Well... I would've though it was if it happened to somepony that wasn't me," TJ begrudgingly admitted.

"Aww, do the poor boy got his feelings hurt?" Firefly asked mockingly. "Your mommy's not here, so Twilight will just have to rub your tummy."

TJ and Twilight Sparkle both stopped dead in their tracks before their eyes widened and eventually fell on each other. After several seconds of silence, TJ tilted his head to the side, and gave Twilight a questioning look as if to ask if she would really do it. The alicorn's mouth opened in a surprised smile before she lightly punched a hoof against his front leg. The two shared a little laugh, which they cut off when they realized the others were laughing, too. They also saw that all eyes were on them yet again, which they tried desperately to ignore, despite feeling their faces get flushed.

A good part of the hike uphill was spent in silence with all the good spirit and cheer from before almost instantly disappearing. Everyone was too focused on trying to get to the top while thinking about what might be waiting for them up ahead. All of the ponies in the group were nervous about it, but none of them could bring themselves to say so. They couldn't even try to strike up a conversation to get their minds off their nerves. Their little team was deep in enemy territory now and everyone of them knew it for a fact.

None of them would let this stop them from doing what they knew they had to do, though. So many times before these ponies had been tested both as a member of a team and as an individual. They all pulled through nearly every time and when they didn't do it right the first time, they'd usually come back and get it right the second time. They all did their best to see that this somewhat difficult hike uphill didn't get to them either. Even when Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy decided to take to the air with Firefly, Applejack and TJ didn't complain.

Applejack was having an easier time with the walk, though. She turned to see TJ was falling behind and struggling to keep going up.

"Dang it, TJ, what's taking you?" Applejack asked. "You act like you've never walked before."

"Hey, I've walked plenty of times in my life, thank you," TJ protested between heavy breaths. "I'm just not so good with the climbing... and the going up... and the thing... with the hiking... uphill... and stuff."

"You never went hiking like this before?" Applejack asked as she kept pushing ahead.

"Where I was from originally, we didn't have a whole lot of places for hiking like this," TJ said. "Besides that, I certainly wasn't going through the forest on my own when I learned about the minotaurs all around. Yet another thing they have to pay for. They stole a possible childhood activity from me."

"Give 'em heck, TJ," Applejack encouraged.

"You can count on it," TJ said. "Right after I pass out when we get finished with this hike."

Applejack couldn't help but chuckle a little, but stopped when she looked ahead. The orange furred Earth pony mare stood in place while Twilight, Firefly, and Fluttershy hovered above her. A short time later TJ came walking up next to Applejack, breathing and wheezing as heavily as ever.

"Hey, thanks for waiting for me, all," TJ said.

"Don't mention it," Applejack said.

TJ looked ahead and saw that there were almost no more trees and no forest terrain at all. In their places was a large wall of solid rock that towered higher than the eye could see. It wasn't a direct vertical wall, for there were segments of stone that stuck out farther than others. Some of the segments at the bottom even looked like they could form a crudely made set of steps, albeit for a giant of massive proportions, to walk on.

"This is it," Firefly said.

"Like we couldn't tell," TJ said.

Firefly gave TJ a slightly annoyed look before moving on.

"Now the minotaurs kept walking ahead," Firefly said. "But I hung back here and let them go on. Then I turned off here and flew over those rocks to the right."

"Oh, boy," TJ said. "I should've been prepared for this... But I wasn't... And I'm still not."

"But you're still going to do it, right?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, totally," TJ said. "I'm just saying, it's gonna suck is all."

"This time, I have to agree with you a little," Applejack said. "But I got a feeling I might have an easier go at it."

"That's what I was thinking, too," TJ said. "Great minds think alike. Either way, we got to do it."

"Then let's not stand around here talking about it and get to doing it," Firefly said.

That was everyone's cue to resume their trek. The group followed Firefly's lead as she headed for the formation of gigantic rocks she flew over once before. As was to be expected, the walk to the rocks was nowhere near as hard or as treacherous as the climb up itself was. While the trio of Twilight, Fluttershy, and Firefly were easily able to fly over the stone structures, TJ and Applejack weren't so lucky. They had to push and strain themselves beyond their limits to make their way up the rocky terrain that clearly wasn't meant for visitors.

There was a slip here and there which both Earth ponies had to make extra sure didn't turn into complete tumbles back down. The ponies flying above feared greatly for the well being of their friends on the ground. Still, they all admired the determination of both ponies, for they kept pushing themselves, never giving up the climb. It ached every muscle in their bodies to keep going, but they refused to let any of it get to them, nor any other hazardous aspects of the climb. One time, Applejack even stopped and extended her hoof to TJ to help him up a particularly steep point, which he gratefully accepted.

Along the way, they saw a few trees and bushes of varying sizes scattered here and there, all of which looked to be dried up and dead. Applejack even took the time to feel one shriveled up bush to confirm this was the case. This just added to the unwelcoming environment of the mountain, as did the small patches of hard, hoof poking gravel the Earth ponies ocassionally came across. As they climbed up, the rocks also got hotter, both from the sun and the volcanic nature of the mountain itself. The climb must've been eighty feet up or so before they finally came to a point Firefly deemed suitable to stop at.

"Okay, everypony, this is where I stopped," Firefly said.

Both Applejack and TJ were grateful to be able to stop and take a breather. They dropped on their flanks and leaned up against different segments of stone. The area was shaded, which kept it from being too uncomfortably hot. Plus the spot was pretty flat, which made it easy to walk around. It was also easy for Twilight, Fluttershy, and Firefly to come in for soft, easy landings.

"Okay, now if I remember correctly, over this rock is a pathway," Firefly said as she pointed before trotting in the same direction.

Everypony else except TJ followed Firefly. She climbed up and stuck her head over the rock, followed by Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and then Fluttershy, who only stuck her head up halfway. They all saw that there was, indeed, a walking path that curved around a wall of stone, but only to lead to another rock wall.

"I don't get it," Applejack said. "That don't go anywhere."

"Remember when I said I saw the wall open up?" Firefly inquired.

"Are you absolutely sure you saw that happen?" Applejack asked.

"Remember what I said about my reputation?" Firefly asked in response.

"Oh, right," Applejack said.

"So what do we do now?" Fluttershy asked

"I think we'll have to wait here for the time being," Twilight Sparkle said. "We'll wait to see if any minotaurs come around here. Then we'll most likely find out if this really is the entrance to their base. Not to mention, we have to wait and see how they open it if it is."

Twilight looked to see Firefly giving her a sideways glance.

"And I'm really sure this _is_ the entrance just like you said, Firefly," Twilight Sparkle assured her comrade.

Twilight Sparkle flashed a big smile, though it was clear she was a little nervous. Firefly just returned the smile and allowed the situation to move on.

"I take it as soon as we see them use their base door, we're gonna head back to the village and tell everypony?" Applejack inquired.

"Affirmative," Twilight Sparkle said. "Then we can start to make a plan to finally take these turkeys down for good."

"I'm for that," Firefly said.

"Um, Firefly?" Fluttershy said questioningly.

"Yes, dear, what is it?" Firefly asked.

"Is TJ gonna be alright?" Fluttershy asked as she pointed a hoof.

Everypony looked to see the stallion still sitting against a stone wall, moaning and groaning in between heavy breaths.

"It's the big one, I can feel it," TJ let out. "I'm coming to join you, Ethel!"

"Yeah, don't worry about him," Firefly said. "He does that every time after doing something like that climb he just made."

"Oh... okay," Fluttershy said. "Poor baby."

"No, just a baby," Firefly said with a little giggle.

" _Silence!_ " TJ screamed out.

"Take your own advice," Firefly said. "You want the enemy to know we're here?"

"Ugh, I hate it when you're right," TJ said, to which Firefly silently laughed.

TJ opened his eyes when he heard a pony coming up. He looked to see Twilight Sparkle sitting down next to him.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Not at all," TJ said. "By all means, you go right ahead. Knock yourself out... But not really. Trying to could make you hurt yourself."

Twilight Sparkle giggled as she and TJ smiled to each other.

"So how long do you think we'll have to wait for some minotaurs to come along?" Applejack asked.

"I'm not sure," Firefly said. "But I got a feeling it won't be long. Yeah, I'm sure they'll be along anytime now. All we have to do is wait."

* * *

 **3 HOURS LATER:**

"Anytime now you said," TJ berated in a calm, yet annoyed tone. "It won't be long you said. You had a feeling you said."

"Shut up, TJ," Firefly grumbled.

"I'd use my throw up line, but we all know how I feel about repeating myself," TJ said.

"Then why did you say 'you said' three times?" Fluttershy asked.

The other ponies all laughed out while TJ just frowned in annoyance.

"Aw," Twilight Sparkle cooed. "Poor wittle baby."

"I'm not a baby," TJ grumbled.

"Then stop acting like one," Firefly said.

TJ just turned his head away. He quickly ease up when he felt Twilight's hoof rubbing his back. He looked to see her smiling at him supportively, to which he responded with his own grateful smile.

"So, were there any other books you read besides adventure books?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Oh, sure," TJ said. "I read math books, science books, history books, language books, and all sorts of text books in school."

TJ smiled at Twilight Sparkle, who simply raised an eyebrow.

"That wasn't what I meant," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I know," TJ said before laughing a little. "But in all seriousness, yeah I did. I read horror, humor, and even drama. The last one I wasn't so crazy for, but I still read them just to try and give myself some variety. I read those kinds of books and everything in between."

"But eventually you stopped altogether?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yeah," TJ answered. "You already know my reasons for stopping with adventure novels, but the rest I felt I didn't have time for anymore. Fighting a war is very time consuming like that, you know?"

"I can understand that... sort of," Twilight Sparkle said.

"She only says sort of cause she's a born bookworm," Applejack said.

"Am not," Twilight Sparkle defended.

"Yes, you are," Applejack and Fluttershy said together.

Twilight raised a hoof as she started to say something. Eventually, though, she decided against it.

"Okay, yeah, I am," Twilight Sparkle admitted.

"Hey, it's all good, Twilight," TJ said. "I get it. That's why I agreed to go back and try to read some of those books at some point. Good thing, too, because I really want to get back in on the _Daring Do_ series again. I hear they've released new books for the series since I stopped reading."

" _Daring Do_!" Firefly said excitedly. "Now that's a book series worth reading!"

"You've both read _Daring Do_?!" Twilight Sparkle asked in amazement.

"Yeah, it was actually Firefly who introduced me to the series," TJ said.

"I stumbled upon the first book in a shop one day," Firefly said. "It looked interesting, so I picked it up and read it. Been a fan ever since. I even collected a whole series of mint first editions."

"That'll sure make Rainbow Dash jealous," Applejack said. "She's been trying to collect an entire first edition set of _Daring Do_ books for some time now."

"Rainbow Dash likes _Daring Do_?!" Firefly said with wide eyed disbelief. "And she's been trying to do the same thing I've done?!

"Yeah, I guess you could look at it that way," Applejack said.

"She almost did, too," Fluttershy said. "I was there. She didn't end up getting it, though. But Rainbow Dash decided she made the right choice even though she didn't get her book."

"How so?" Firefly asked.

"I almost ended up getting traded off to Manehattan to train a wild orthros," Fluttershy explained. "But Rainbow Dash didn't realize what she had done. When she found out, she did all she could to get the trade called off. She said she'd rather have all her friends close by than a book, no matter how precious it was."

"Wow," Firefly said in a trembling voice as tears welled up in her eyes. " _My_ daughter said and did all that?... That's beautiful." Firefly then sighed as she looked downward solemnly. "I just wish she felt that way about me.

"But I can't really blame her after what happened."

"What _did_ happen, Firefly?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yeah, Auntie," TJ said. "You never did tell me why you came out to this island in the first place."

Firefly didn't answer right away, instead staring on in silence for several seconds. She turned away and let out a sigh before looking back to everypony. She then proceeded to tell the others the exact story she told to Rainbow Dash before. Down to every last detail, she told them without leaving anything out. When the tale was done, everypony stared on in stunned silence and disbelief.

It remained quiet for several seconds afterwards, for nopony knew exactly how to proceed. They didn't want to leave Firefly hanging, however. They all wanted to try and see if they could help mend the broken mother and daughter relationship between Firefly and Rainbow Dash.

"Well, you know what?" Twilight Sparkle finally said. Everypony listened, but none more intently than Firefly. "It sounds like you were doing what you thought was right. I will say it doesn't surprise me Rainbow Dash acted the way she did when she found out. She's... a very emotional pony."

"We all can be sometimes," Applejack admitted, to which Twilight and Fluttershy agreed.

"Do you think I did the right thing?" Firefly asked.

"I'm not sure," Twilight Sparkle said. "Hmm, let's see... Did you consider all the options?"

"Like what?" Firefly asked.

"Like maybe did you ask for the investigation to go deeper?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"No," Firefly said. "I didn't know how deep the ties were that these ponies had. The Wonderbolts are a _really_ big deal in Equestria, Twilight. So I was afraid that it might have gone so far up as the courts or the royal council."

"Did you think about going to Princess Celestia herself while your family was put into protective custody?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

Firefly's eyes widened in shock.

"No," she let out in a shaky voice. "No I didn't... _But_ what if I had done that? My family still could've been in danger. The ponies assigned to protect them could've been involved with that crime ring."

"Then I'm sure Celestia would've put them under her personal watch," Applejack said.

"You really think so?" Firefly asked.

"Absolutely, I do," Applejack said.

"So do I," Twilight Sparkle said. "You must know she cares a great deal about the safety of her subjects. Didn't you ever meet her while you were a Wonderbolt?"

"No," Firefly said. "Well, yes. I mean, sort of. We shook hooves a few times at some events, but we never interacted socially or anything like that. I had always heard that she was like that, though and she seemed like a nice enough pony.

"It's just..." Firefly sighed again. "I never knew what to do in that situation. I figured what I did was the best move... Maybe if I had actually thought things out instead of making them up on the fly, things would've been different. Guess I should've thought with my head and not my emotions."

"You and Rainbow Dash have that in common," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah... I guess we do," Firefly said.

"Which is why you should use that as a starting point to try and patch things up," Twilight Sparkle said.

A questioning look crossed Firefly's face.

"What?" the pink pegasus asked. "Come again?"

"Think about it," Twilight Sparkle said. "You both think with your emotions first and your heads later in high stress situations. When you do use your heads, though, you both realize what you should've done and then try to make things right. Rainbow Dash has had to do that several times."

"More than she would probably care to admit," Applejack said.

"But when she does realize what to do to make things right, she's usually really good about doing it," Twilight Sparkle said. "That's what you also have in common and what you should keep doing. I know I'd personally love to see you and Rainbow Dash patch things up. She's my friend and I want to see her happy and I think getting her mom back properly would go a long way in making her happy. Plus, you seem like a nice enough pony and good ponies deserve to have good things happen to them."

"Especially considering island problems right now," TJ said.

"So you see, Firefly?" Twilight Sparkle said. "You should definitely keep reaching out to Rainbow Dash, not just as a mother, but as a friend, too. Keep trying to make the same kind of connections and find common denominators like we just talked about. You're both _Daring Do_ fans, too or maybe even something else. Better yet, you were a Wonderbolt and Rainbow Dash recently joined the newly formed Wonderbolt reserves."

" _She did?!_ " Firefly let out in amazement.

"Eeyup, she is," Applejack said.

"She's been a fan of theirs and tried to get in for years," Fluttershy said. "They've really taken a liking to her even before she joined."

"Whoa," TJ and Firefly said together.

"She was following your hoof steps without even knowing it," TJ said.

"Yeah... I guess she was," Firefly said in a stunned manner with a slight hint of pride.

"That should give you plenty to talk about as a starting point," Twilight Sparkle said. "But overall, just keep being genuine and loving with her like you have been since we came to the island and she'll come around, I promise."

After a few seconds, Firefly let a small smile cross her face. Her faith and confidence were slowly beginning to rise, as was the warm feeling deep in her heart.

"Thank you, Princess Twilight Sparkle," Firefly said. "No wonder fate ended up making you an alicorn princess."

"Please, just call me Twilight. All my friends do."

"Hey, guys!" TJ said in an excited sounding whisper. "Listen... Do you hear that?"

The other ponies listened closely for any possible sounds around them and it wasn't long before they heard what they thought TJ was talking about.

"It sounds like... hoof steps," Fluttershy said.

"A whole bunch of hoof steps coming this way," Applejack added on.

"They... must finally be coming," Twilight Sparkle said as the steps got louder.

"They're not just coming... _they're here_ ," Firefly whispered.

Everyone else looked to see her back at the side of the large rock overlooking the walking path, poking her head up over the top. Firefly waved them all over, to which they all complied, though there was slight hesitation on Fluttershy's part. One by one everypony climbed and poked their heads up over the top of the large boulder, Fluttershy only sticking hers up halfway. At first the group of minotaurs seemed so far away, but they quickly got closer and closer as they marched on as a unit. There were very many of them, being at least eighty or so strong.

Strong was the best word to describe these clearly battle hardened barbarians basically bred to be warriors from birth. Each one of these sharp horned, two legged bulls held one or more weapons at theirs sides. From swords to spears to axes, they had it all with some even carrying large Spartan-like shields. They would most definitely be a force to be reckoned with if they were to be put on the battlefield or at least they sure looked like it. Seeing all of that coming towards them made the fur of the back of the ponies' necks stand up, though they dared not run away.

They did lower their heads though as the squadron of minotaurs came around the curve in the path. Eventually they walked up to the stone wall that was just a small part in the mountainside. They all stopped several feet ahead of the supposed dead end and stood in total silence, looking as intense as ever.

Though the minotaurs were twenty five yards away and stood on ground fourteen feet below the point the ponies stood upon, the equines were all still very tense. The minotaurs' presence was just that strong and intimidating.

"I wonder what they're gonna do now," TJ whispered in a shaky voice.

"I guess open the door," Applejack replied. "If there is one that is."

"But how?" TJ whispered.

Twilight and Firefly both shushed Applejack and TJ, who complied without any complaint. All the ponies watched as a lone minotaur holding a spear and shield walked up to the front of the large group of warriors. He stepped six feet away before stopping and stretching his arms out at his sides.

" _Open says me!_ " the bull at the head of the pack called out.

"How did I know that was gonna be it?" TJ asked in a whisper.

"Because you're a genre savvy adult?" Twilight Sparkle suggested.

"Let's go with that," TJ agreed.

Suddenly, it sounded like the very earth itself was shaking and the mountain was rumbling in preparations to erupt. The ponies all calmed themselves, though when they realized the shaking wasn't nearly powerful enough for that. However, it was still the mountain shaking and the ponies all saw why. The small section of stone ahead of the minotaurs slowly slid away to the side to reveal a massive opening in the mountainside. Well, it may have looked big to the ponies, but it was barely a speck on the wall of stone that was the volcano's side.

Once the giant slab of stone ceased moving, the group of minotaurs all made their way inside the now exposed secret cave. Row after row walked into the opening until there wasn't any left standing outside. A few seconds later the slab of stone began sliding back in place and didn't stop until it had completely blocked off the cave. The wall now looked just like it did before, without any signs that it had moved or been tampered with at all. Even after the whole thing was over, the ponies that had seen it all play out were still leaning up against their rock with their mouths wide open.

They were all left in astonishment, some still not even believing what just happened despite having seen it all. Some of the ponies had seen their fair share of secret passages, but none of them were like the sight they just saw. The others who had never seen any sort of secret passage ways before were even more stunned. They all eventually snapped out of it, though, and took a moment to gather themselves before moving on.

"We need to get back to Willowbrook and get this information to the others as soon as possible!" Twilight Sparkle said in a determined tone.

Everypony's expression matched Twilight's determination as they nodded their heads in agreement.

"Right," they all said together.

The group of ponies slowly slid down from the side of the rock they had been leaning on. When their hooves touched ground again, they all hurried away as fast as they could while also trying to be quiet about it. The climb back down the way the group came was a lot easier than the climb up was. Those with their hooves on the ground still had to be extremely careful, though. There were still hazards they had to be cautious of as there always was with mountain climbing.

It was even worse because now everypony felt extremely paranoid as if they were being watched every second. They felt like at any moment someone or something could jump out and attack them. The ponies had all felt this before, but after seeing what they saw, the feeling was amplified several times over. Were there really eyes watching them from all around? Were they the eyes of someone waiting to attack them with a weapon, a magic spell, or a giant pair of monster feet?

For the moment, it looked like the answer to these questions was no. The opening in the forest where the ponies came up to the mountain was now visible to the group and getting closer. Seeing this allowed the group to relax somewhat, though they were still on edge. They knew that they were still not out of harm's way, not by a long shot. The ponies who had been flying came in and landed at the sides of their Earth pony comrades so they could stand together as a unit.

"So that was bizarre back there, right?" TJ asked. "I'm not the only one who felt like they were about to jump out of their fur?"

"Uh-uh," the other ponies assured their friend.

"I'm still wondering _how_ they could've gotten such magic," Twilight Sparkle said. "I thought that stuff that required spoken words and incantations was a bunch of hay dust."

"There must be some logical explanation for it," Applejack said.

"You think Khaos Fury and Black Lightning had a hoof in fixing that up for them?" TJ asked.

"I'm not sure," Twilight Sparkle said. "This island's showing me a lot of things that before I wouldn't have thought were possible."

"Still, I'm betting if anypony could figure it out, it's you, Twilight," Applejack said.

"I think so, too," TJ said. "I'll do whatever I can to help you with it."

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Firefly said. "Seriously, though, I'll help anyway I can, too."

"We all will," Fluttershy said.

Twilight Sparkle smiled gratefully to all her friends.

"Thanks, everypony," Twilight Sparkle said.

The group was frightened when several bolts of lightning suddenly struck the ground behind them. Everypony screamed out and turned to see sparks exploding out of the spot where the lightning bolts struck. All of a sudden they heard several hoof steps and turned to see a group of minotaurs come seemingly from out of nowhere. They quickly gathered together as a unit in front of the pony group. They may have been at a lower level of ground, but the minotaurs' numbers were much greater and they had just cut off the ponies' root back into the forest.

It was made even worse when a second group of minotaurs gathered up behind the ponies on ground higher than they stood upon. The ponies were all surrounded and trapped by the much more numerous number of minotaurs around them. All together there looked to be about thirty four minotaurs between the two groups. This all happened so fast, the ponies almost had no time to react, though when they did, it was with surprise, panic, and even fear. Fluttershy was especially afraid, expressing her fear first by gasping like the others did then screaming before huddling down with her fore hooves over her head.

The other ponies were trying to think of a plan or strategy of some sort to get out of their current predicament. At the same time, they also did what they could to put themselves between the two groups of minotaurs and the fear filled Fluttershy. TJ and Firefly faced the minotaur group standing above them while Twilight and Applejack were turned to those below them. While they may have had trouble thinking of some way out of their situation, they were all still ready to fight because they knew the minotaurs were.

"Leaving so soon?" a familiar voice echoed through the air. "I wouldn't hear of it."

"I know who that is," TJ said in a shaky voice.

"Me, too," Twilight Sparkle said. "It sounds like-"

Before the alicorn could finish, a burst of purple smoke suddenly erupted in front of Twilight and Applejack. When it cleared, a light gray furred unicorn mare stood in its place, beaming wickedly as ever.

"Why, hello there," Khaos Fury said, trying to sound pleasant. "I'm glad to see you all again." The unicorn mare caught Twilight Sparkle glaring more intensely at her than any other pony was. "Especially you... _princess._ " Khaos Fury had practically spat out her last word. "When one of my scouts reported he spotted you all skulking around on this mountain, I knew I just had to come and exchange pleasantries with you all.

"So tell me, my trapped rats, what brings you all this far out away from your safe, little village?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Applejack said contemptibly.

"That's why I was asking... _you farm hick,_ " Khaos Fury said as her friendly-looking smile turned into a glare.

The southern mare's jaw dropped ever so slightly, though she still kept her own glare.

" _Who the hay do you think you are?!_ " Applejack yelled.

"Watch the way you talk to my friends, Khaos!" Twilight Sparkle said sternly.

" _You're in no position to tell me how I can and can't talk to ponies, princess!_ " Khaos Fury shouted. " _And where do you get off saying my name?! What makes you think you've earned the right?! Because you're royalty back where you came from?! Here, you're nothing special, sweet flank!_ "

"Well neither are you or your name, floozy!" Firefly spat at the evil unicorn.

Khaos Fury's whole body shook as she snarled like a wild animal. Her angry growling intensified until she let out her loudest scream.

" _That's it!_ " Khaos Fury yelled." _Kill them all! Let them see Paradise early!_ "

The minotaurs all let out battle cries as they prepared for what they thought would be a slaughter. Those who weren't already holding knives, daggers, brass knuckles, or any small weapons of that sort pulled them out and charged forth.

" _Protect Fluttershy!_ " Twilight, TJ, Applejack, and Firefly screamed out together.

Fluttershy lifted her head up only for a moment as she looked in disbelief while her friends charged to meet the incoming barrage. Twilight Sparkle shot off three orbs of attack magic that flew off in different directions. Two of them hit a couple of minotaurs, knocking them off their hooves, while the third was blocked by Khaos Fury's magic barrier. Applejack rammed her head into the stomach of a minotaur, temporarily cutting off his air flow, making him gasp and cough out for breath. His sudden stop caused several other minotaurs to bump into him, knocking him down on his front while the others tumbled downhill.

A bunch of other minotaurs swung their brass covered fists and their small, shinning blades at Applejack, who did her best to dodged them. At the same time, she also punched or kicked her front hooves forth in a desperate attempt to hit on or more of her foes. At the same time, TJ had rammed his whole body into a minotaur, making him stumble into two others. They all managed to stay on their hooves, though some of them dropped their weapons. TJ quickly dove at the rocky ground and snatched up a dagger in his mouth before slashing it across a random minotaur's leg.

As that minotaur screamed out in agony and grabbed at his injury, another bull ran up and punched his fists across TJ's face in a right-left combo, making him drop the blade. Each blow felt like it would instantly cave in TJ's skull, but luckily his cranium was tougher than he gave it credit for. Despite feeling like he could pass out at any moment, TJ forced himself out of his daze and bucked his front hooves into the minotaur's face. Another one ran up to TJ's side and swung his brass covered fist up into the stallion's stomach, nearly knocking the wind out of him. The minotaur quickly followed up by swinging the back of his other fist across TJ's face.

Only a few feet away, Firefly was holding her own against four minotaurs at the same time. They all swung their fists and weapons at her with amazing speed, but Firefly was simply faster. She managed to dodge every attack thrown at her, plus throw several punches and kicks of her own in a wide variety. The battle hardened pegasus kept it up until she saw TJ was in trouble. With a final spinning back kick, Firefly knocked out all four of her foes before flying up to aid TJ.

When she was close enough, Firefly flipped back through the air, kicking her back hooves up into the chin of the minotaur beating on her friend.

"You alright, TJ?" Firefly asked.

TJ answered by first ramming his head into a stomach of a minotaur. He then grabbed the bull by the back of his head and dropped onto his back as he kicked his hind hooves into the minotaur's gut and used the momentum to flip him into the air. As the minotaur went sprawling down the mountain, TJ stood up and rammed into another minotaur, knocking him down.

"Oh, yeah, Firefly, I'm fine," TJ said. "I'm gonna live forever. Or at least long enough to make these horn heads feel the _thunder!_ "

"That's the spirit!" Firefly said.

The two ponies then stood back-to-back as they started punching and bucking their front hooves at random minotaurs. They easily took down any bulls that came at them. They were soon stopped when Fluttershy's screams caught their ears. They looked to see a massive minotaur about to swing his equally large club down on her.

" _No!_ " Firefly screamed.

" _Fluttershy!_ " TJ yelled.

Firefly flew as fast as she could, ramming into the minotaur's side. The awkwardness of standing on a slanted mountainside, plus holding the massive weight of his club made it very easy to send the minotaur rolling downhill. He even took out some other bulls on the way down. Firefly jumped into the air, flapping her wings to aid her. She performed a jumping side kick, crashing her hoof into the teeth of another minotaur and sent him flying away.

Fluttershy removed her front hooves from over her eyes as she lifted her head and looked around. Her fear greatly subsided when she saw Firefly extend a helpful hoof.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Firefly asked in a motherly tone.

Fluttershy smiled sweetly as she accepted Firefly's hoof, allowing the pink furred mare to help her up to her hooves.

"I am now," Fluttershy said. "Thank you, Firefly."

"Absolutely," Firefly said. "I said I'd keep you safe."

"Yeah, alright," TJ cheered when he saw the two mares were safe.

Meanwhile, Khaos Fury decided to get off of defense and go on the offense. The growling pony shot a beam of attack magic at Twilight Sparkle, only for the alicorn to block it with a magic barrier. Twilight Sparkle then used her magic to teleport in a puff of smoke. When she reappeared, Twilight was flying above the battlefield where she shot multiple bolts of attack magic at the ground below. Every bolt hit either a minotaur, knocking them off their hooves, or Khaos Fury, making them all scream out in pain.

Shockingly, through the immense amount of pain she felt and the force of the blasts she took, Khaos managed to stay on her hooves. She was, however, so focused on fighting the pain and staying standing that she didn't notice Twilight Sparkle flying down at her. By the time Khaos Fury looked up, it was too late and Twilight Sparkle's glowing horn came slashing down across her shoulder and chest. Sparks flew from the spot where Khaos Fury was struck as she screamed out. Still, Khaos Fury was able to stay on her hooves as she snarled at Twilight Sparkle, who not stood in front of her.

The two powerful mares ran forth, crashing their horns together as they tried to hit each other. From there, Twilight Sparkle and Khaos Fury's glowing horns clashed and collided with each other time and time again for a multitude of swings. It was hard to tell how many times the ponies' horns crashed together before one of them got a hit in, they fought so fast and furious. When it did happen, the blow was thrown by Khaos Fury, who swung her horn down on Twilight Sparkle's chest. Sparks erupted as the violet furred alicorn cried out with pain, though she did not fall.

Both Khaos Fury and Twilight Sparkle swung their horns at each other yet again. They clashed twice before Twilight Sparkle got three horizontal swings on Khaos Fury, hurting her tremendously. Twilight's horn touched Khaos Fury a third time, this one being on the shoulder, though she delayed slashing it across her fur and skin for just a second. _Still_ Khaos Fury had not been forced off her hooves and instead went for another swing of her horn. Twilight Sparkle swung hers as well and the clash of horns was on again with both smashing and crashing against each other a multitude of times.

At one point, both ponies even spun in place to try and make their horns hit each other with more force. Instead, they ended up colliding in mid-swing before both ponies pressed their horns together as hard as possible. They scowled intensely into each others face as the glow of their horns intensified. The magic they both emitted grew in power and intensity until the energy built up blew apart, the force of which sent both ponies sliding backwards. _Even then_ neither one fell despite their bodies trembling like they could fall apart at any moment while also breathing heavily as ever from exhaustion.

Meanwhile, a minotaur was trying to punch a pair of brass knuckles through TJ's head. TJ was able to not only dodge to the side, but grab a hold of the minotaur's extended arm. In a truly impressive display of physical ability and agility, TJ flipped through the air, still holding onto the bull's arm all the while. TJ's momentum never slowed or softened and he ended up flipping the minotaur backwards along with him. The minotaur crashed to the ground, landing on the front of his body as he groaned in agony.

TJ looked to the minotaur's weapons belt and saw a blackjack sticking out of a holster. TJ lunged for the exposed weapon and managed to get his jaws wrapped around it, pulling the blackjack free of the weapons belt. TJ quickly smacked the leather and lead club down upon the bull's cranium, instantly knocking him out.

 _I thought minotaurs were more thick headed than that,_ TJ thought to himself. He then shrugged his shoulders before looking around for his next fight. What he saw made him sick to his stomach. Applejack was caught in the middle of a group of minotaurs. She was fighting back with all of her might, but for every hit she got on one or more of the minotaurs, they got in seven.

It was too much for anypony to take and it wasn't long before Applejack was so overwhelmed she couldn't even swing a hoof in anymore.

" _I'm coming, Applejack!_ " TJ called out

He then rushed as fast as his hooves would take him. When he felt he was close enough, TJ leaped into the air and eventually landed hooves first on top of the heads of two minotaurs. TJ quickly jumped into the air again and swung the blackjack, still in his mouth, down upon the head of a minotaur as he landed. Then TJ quickly swung the club across the face of another bull warrior. After that, he swung it across the face of a third bull who stood between the two he hit before.

TJ turned his back and bucked his rear hooves into the stomach of the middle minotaur. The force of the kick knocked the bull into the other two minotaurs at his sides, sending all three rolling downhill. TJ then rammed into another minotaur, knocking him off his hooves and sending him rolling away. Then he spat the blackjack out of his mouth and turned to Applejack as he carefully put his hooves around the injured Earth pony.

"Are you alright, Applejack?" TJ asked with great concern.

Applejack looked to TJ, breathing heavily all the while. Instead of answering, though, she pushed TJ aside and charged at an incoming minotaur. The orange furred pony turned and bucked her back hooves into his chest. The minotaur was sent flying several meters away, screaming all the while. Several minotaurs came at TJ and Applejack at the same time, but they were all deterred by the bucking power of the southern mare's back legs.

Applejack even used her amazing bucking ability to take out several minotaurs who had fallen before, but refused to stay down. TJ stood with his mouth open and his eyes wide with awe at the incredible sight he just saw.

"Whoa!" TJ exclaimed. "Those are some amazing legs you have, Applejack."

"I'll be you say that to all the ladies," Applejack replied, to which both ponies smiled in amusement.

As this was going on, Twilight and Khaos had both stood still, trying to catch their breath, looking at each other hatefully all the while. They ended up going back on the attack at the same time, as they both fired orbs of attack magic. Every orb they launched at each other collided until eventually both ponies moved. Khaos Fury side flipped to the right, which Twilight Sparkle followed in perfect sync with a wing assisted jump. The entire time, both ponies shot at each other, though none of their attacks hit home.

After that, Khaos Fury and Twilight Sparkle lunged at one another, their still glowing horns clashing. Khaos Fury managed to shove Twilight back and land a swing of her horn on the alicorn. However, Twilight Sparkle was able to get three swings of her horn to successfully hit Khaos Fury, hurting her a great deal. Then Twilight launch a small orb of attack magic directly in Khaos's face, making her scream out. For this, Khaos Fury ran in and swung her front hooves across Twilight Sparkle's face in a right-left combo.

Twilight immediately retaliated as she bucked her front hooves into Khaos Fury's face. The growling mad unicorn mare grabbed Twilight Sparkle by her shoulders and pulled with all her might as she jumped into the air. The two ponies went careening over and tumbling down what was left of the mountainside. While fighting off the last of several minotaurs, Applejack and TJ both saw this happen out of the corner of their eye. Seeing Twilight Sparkle take suck a bad fall took their full undivided attention as they gasped in horror.

" _TWILIGHT!_ " the two Earth ponies screamed together.

At the same time, Firefly threw a minotaur into a small group of bulls that were running up at her and Fluttershy both. The yellow furred pegasus looked in disbelief and horror as those minotaurs and several others got back up.

 _This is just gonna keep going on until somepony can find a permanent end to it,_ Fluttershy thought to herself. The yellow furred pegasus decided at that moment she would have to be that pony. Despite her better judgement, she knew she had an advantage with most everyone thinking she was too meek to do anything. With that in mind, Fluttershy desperately looked around for a way to end the fight. She found it in the form of a giant boulder just barely sitting on a close ledge.

Fluttershy wasted no words as she rushed over to the giant rock, which she saw was even bigger than five minotaurs combined. That didn't stop her from pressing her front hooves and entire upper body against the solid object in an attempt to push it down the side of the volcano. Firefly saw what Fluttershy was doing and knew instantly what she was up to. She flew over and aided Fluttershy in pushing against the giant rock as the horde of minotaurs kept climbing up closer to them all the while. Both pegasus mares grunted and groaned as they pushed with all their might until they finally started to feel the rock move.

Only seconds later, the rock went rolling over the ledge and downhill directly at the minotaurs. They all saw it coming and screamed as they turned about face and ran as fast as they could. Unfortunately for them, it wasn't nearly fast enough, for the rock easily caught up and collided with every minotaur in its path. They were either sent flying into the air, causing the sound of a bowling ball hitting a group of pins, or flattened underneath. Any minotaurs that were still standing or managed to get up after that ran as fast as they could to get away from the ponies they had been fighting.

Fluttershy was surprised when Firefly placed a tiny, weirdly shaped rock in her hooves. She looked to see Firefly had one just like it in her own hooves.

"On behalf of Fluttershy and myself, I'd like to thank you all for these beautiful bowling trophies," Firefly said proudly. She then began pointing her hooves at non-existent ponies as she said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. _Thank you_ especially, good sir. Than-"

"Cut it out, Firefly!" TJ called from a lower level of the mountainside. "Didn't either of you see Twilight go tumbling over the side?!"

Both ponies gasped.

" _NO!_ " Firefly and Fluttershy answered.

"That crazy pony, Khaos Fury jumped off the side and pulled Twilight down with her!" Applejack explained.

" _Oh, no, Twilight!_ " Fluttershy screamed

" _Let's go!_ " Firefly exclaimed as she and Fluttershy tossed their small rocks aside.

* * *

Two ponies laid sprawled across the forest floor next to the base of the volcano. They had both just taken a really bad, twenty three foot tumble and were feeling every inch of it. Both were still alive, but the pain they were going through was close to making them wish they weren't. The bodies of the ponies known as Twilight Sparkle and Khaos Fury showed clear signs of the struggle they had both been put through. They were beaten, battered, bruised, scratched up; they had all kinds of injuries like that.

Some of their injures were even bleeding, though not very badly. It was easy to tell these ponies had been through war. Shockingly, though, it seemed like neither one was done yet as they both began to stir. Twilight and Khaos both moaned and groaned as their bodies trembled like crazy. Their eyelids trembled the most before they slowly fluttered open, though their vision was blurry at first.

Neither one waited for their eyesight to clear up before they tried getting their hooves back under them. Getting back up would be a much easier said than done, though. It felt like every muscle, every nerve, every bone in their bodies was on fire and being squished together by extremely heavy pressure. They had been lying on the ground for five minutes, but it felt like it took five times as long for the two ponies to get back up again. In actuality it took them both two minutes to get up and just as long for them to actually start walking around again.

Both ponies were heavily heaving out breaths, their hearts beating like drums in their chests as they tried to get themselves together as best as they could. When one of them was finally able to focus on something other than their pain, it turned out to be Twilight Sparkle, who stared directly at Khaos Fury. Almost without thinking, the alicorn princess fired a beam of attack magic that blasted across Khaos Fury's body. The gray furred unicorn screamed in agony and nearly fell back down again. Miraculously, Khaos Fury managed to force herself to stay up despite her legs wanting desperately to fall out from under her.

Still breathing heavily, Khaos Fury looked hatefully to Twilight Sparkle, who was also still heaving breaths out as heavy as ever. Unexpectedly, the violet mare lifted her head to the sky and screamed out as loud as could be. Just as suddenly Twilight Sparkle broke into a run that turned to flight as she rushed at Khaos Fury. The evil pony felt a sense of shock and panic at how Twilight Sparkle was moving when she herself barely could. The only explanation could've been that the princess was on an adrenaline rush that helped her through her pain.

Khaos Fury felt a little rush of her own as she blasted a beam of attack magic at the incoming Twilight. The flying pony, however, was easily able to dodge to the side, but Khaos did not cease fire. She kept trying to hit Twilight Sparkle with the beam as the alicorn began spinning around to avoid it. She also swung her body to the left and then to the right through the air, Khaos's beam following her all the while. Just when it looked like Khaos Fury would finally hit Twilight Sparkle, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

" _No!_ " Khaos Fury protested as her head darted around, looking for Twilight Sparkle.

When she finally reappeared, she was several feet up in the air and behind Khaos Fury. The flying pony unleashed a load of attack orbs from her horn, all of which either hit Khaos Fury or the ground around her. The gray unicorn screamed out as her back legs gave out on her and she dropped to her knees. Twilight Sparkle then ceased fire and flew down at Khaos Fury, swinging her horn across the gray mare's body as she landed next to her. Twilight Sparkle then rushed in front of Khaos Fury and swung her horn across her body multiple times, even spinning around for added effect at one point.

Then Twilight Sparkle swung her horn upward, getting another spark filled hit on Khaos Fury before turning her back to the unicorn. The violet mare bucked her back hooves directly into Khaos's face, the impact of which sent her sliding across the ground. Twilight Sparkle turned around to face Khaos Fury, but did not pursue her. Instead, she stood and tried to catch her breath. It was several seconds before Khaos Fury was even able to attempt to get back on her hooves.

The two mares stared intensely at each other, their exhaustion and wounds of battle being clear as day.

" _Are we done, Khaos Fury?!_ " Twilight Sparkle yelled out. " _I don't want to do this with you! This is not who I am! It isn't who you have to be either if you'd just change your ways!... So I'll ask again..._

" _Are we done?!_ "

Khaos Fury didn't answer right away. Instead she focused on getting all the way back up to her hooves and trying to stay on them afterwards. Even when her footing was was stable, though, she didn't answer. She kept heaving out breaths as she looked on at Twilight Sparkle in anger. It was several more seconds before she finally said something.

"You may be done, you and your friends," Khaos Fury said. Her glare intensified. " _But we're just getting started! You don't want to play with me anymore, princess?!... Then I'll get you a new playmate!_ "

Khaos Fury's horn flashed with a bright light, making Twilight Sparkle activate her own horn's magic in preparation. The gray coated pony grinned at the alicorn princess as she weakly cackled. Unknown to Twilight Sparkle, a minotaur was hidden from sight nearby. He had watched the whole thing with Twilight and Khaos go down. The entire time, he was holding a large radio transmitter of some sort.

Upon seeing Khaos Fury's signal, the minotaur punched in a specific set of commands then stood by and waited with a smile on his face. The wait was not long at all, for the ground seemed to start shaking instantly. Both ponies' ears picked up a loud cracking noise and looked to the forest from where it originated. Twilight's face conveyed fear while Khaos's was a wicked grin as a large section of the forest floor rose up higher and cracked apart. Slowly a horrifying sight was making itself seen as what can only be described as gray and black sludge rose up from the ground.

Any piece of nature or plant life the gooey, blobby liquid touched instantly died as the sludge pile rose higher and higher out of the ground. Twilight Sparkle and Khaos Fury far enough away to where they could see this all happen, but stay mostly safe from the effects it caused. That didn't ease the princess any, especially when she saw the two large, glowing red eyes protruding from the still rising blob of sludge. Every bone shook in Twilight Sparkle's body as she slowly realized what was going on and what beast of terror was being revealed to her.

" _Princess... meet Hedorah!_ " Khaos Fury shouted as loud as she could. At that moment, the giant sludge monster let out a wail, which caused Twilight Sparkle to scream. " _Or have you met before?!_ "

Khaos Fury lifted an eyebrow in curiosity and then shrugged it off when she didn't get an answer.

" _Twilight!_ " TJ shouted out.

" _Twilight, are you okay?!_ " Applejack screamed.

" _We're coming to get you, Twilight!_ " Firefly shouted.

"What's this?" Khaos Fury asked as she looked up to where the voices were coming from.

TJ, Applejack, Firefly, and Fluttershy were hurrying as fast as they could down the mountainside. They had spotted Twilight Sparkle fairly quickly and were only eleven feet above her and Khaos Fury when they were forced to stop dead in their tracks. Each one of them saw the horrifying sight of Hedorah as he wailed out yet again. He looked quite different than what he did before, having evolved from a blob of a tadpole to a bigger, four legged, long tailed, almost amphibious form. He also looked to be a lot more solid than what he was before, though slime still trailed and fell off of him.

Despite the changes, Hedorah was still a terrifying sight, especially to the much smaller ponies. In fact, in some ways, he was even more frightening than he was before. Fear had each pony in a tight grip, as was plain to see by the terrified looks on their faces. Every inch of their bodies shook in terror, otherwise they were frozen in place. It wasn't until the screams of Twilight Sparkle reached their ears that they all finally snapped out of their fearful trances.

While they were all still very scared for themselves, the four ponies were equally scared for Twilight Sparkle. They saw that Khaos Fury was standing close by, looking as joyful as ever despite the fight she had just went through. The sight disgusted everypony who saw it and for a moment, Firefly even forgot her fear. It was replaced by burning anger that got hotter as she looked down on Khaos and Twilight.

" _Curse you, Khaos Fury!_ " Firefly yelled out before flying down at the unicorn mare below.

Khaos Fury saw her coming and quickly unleashed an extra large orb of energy from her horn. Firefly's eyes widened as the big ball of attack magic approached at amazing speed. Before the pegasus could do anything, the magic orb made contact with her, igniting several spark filled explosions. Firefly screamed in pain as she was knocked her out of the air. Everypony there besides Khaos Fury gasped in horror when they saw Firefly crash into the ground with a hard bounce.

Twilight Sparkle's fear of Hedorah was overtaken by her concern for Firefly. She quickly rushed over to where Firefly fell while the others quickly rushed down to where she was as well. Everypony gathered around the fallen pegasus as she tried to get up. Twilight Sparkle ended up taking her in her forelegs as she did her best to examine Firefly's condition.

" _Firefly!_ " Twilight Sparkle let out in concern.

" _Auntie!_ " TJ yelled in distress.

The pink furred pony moaned as her eyes slowly fluttered open.

" _Are you okay?!_ " Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Hey... no problem," Firefly said with a wink and a weak smile.

The loud wails of Hedorah took back everypony's attention. They looked on at the blob of sludge with disgust and fear. He was two hundred yards away, but his massive size made it easy to see his frightening form. Everypony turned to Khaos Fury when they heard her let out a cackle.

"You know, I've had more than enough fun playing with you ponies for today," Khaos Fury. "But you looks like you still want some fun time. I'll leave you with your new playmate. I'm sure he can show you the excitement you're looking for. Have fun, my little ponies!

"I'll see you soon, princess... _If you survive that is!_ "

With that, Khaos Fury let out one final cackle before she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. This left the group of ponies to deal with Hedorah by themselves, much to their dismay. It was even worse when they looked to see Hedorah beginning to make his way towards them as he let out a deafening wail. Firefly had still been in Twilight Sparkle's embrace this whole time, but was feeling well enough to finally stand up as the whole group screamed. Adrenaline was running high as everypony's fear intensified unlike any other.

It wouldn't take the smog monster any time at all to reach them and they all knew it. This sent even bigger shivers running down their spines that then spread out to their whole bodies.

" _Fluttershy, you're on!_ " TJ said as he looked to the pegasus. " _You know what to do!_ "

Fluttershy nodded her head before she sang out the notes that made her throat light up in it's pink aura. Very surprisingly, it was only seconds later when a low, bellowing, loud roar rang loudly through the area. It was very closely followed by loud, thundering footsteps. The ponies and Hedorah all turned to see Godzilla making his way towards them through the forest terrain as fast as his stomping feet would take him. The ponies all smiled with supreme joy and relief at how quick Godzilla was to heed Fluttershy's call. It wasn't long before Godzilla was standing right in front of Hedorah and staring him down like a police officer after a criminal.

Godzilla's bell-like roar rang through the air once more to announce his presence. Hedorah glared with intense dismay at the larger kaiju who had already bested him once before. Twilight, TJ, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Firefly all looked on with thankful smiles all the while. Godzilla looked down to where his pony friends were and gave them a reassuring nod. After they acknowledged him with friendly replies, Godzilla looked back to Hedorah who wailed in protest.

Godzilla replied with his own mighty roar, this one being a mighty, high-pitched, three mile roar. He looked to the giant blob of sludge, then back to his pony friends and then Hedorah again. The two kaiju were way too close for comfort to where the ponies all stood and this concerned Godzilla a great deal.

"Way to go, Fluttershy, he's here!" TJ said.

"And not a moment too soon!" Firefly added.

"That sure was quick," Applejack observed.

"That's what she said," Firefly said.

"I guess Godzilla was closer to us than we thought," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Or he had time to catch up," TJ said. "We did have to take not one, but two climbs up and down the side of a volcano after all."

"Um, I hate to interrupt," Fluttershy said. "But maybe we should get to a safer place?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Applejack said.

"I second that," TJ said.

"So how are we gonna get out of here?" Firefly said. "It's too dangerous to fly, even for me... Don't tell anyone I said that."

"If everypony gets closer, I can teleport us out of here," Twilight Sparkle said.

The other ponies looked to the princess in deep concern.

"Are you sure about this, Twilight?" TJ said.

"You've already put a big strain on yourself by using so much magic before," Fluttershy said.

"Not to mention you took a big whoopin' I hate to say," Applejack said.

"It's okay, everyone," Twilight Sparkle said. "I can take it. I can push myself for one last big spell that'll get us far from here and closer to the village. I'll be fine, I promise."

Everypony looked to each other with uncertainty, but were cut off by the growing volume of the exchange between Godzilla and Hedorah. They looked to see neither monster had attacked yet. It looked like they could start fighting at any time, though. Twilight Sparkle grasped TJ and Applejack's front hooves in hers as she looked around to reassure everypony. When the two Earth ponies saw Twilight's confident smile, they responded in kind before turning their smiles to Fluttershy and Firefly as they nodded their heads.

The two pegasi mares came in and put their front hooves on Twilight Sparkle's. Everypony's attention was caught again when they heard the two kaiju nearby roaring loudly at each other. They looked to see the giant monsters charging forth. Hedorah even leaped through the air in what looked like a near impossible display of agility. He sailed the short distance that was left between him and Godzilla before crashing into the saurian himself.

Steam hissed from the contact of Hedorah's acidic, sludgy body touching Godzilla's reptilian flesh. Although Godzilla let out a small shriek of pain, the burn didn't feel as bad as it had when they fought before. That allowed Godzilla to withstand the smog monster's burning assault. Hedorah's more solid body also made it so Godzilla could even wrap his arms around him and have a decent grip.

"Hold on!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

Shortly after her horn started glowing and only a second later did she and her friends disappear into a cloud of smoke. It was when this happened that Godzilla had looked over to his friends and saw it all. With a smile of relief, the King of Monsters began a more aggressive assault. He clubbed his fist and arm across the back of Hedorah's body a multitude of times. Each time, Hedorah let out a wail of protest, though Godzilla refused to acknowledge them.

Finally, Godzilla used his mighty strength to shove Hedorah towards the ground. The smog monster's body slammed back first into the earth, though the blobby monster shifted to where he was on his feet again. The four legged beast of pollution wailed at Godzilla, who responded with a roar of his own, daring Hedorah to make the next move. The smog monster responded by firing his red eye lasers into Godzilla's neck. Hedorah quickly aimed his heat vision down and across his foe's chest.

One thing that had not changed about Hedorah was that his eye beams still burned like a sun. That was how it felt to Godzilla in that moment at least, as he stumbled back and roared out in pain. Hedorah then shot his heat vision into Godzilla's shins, making him roar out as he tried to stay on his feet. The blob of pollution took this as his cue to attack as he leaped through the air and crashed into Godzilla's body. The reptilian monster shrieked as he felt himself falling backwards, crashing into the ground.

Godzilla struggled with all his might to get Hedorah off of him, but the evil kaiju fought back. As the two wrestled, Hedorah's underbelly seemed to get less solid as he released gallons worth of slimy sludge from his body. The goo spread across Godzilla's own body and began burning away at his flesh, making him scream out yet again. Godzilla didn't like showing how much his foe was hurting to him, but he couldn't stop himself. Never before had the alpha kaiju felt such a burning sensation eat through his flesh before like Hedorah's sludge did.

Despite how much it hurt, though, Godzilla had endurance the likes of which were too great to imagine. He may roar and acknowledge how much his opponent's attack hurt, but nine times out of ten, it wasn't enough to keep him down. Godzilla slipped his arms underneath Hedorah's softened underbelly. This caused them to burn, but the King of Monsters didn't care. Hedorah suddenly felt his body rising up against his will and, in horror, realized what was happening.

As Godzilla pushed Hedorah up off of him, he began to sit up and eventually started pushing himself back to his feet. All the while Godzilla rose, he kept hold of Hedorah and pushed him up more and more. Eventually Godzilla was back on his feet and holding Hedorah high above his head. Godzilla roared out as he used his legendary strength to toss the smog monster through the air. Hedorah wailed as he slammed into the ground, hundreds of meters away from where he was tossed.

The King of Monsters roared into the air as he waved his arms around in satisfaction. He calmed himself a little bit before he slowly and methodically began stomping his way towards Hedorah's fallen form. Though he marched slowly, it seemed to take no time at all before Godzilla was only standing twenty yards away from his fallen adversary. Hedorah's back was turned to Godzilla and he had not moved an inch, laying motionless. This suit Godzilla fine as he roared out before firing his atomic breath down on Hedorah.

The blue beam of intensely burning energy hit the smog monster's wet, slimy exterior with a sickening, bubbling, and gurgling impact. Large explosions of yellow sparks ignited across the pollution kaiju's back, which sent chunks of its sludgy body flying all over. Hedorah screamed from the pain that seemed to burn into his very core. Even after Godzilla ceased fire, Hedorah's sludgy exterior was still steaming and bubbling from where he had been hit. While Hedorah convulsed, it seemed like he could not actually move of his own will.

Godzilla took advantage and stomped in closer before grabbing a hold of Hedorah's tail. He put all his mighty physical strength into it as he pulled Hedorah off the ground and swung him through the air. After only one swing around, Godzilla released Hedorah's tail and sent the four legged blob of a creature flying through the air. Hedorah wailed in alarm as he sailed several hundred meters before crashing into the ground and sliding a few feet more. Forest terrain was ripped apart, but surprisingly, the giant old growths had been able to stay standing throughout this whole battle, though they did get bent and banged up a great deal.

Godzilla roared out again before he stomped after his opponent. By the time the King of Monsters reached Hedorah, he was already back on his feet and facing him. The smog monster didn't seem to be in the best of conditions, though. His whole body seemed to be convulsing and he was struggling to stay on what blobs passed for his feet. Godzilla roared out a warning for Hedorah to give up and surrender.

The pollution blob's large red eyes glared in anger as he replied both with a defiant wail and a shot of his eye lasers. The twin beams crashed into Godzilla's shoulder, igniting a small explosion. Godzilla roared out as he grab at his newly burnt in injury and stumbled back a step or two. Hedorah took advantage and launched a large glob of his blobby body into his foe's chest. Steam hissed from where the glob hit Godzilla and ate at his flesh as the saurian shrieked in agony.

Hedorah aimed lower, shooting two sludge globs into Godzilla's lower legs, the acidic reaction being instant. Godzilla roared out and nearly dropped to one knee, but managed to stay standing. Hedorah wailed out as he leaped through the air, charging at Godzilla. The Kaiju King's eyes lowered into a glare as he saw his opponent coming at him. Godzilla roared out as he spun around and swung his tail through the air.

Hedorah's eyes widened as he wailed in alarm just before his body collided with Godzilla's incoming tail. The impact and force of Godzilla's natural weapon hitting Hedorah sent the smog monster sailing farther away than he had been sent before. What seemed like a short time later Hedorah crashed into the ground so hard it shook the whole area. Godzilla roared out a warning for Hedorah to stay down before he looked away. He sniffed at the air for any scent of his pony friends that had been there only a short time ago.

He picked up their scent from before, but it was going cold and had no trail to follow because of Twilight's teleportation spell. Godzilla could only assume they had headed back for Willowbrook and his senses were telling him he should do the same. A part of him, however, wanted to try and finish off Hedorah for good. When Godzilla turned back to where Hedorah had been, though, he was gone, seemingly disappearing into thin air. Godzilla looked around, but could find no trace of the smog monster.

He sniffed the air and it was still very pungent with the nasty, disgusting stench of the blob of sludge. Godzilla caught the scent getting further away and could only figure Hedorah had retreated for the time being. After a few seconds, Godzilla decided to let it go for now and took off after his friends heading for Willowbrook.


	16. Chapter 16: Bumps and Bruises

Khaos Fury had reached the end of the corridor that led to the door of Isarem's chamber. The guards on duty bowed respectfully, which Khaos Fury returned in kind before opening the door. The gray furred unicorn cautiously entered the domain of her master and tip-toed her way into the small cave. She stopped in the middle of the room and saw that Isarem had his back to her as he sat in his throne while writing something on a piece of paper on his desk.

"May Paradise shine its light on you, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury called out.

"And may she shine her light on you as well, Khaos Fury," Isarem called back, never stopping or looking away from his writing. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"Well, I-"

"Please, come closer, Khaos," Isarem requested.

The pony mare was extremely hesitant to accept her master's request, but she dared not defy him. Slowly and nervously, Khaos Fury walked over to the far side of the room and trotted up the few steps that led to Isarem's elevated desk. When Khaos reached her master's side, he looked up and greeted her with a pleasant smile.

"That's better," Isarem said.

"Yes... my lord," Khaos Fury stammered out. "Much better."

"Now what can I do for you, my dear?" Isarem asked as he resumed his writing, not seeming to notice the pony's nervousness.

""Well, my lord, I'm afraid I have some dire news to report," Khaos Fury said.

Isarem ceased his writing as he looked to Khaos Fury. He raised an eyebrow as he seemed to become slightly unsettled.

"Dire news, you say?" Isarem questioned.

"Yes, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury said. "A scout reported to me that he spotted several ponies from the village sneaking around on the volcano. Apparently, they were in an area very near where the entrance to the sanctuary is located."

Isarem raised his eyebrow higher as he seemed to get more agitated.

"Is that so?" Isarem asked.

"Yes, my lord," Khaos Fury said. "I took a squad and investigated the matter myself."

"What were the results of your investigation?" Isarem asked.

"It was not just ponies from the village," Khaos Fury said. "It was a small group of five made up of both Willowbrook ponies and those outsiders... The alicorn princess from Equestria was with them."

Isarem let out a sigh that ended up sounding more like a growl as his got even more upset.

"This is most unfortunate," he said in a soft, yet angered manner. "So what did you do?"

"We engaged them in combat," Khaos Fury said.

"Since you have no prisoners for me, I can only assume you didn't fair so well," Isarem observed.

Khaos Fury hesitated for only a moment before letting out a sigh and speaking on.

"No, lord, we didn't. We did hurt them, don't get me wrong. We hurt them a _great_ deal... But we weren't able to defeat them. We even had to call in Hedorah to aid us."

"And why should Hedorah have so much trouble that you can't bring me the corpses of those ponies?" Isarem asked.

"According to what I was told after I left, the Equestrians' pet monster showed up," Khaos Fury said.

"So he bested Hedorah and they all escaped?" Isarem asked.

"Unfortunately, it seems so, my lord," Khaos Fury said.

Isarem heaved several heavy breaths in and out to try and keep himself under control. Khaos Fury was incredibly uneasy and almost wanted to start running for the door. She dared not move a single hoof, though, for she didn't want to do anything to upset her master like step away without his permission.

"Do you think they may have found the entrance?" Isarem asked.

"I honestly don't know, my lord," Khaos Fury said. "I will say that it might be in our best interest to assume the possibility that they might have."

Isarem held a hand to his chin as he looked on thoughtfully.

"That's probably best," Isarem said. "Good thinking, Khaos. So if we're to assume they found the entrance to our sanctuary, then we must also assume they may be planning some sort of incursion to attack us from inside."

"I agree, my lord," Khaos Fury said. "What do we do?"

Isarem thought for a moment before answering.

"Double the guards in the catacombs. Double them everywhere around. Double the stealth scouts and keep them closer to the entrance. We must not take any chances."

"Yes, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury said. "I'll go see that your orders are carried out."

"Very good, my dear," Isarem said. "Then once you've finished with that, collect your brother so we may plan the next three assaults on Willowbrook."

"Yes, my lord, it will be done," Khaos Fury said.

"You may go," Isarem said as he went back to his writing.

The gray coated unicorn began to walk away, but stopped and looked back to Isarem with a questioning, yet hesitant face.

"My lord, may I ask you something?" Khaos Fury said.

"If you must," Isarem replied. "Try to make it fast, though. Time is precious."

"Yes, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury said. "I know it's not my place to question you. It's nopony's place... But I have to know... Why do you make these small little attack plans on Willowbrook when we can so easily raise it to the ground with all the power at our disposal?"

Isarem didn't respond right away. Instead, he sat at his desk and put down his pen before pressing the tips of his fingers together.

"That's a fair question, Khaos, but very easy to answer," Isarem said. "If we were to do what you just suggested, there's a more than strong chance the alpha stone in their possession could accidentally be destroyed. It could easily be lost in such a chaos. We need that stone for our plans, thus it's far too important to risk losing it in the fires of a full scale invasion."

"If I may be so bold, my lord," Khaos Fury said, "I honestly don't think we really need it. We already have so much as it is. Our volume of minotaurs easily outmatches the ponies who defy us. I also have absolute confidence that with Solomon and Hedorah at full power, they can easily overtake Anguirus and that other monster. Plus, I feel like the project has been empowered to a capacity where it can't possibly be matched by any other."

"That's why I make the plans and give the orders while you follow them," Isarem said. "I understand why you feel this way, Khaos, but I'm not willing to take any chances. I will stay as true to my original plans as possible. Thus is the reason why the attacks will stay the same and why we still _must_ get the alpha stone from the Willowbrook ponies. That's my final decision, Khaos Fury.

"Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, my lord," Khaos Fury said. "Crystal clear."

There were a few moments of uneasy silence before either party spoke again.

"Come to me, my child," Isarem said in a fatherly tone.

Khaos Fury did as instructed and came up to Isarem's side once again. He reached out a hand and gently placed it on the top of Khaos Fury's head, which made her feel very uneasy. It even sent a shiver down her spine, though she did her best to hide it.

"You are so beautiful," Isarem said. "You and your brother have both served me loyally with barely a question of my judgement and authority until today. I can only assume those questions were burning within you for a long time. Maybe they even burned in some of the others here as well, like your brother. It took a lot of courage bringing this up to me, especially because of my... _episodes_.

"You're a brave, powerful pony, Khaos Fury, you and your brother both. Continue to serve me well enough and you shall both be handsomely rewarded, I promise you that."

"Thank you, my lord," Khaos Fury let out in a voice barely above a whisper.

Isarem's hand moved from the top of the mare's head to the side of her face. He rubbed his thumb against her cheek for a moment before leaning in and kissing her on the forehead. Khaos Fury had never been more terrified before than she had been at that moment. Even after Isarem pulled back and removed his hand, Khaos Fury was afraid beyond all belief.

"You may go now, my dear, Khaos," Isarem said. Khaos Fury only nodded her head before taking off towards the door. She was stopped when she heard Isarem's voice call out and say, "Don't worry, my dear. Even if they do know where we are, it will do them no good. Our forces still outnumber and overpower theirs by a great deal.

"What's more is we have the light of Paradise on our side. We can't possibly fail to those pathetic equines."

Khaos Fury said nothing as she resumed walking for the exit. She wanted to brake into a run, but she controlled herself just enough to keep it under a quick walk. Once she was out of the room and shut the door behind her, though, Khaos Fury took off like death itself was after her. It very well may have been, but Khaos Fury didn't care. All she could think about was how much she never wanted to see Isarem again while despairing because she knew she would have to.

* * *

The Mane Six, TJ, Muse, Firefly, and Moon Bright all stood or sat in the main room of the hut that belonged Moon Bright's family. There was also a doctor there who carried a medical bag with her. She moved around to examine the injuries Twilight, Firefly, TJ, and Applejack had sustained during the mission they had returned from two hours earlier. When Moon Bright saw the condition the group was in, she sent out to have the doctor come as soon as possible and take a look at them. The others were all close by doing what they could like cleaning, bandaging, and other things for the injuries the scouting team sustained.

During all this, Twilight and the others told the tale of what had happened. From climbing the volcano, to finding the entrance, to the confrontation with Khaos Fury that ended with Godzilla and Hedorah's fight. They didn't leave out a single detail or at least they tried not to. When they were finished, most everypony was still trying to let all they had said sink in.

"Sounds like you guys barely got out of there alive!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed in despair.

Several of the other ponies spoke in agreement, each one sounding deeply concerned and sympathetic about what they went through.

"I wish I could say you were all overreacting..." Twilight Sparkle said, "but that wouldn't be true. You're right, Pinkie Pie. I hate to admit it, but it seems this is going to be even more dangerous than we all thought it was going to be."

"And that's saying something," TJ said. "We already had a good idea that this would be more than just a bumpy ride."

"Boy, howdy," Applejack said in agreement.

" _Dang it, I knew this was gonna happen!_ " Rainbow Dash let out. " _I should've been there!_ "

"Calm down, Rainbow Dash," Twilight Sparkle said. "It wouldn't have made a difference."

"Twilight's right, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said. "You would've been hurt just as badly." Fluttershy's expression became more somber at that moment. "Although if everypony wouldn't have been busy trying to protect me, it probably wouldn't have been so bad."

"Oh, yes it would've," TJ quickly interrupted. "Don't put that on yourself, Fluttershy. They were gunning for all of us. Like you said, it would've turned out exactly the same no matter who was with us."

"Cut yourself some slack, Flutters," Firefly said. "You _were_ the one who figured out how to bowl for minotaurs. You really ended up saving our necks out there."

"That's very nice of you to say, Firefly," Fluttershy said.

"Just telling the truth," Firefly replied.

"Thank you," Fluttershy said.

"No worries," Firefly said.

The two pegasi smiled at each other in appreciation.

"I still wish I had gone with," Rainbow Dash insisted. "If only to see Fluttershy in action! _Seriously,_ when TJ and Firefly told us all about what you did, I pictured it in my head like it was happening right in front of me! I still would've like to have seen it in person, though.

" _It sounds so awesome!_ "

"Well, you never know," TJ said. "It could happen again."

"TJ's right," Moon Bright said. "There's still a lot that needs to be done. Right now it's hard to tell how long that'll take. It's even harder with the minotaurs continuously trying to mess with us every chance they get."

"You think it could even take another year or so, Mom?" Muse asked.

"I... I don't know right now," Moon Bright said.

"Hey, at least we're on the right track to fixing everything," Applejack said.

"Still, I do wish we didn't have to take so many bumps and bruises to get there," Rarity said. "And right now when I say we, unfortunately, I mean you poor lot." Rarity pointed a hoof to the scouting party. "You poor things. I'm so sorry this all happened to you."

"That's the price you pay sometimes," TJ said with a shrug.

"Still, we would've liked to have paid it with you," Rarity said. "I mean, I do understand the decisions made for this mission, but it doesn't make us feel any less bad for you all."

"We still would've liked to have been there to help you with the kooky, crazy, hi-yaing, kung fu fighting against those bullies!" Pinkie Pie said.

As she spoke she also added very silly looking shadow fighting moves to make her point. Even after she was done talking, she kept going while adding several stereotypical martial arts fight sounds. It wasn't until she was finished and breathing heavily that another pony spoke.

"I know what you all mean," TJ said. "Really, I do. We appreciate the love, all of us, but sometimes things just can't work out the way we want them to. I mean, I know I would've loved it if we were all together for that mission.

"Heck, if they tried to jump us with all of us there, I'm betting they wouldn't have even laid a hoof on us."

"You really think so?" Applejack asked.

"Absolutely," TJ said. He then pointed around to the Mane Six. "You girls... Well, it's already been established that the levels of your awesomeness are immeasurable." TJ then looked around to his family.

"And it's also pretty clear you guys are greatness personified, too."

"So are you, TJ," Moon Bright said.

"Thanks, Mom," TJ said. "Because of all that greatness, I know we're gonna come together and win this thing in the end. That's just not what was able to happen this time around. Sure, we kind of got our tails handed to us, but at least it led to us finding the minotaurs' base. Because of that it gives us a better chance of coming up with a plan of how to get at those horn heads and stop their plans permanently."

Everypony looked on at TJ with smiles of appreciation for his vote of confidence. It was even lifting their own spirits and confidence higher at that moment.

" _Way to look at the glass half full, TJ!_ " Pinkie Pie screeched out approvingly as she jumped into the air. "Usually it's my job to look at the glass half full, which I'm not very good at because I always end up pouring the drink into a smaller cup so it can be all full again!"

It was right after Pinkie Pie fast paced babbling that the medical mare wrapped up her examinations.

"Okay, that about does it," the neon blue unicorn announced.

"Give it to me straight, Doc," TJ said in an intentionally over dramatic fashion. "Is my career as a swimsuit model over? Will I have to give up skydiving lessons? Will I ever be able to play the flute again?!"

"You could play it before?" Muse asked bluntly.

Everypony laughed out while TJ just gave his younger sister an annoyed smirk.

"She's not wrong, TJ," the doctor said. "I was at those band practices, you know."

"Hey, Willowbrook wasn't built in one day," TJ defended. "I think."

"Anyways, your flute playing, if that's what you want to call it will be just fine," the pony doctor said. "However, I know you're all gonna be making big plans, but you might want to hold off on executing them for a little bit, say about... a week. There weren't any breaks or sprains or fractures, but all those cuts and bruises you have still need time to properly heal."

"Well... I don't know that we can hold off for a full week," Twilight sparkle said. "But we'll try to do the healing process as best as we can."

"I guess that's all I can ask for from ponies in your positions," the doctor said. "Thank you for everything you do."

"And thank you for your time, doctor," Moon Bright said.

"My pleasure," the doctor said. "Are we still on for band practice the Saturday after next?"

"Try and stop us," TJ said.

"Then I guess I'll take me leave," the doctor pony said. "Good day to everypony."

Everypony wished the doctor well as she went out the door.

"She is right, though," Moon Bright said. "You all still need time to heal at least a little bit."

"Says the pony who kept walking around like it was a regular day when she fractured her ankle," TJ said.

"Hey, if I'm not working, things aren't getting done," Moon Bright said. "Or at least not the way I want them to. Besides, I'm the leader of a village, dang it."

"Fair enough... I guess," TJ said.

"Well, it's like some of us have already said," Twilight Sparkle interjected. "We'll need time to come up with a proper plan, but we can also use that time to heal up as best we can."

"How long do you think it will take to come up with a plan?" Muse asked.

"Well, that's hard to say," Twilight Sparkle said. "Any attack, break-in, or anything of that sort needs to be carefully planned and extremely well thought out down to the last detail."

"I'd make some joke about how you used to be like that for everything, but in this case, you're right," Rainbow Dash said.

" _I did not used to be like that about everything!_ " Twilight Sparkle defended.

"Yes you were," the rest of the Mane Six said bluntly.

Twilight blushed for only a moment before replying.

"Okay, maybe I was. Right now, though, a plan against the minotaurs is exactly the thing that needs that level of intricate detail."

Everypony nodded their heads as they spoke in agreement.

"I'll go over making the plan with you at some point, Twilight," Moon Bright said.

"I'll pitch in here and there," TJ said.

"We all will," Applejack said to which the other ponies all agreed.

"Though I get the feeling the actual planning is in good hooves," Firefly said.

"I was gonna say that myself," TJ said.

"In the meantime, it would probably be good for you all to just take it easy," Moon Bright said.

"I'm sure we'd all like to, but we can't," Pinkie Pie said. Everypony looked to the pink coated mare as they asked her why not. "Because we all still need to prep ourselves for when it comes time to actually do the plan. We need all kinds of exercise, some of which might be directly linked to stuff we'll be doing while executing the plan. Plus we all need to learn our parts in the plan and how things we do can directly effect the outcome of said plan."

Much to a lot of ponies' surprise, everything Pinkie Pie was saying made absolute sense to them.

"She's right," Muse said.

"You make a really strong point, Pinkie Pie," Firefly said.

"Yeah, I do that sometimes," Pinkie Pie replied.

"Right on, my sister in pink," Firefly said before slapping Pinkie Pie a high hoof.

"So I guess we'll have to balance time out between rehabbing our injuries with everything Pinkie Pie just said," Twilight Sparkle observed.

"We can pull it off," Rainbow Dash said. "Plus, with all due respect, those of us who aren't hurt can totally pick up any sort of slack that comes from injured ponies. Besides, we're all awesome enough that any plans we make can't possibly fail."

"Right on, Rainbow Dash," TJ said as he extended his hoof.

Rainbow Dash flew over and slapped the stallion's hoof with her own.

"When do we start making the plans?" Rarity asked.

"I may have Twilight meet with me as soon as later today to start the outlining," Moon Bright said. "The rest of you, for now, get some r and r. We're all gonna need as much of that as we can get, too."

"I'm for that," Firefly said before she stretched out her front legs and let out a long yawn.

"I wouldn't mind some down time, myself," TJ said.

"I think we could all use a good rest, something that's been in short supplies for us all lately," Twilight Sparkle said.

Everypony spoke in agreement before Pinkie Pie showed up in a business suit with a fake mustache, a monocle, and a top hat.

"I call that this meeting is adjourned!" Pinkie Pie said in a fake German accent before knocking a mallet on the wooden table everyone sat, stood, or flew around.

The group of ponies shared a laugh before Moon Bright said, "You heard the filly. Take care, everypony. I hope those of you make speedy recoveries."

All the ponies began to move off into smaller groups. Twilight, TJ, and Firefly stuck around Moon Bright while Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity headed for their hut. Muse and Fluttershy stuck close to each other as they headed for the couch. Rainbow Dash was flying for the door when she stopped and looked back. More specifically, she was looking over at Firefly.

Only seconds later, Rainbow Dash turned, planted her hooves on the floor, and started walking over to the group her mother was with.

"So do you really want to start making the plans right away, Moon Bright?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well... I don't really know, princess," Moon Bright said. "Part of me thinks we should start as soon as possible. Another thinks we should take a moment to have a breather. I promise you, though, as soon as I feel ready to start making plans, I'll come get you. Or I'll have my handsome son here get you."

Moon Bright smiled mischievously as TJ and Twilight Sparkle looked away in slight embarrassment. TJ even rubbed a hoof across the back of his neck, to which Moon Bright chuckled.

"Seriously, though," Moon Bright said, "I would love to get the input of a princess who's clearly got a lot of experience at stuff like this."

"I'll... be happy to help, Moon Bright," Twilight Sparkle said. "Also, you don't need to call me princess. You don't need to call me Your Highness, Your Majesty, anything like that. Just Twilight is fine."

"Okay then... Just Twilight," Moon Bright said with a laugh.

"Mom, you already went through that joke with Rarity," TJ said.

"So?" Moon Bright said as she looked to her son questioningly. He wasn't able to answer right away, though he tried to with only a few stutters coming out. "Oh, am I embarrassing you?"

"No!" TJ quickly answered.

Moon Bright's smile seemed to get more evil-looking in direct response to her son's answer.

"Then clearly I'm not trying hard enough," Moon Bright said. With that, the unicorn mare hugged TJ up in a tight embrace almost like she was trying to cradle him. She nuzzled him and spoke in a cooing voice parents usually used for babies and younger children. "Oh, my poor wittle, baby boy, I can't believe you got so hurty, wurty! I don't know what I would do if I lost my big, wittle man!"

" _Mom, stop it!_ " TJ exclaimed as onlooking ponies snickered.

"Am I embarrassing you in front of your princess now?" Moon Bright asked.

"No!" TJ said. "Well, yes, but you're also squeezing on my cuts and bruises!"

Moon Bright's eyes widened as she released her embrace.

"Sorry, TJ," Moon Bright said in slight panic. "I didn't mean to! I was only fooling around."

"It's alright," TJ said. "I know sometimes you can get like that. Heck, everyone in this family does."

"I guess I'm also sorry for doing all that in front of your marefriend," Moon Bright said.

"That's fi-" TJ stopped when he realized what his mom said. "She's not my marefriend!" TJ turned to Twilight Sparkle as he said, "Twilight, I'm sorry about all this."

"No, it's fine," Twilight Sparkle said with a little giggle. "I actually think it's kind of cute."

"Oh... I see then," TJ said.

It was then that Firefly sensed the presence of somepony else close by. She turned to see Rainbow Dash just as she was clearing her throat. Both pegasi looked to each other with very serious looks on their faces.

"You did your best to protect my friends like you said you would," Rainbow Dash said bluntly.

"Absolutely," Firefly said.

"It didn't go the way any of us were hoping," Rainbow Dash said. "Though, I guess that was pretty much expected by all of us. You did keep the main part of your promise about looking out for Fluttershy, though. She came back with almost no scratches on her at all. I wanted to let you know that... I appreciate you going to all that trouble for my friends."

"It was no trouble at all, Rainbow Dash," Firefly said. "I was more than happy to do it."

"But just so you know, this doesn't change anything between us," Rainbow Dash said sternly.

"No, I didn't think it would," Firefly said. "That wasn't why I helped your friends. I did it because you're all helping us and together we're helping the world. I'd say that's a good enough reason."

Rainbow Dash nodded her head as she said, "Fair enough."

"But... maybe this could be a stepping stone?" Firefly asked as she looked to Rainbow Dash hopefully.

Rainbow Dash didn't answer, instead looking away as a look came across her face. It almost seemed like she was asking herself that question in her head. She looked back to Firefly for only a moment before finally turning away. Everyone still there watched as the cyan blue pegasus mare walked out of the hut. When she left, there was an uneasy emptiness in the air that seemed to quickly be filled by a cold chill.

Firefly looked very disappointed as she let out a sigh. Twilight Sparkle, TJ, and Moon Bright all gathered around the sad pegasus to try and comfort her.

"She didn't say no," Moon Bright said.

TJ rubbed Firefly on the back as she looked to the ponies behind her. She then looked back to the door where Rainbow Dash had made her exit.

"She didn't say yes either," Firefly let out glumly.

"Hey, she actually talked to you," Moon Bright said. "And it wasn't anything really negative either. So don't give up up just yet, sweetie. I believe there's hope there and that deep down she really does want to rekindle her relationship with her mother, aka, you."

"There's barely a relationship to rekindle," Firefly said.

"Even so, Moon Bright's still right," Twilight Sparkle said. "There's still something there. You just got to give her some time to let it out little by little."

"You really think so?" Firefly said.

"We know so," Twilight, TJ, and Moon Bright said together.

Firefly smiled back to her friends in appreciation but then quickly looked back to the door.

"I'll get you back, my little Dashie," Firefly said.

At the same time, Fluttershy and Muse were sitting on the small couch on the other side of the room.

"I'm really glad you didn't get hurt badly at all, Fluttershy," Muse said. "It was bad enough everyone else got hurt so bad, but it would've sucked even more if you got hurt, too. Luckily you came back in one piece instead of several."

"Thank you for your concern, Muse," Fluttershy said with a smile. Her face turned into a frown only seconds later, however. "But me coming back the way I did isn't a whole lot to be proud of. Not when everypony else there was putting their bodies on the line, half the time to protect me."

"They were protecting each other and themselves, too, weren't they?" Muse asked.

"Yes, but they were mostly protecting me, because I can't fight," Fluttershy said. "You see, I was only there to call Godzilla when we needed him."

"Still, they needed you there," Muse said.

"I still wish I could've done more to help," Fluttershy said. "I... I've just never been a fighter. The only way I've ever been able to do something even close to that is if I had one or a group of ponies there with me to do the heavy lifting."

"That way you can come in at the last minute and knock a minotaur off a bridge or roll a rock on him," Muse said.

Fluttershy only allowed a small smile of amusement for half a second before it disappeared into her frown yet again.

"That's about all I can do," Fluttershy said. "I never learned to fight... and I don't really want to, either. I'm not a fighter at all. That's not even close to who I am as a pony, which is awful because it clashes with the duties I've been given with the position I have. It's even worse when my friends really need me like they did today. We've always depended on each other for support like that, both in physical confrontations and normal situations.

"I'm usually pretty good about the second part, but fighting... it's not me. The worst part is I know eventually I'll have to change that at least a little if I want to be as important a part of the team as the rest of my friends."

"You really think you need to change who you are?" Muse asked.

"Yes," Fluttershy said as she nodded her head.

"And you'd be willing to do that?" Muse asked.

"I'd be willing to try," Fluttershy said. "My friends are worth it to me. Sometimes we need to give up certain things for the greater good. Even our sense of security with who we are. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few... or the one."

Muse looked away as she thought hard about what Fluttershy said.

"Fluttershy?"

"Yes, Muse?"

"How do you muster the strength to get out of your comfort zone to help ponies who are important to you?" Muse asked.

Fluttershy was silent for a few seconds as she tried to think of how she could answer the alicorn's question.

"I'm not sure _how_ you do," Fluttershy said. "Or at least I don't know how I do. What I do know is that it's a feeling I get deep down inside when I know I have to be more for my sake and especially my friends'. I'm hoping that will help me become a better member of the team later on. It would be worth it to know I can help my friends as much they help me."

Muse nodded her head as she smiled to Fluttershy.

"I get the feeling you already mean as much to your friends as you think learning how to fight will make you," the young alicorn said.

"You might be right," Fluttershy said. "We certainly go out of our way to make each other feel special."

"You don't need to learn how to fight, Fluttershy," Twilight Sparkle said. Muse and Fluttershy looked to see that the violet alicorn and TJ had walked over to them. "As far as I'm concerned, everything you do already is enough. I truly mean that."

"I agree," TJ said. "From what I've seen, you come through when it counts the most. You certainly did today, not once, but twice. So give yourself a little more credit than that, Fluttershy."

"I just want to do more for you all," Fluttershy said.

"Don't we all, though?" TJ asked. "Don't we all wish we could do more than we can for each other? I certainly do."

"But we should never forget how important the contribution we _do_ make are," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Thank you, everypony," Fluttershy said.

"Happy to do it, Flutters," TJ said as he held out his hoof for a bump.

Slowly and gently, Fluttershy obliged the stallion's friendly gesture, which brought a smile to both ponies' faces. TJ seemed a bit concerned, though, when he saw that Muse was deep in thought and maybe even a bit in doubt. Both TJ and Twilight Sparkle walked away to let Muse and Fluttershy talk amongst themselves and also so they could talk as well.

"Hey, Twilight, can I ask a favor?" TJ inquired when they were far enough away.

"Sure, what is it, TJ?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well... it's hard to explain," TJ said. "I was just wondering... if you could- if you would I mean... Would you be willing to take my sister under your wing and teach her how to be an alicorn like you?"

" _What?!_ " Twilight Sparkle asked a little too loudly.

TJ shushed her before the two looked around to see if they caught anypony's attention. They saw that Moon Bright and Firefly were looking at them from the table while Fluttershy and Muse looked at them from the couch.

"Is everything alright?" Moon Bright asked.

" _Oh, fine_ ," TJ said with a big smile. " _No problems here._ "

" _Nope, not at all,_ " Twilight Sparkle said with an equally big smile.

The two pairs of ponies looked on a bit longer before returning to their previous conversations.

"What were you talking about?" Twilight Sparkle said with a slight whisper.

"I can't stand Muse being afraid of being an alicorn anymore," TJ said.

"You mean so she can help against the minotaurs?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"It's not just that anymore," TJ said. "I'm also thinking long term. How much longer is she going to be afraid of accepting who she is now? How much longer will she have to be afraid of using or controlling her powers? And how much longer will everypony else have to worry about her using them?

"Even if she wasn't going to help us with the minotaurs, she still needs to learn how to use her powers for everyday life at least, Twilight."

"I guess that's true," Twilight Sparkle said. "But... can I really teach somepony to do stuff like that?"

"You're teaching, Starlight Glimmer back in Equestria aren't you?" TJ said.

"Yes, but those are friendship lessons," Twilight Sparkle said. "Training to be an alicorn is very different. Except for learning how to fly, I had to learn how to be an alicorn all on my own. I'm not bitter or anything, it's just that..."

"It would've been nice if you had more of a helping hoof guiding you in your training?" TJ asked.

"Well... yeah," Twilight Sparkle said.

"So don't you think Muse feels the same way?" TJ asked.

Twilight Sparkle looked over to Muse, who was still sitting on the couch with Fluttershy. The two were smiling and laughing as they exchanged stories and made all sorts of small talk in their conversation. It did Twilight good to see Fluttershy becoming so friendly with the locals, especially TJ's family. She also liked the energy Muse had and how she seemed to use it the most to have a good time with other ponies. It seemed like something that could probably make for a good friendship lesson.

In her heart of hearts, Twilight Sparkle knew she couldn't let such a young pony go through the fear of her powers by herself. It was also most likely that she would need a pony to teach her how to control them at some point sooner rather than later.

"Okay, I'll do it," Twilight Sparkle said.

"You will?!" TJ asked as his eyes lit up.

"I give you my word," Twilight Sparkle assured.

"Oh, thank you, Twilight Sparkle, thank you!" TJ said. "You won't regret this!"

"I hope not," Twilight Sparkle said. "I never taught a pony how to use alicorn magic before."

"Have you taught anypony to use regular unicorn magic?" TJ asked.

"Well... I did give lessons to Sweetie Belle a few times," Twilight Sparkle said. "I also taught classes and ponies about several other things like math, history, literature. I gave all sorts of lectures."

"Then use all that as a starting point," TJ said. "Also, just use what you had to learned about being an alicorn on your own and you should take off from there. I certainly think so."

"Maybe," Twilight Sparkle said. "Who knows, I might also learn a few things along the way myself. Teaching something you've never taught before usually does that. From that point of view, this actually kind of makes it more exciting for me because I love learning new things."

"That's the spirit, Twilight," TJ said. "I'm also betting it will bring you two closer together and make you become better friends."

"I'm counting on it," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Then I guess you're thinking it wouldn't hurt to slip in a friendship lesson here and there?" TJ inquired.

"Absolutely," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's good practice for my lessons with Starlight and even then, friendship is something worth teaching."

"And who better to teach friendship and being an alicorn than the alicorn of friendship?" TJ asked. "Besides, after seeing you tear through those minotaurs and Khaos Fury today, I know you're the right pony for the job. Good work on that by the way. I told you if you combined flying with using magic it would pay off in big ways. It paid off in the biggest way when you knocked those minotaurs on their backsides and took it to Khaos Fury.

"Seriously, I've never seen anypony hold up with that unicorn like that, not even Firefly. Glad to see my advice paid off so well."

"It might've, but that Khaos thing sure didn't make it easy for me," Twilight Sparkle said. "Ooh, just thinking about her makes me skin crawl. You were right about her being a psycho. She sure fights like it, being so unbalanced up in the cranium."

"Told ya," TJ said.

"Still, while she may be vicious, we have an advantage," Twilight Sparkle said. "During the fight, it seemed to me like she got so crazy sometimes she couldn't keep complete focus or control. That's something we definitely need to exploit, because if she were to keep full control of herself, she'd be a much harder opponent for me to fight."

"I'll bet you could take her anyways," TJ said. "Either way, I think you're right. That's one more way we can up the ante against those horned creeps."

"Still... I have to admit..." Twilight Sparkle said, "even if Khaos Fury is off balanced psychologically... she's still one mean fighter."

"Even so, today you did great," TJ said.

"Thanks, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said with a smile.

"My pleasure, Twilight," TJ said as he smiled back.

Neither one realized what was happening or how long it lasted, but eventually both ponies realized they were moving in closer to each other. Their faces were literally only inches away before both ponies were snapped back to reality. When their minds finally told them what was going on, both Twilight and TJ pulled back as quick as they could.

"So, I guess I better consult with my friends on some... stuff," Twilight Sparkle said nervously.

"Yeah, same here," TJ said, sounding just as nervous. "Me, consult, with my family on... things."

"Yeah," Twilight Sparkle.

"Yeah... right," TJ said. "So I guess... I'll see you later?"

"You can count on it," Twilight Sparkle said. "Fluttershy, ready to go?"

"Uh-huh," Fluttershy said as she nodded her head. " _Are you sure you are?_ "

The tease in the mare's voice during her last sentence was clear for all to hear. TJ and Twilight looked and realized all eyes in the hut were on them. Though both started to feel hot under the collar, they did their best to shake it off and ignore it.

"Okay... goodbye for now, Twilight," TJ said. "Oh, you, too, Fluttershy."

" _Bye, TJ,_ " Fluttershy said in a teasing voice.

Moon Bright, Muse, and Firefly all lightly giggled as Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy made their way for the exit.

"Take care of yourselves, kids," Moon Bright called.

"We will," Twilight Sparkle said. "If you need us for anything at anytime, just come get us. We're always willing to help. I'll be back to start outlining a plan with you sometime soon, Moon Bright."

"Sounds great, Twilight," Moon Bright said. "I'll make sure TJ's here when you come back."

Everypony laughed, except Twilight and TJ, the latter of whom even rolled his eyes in annoyance. Twilight Sparkle just sort of silently tip-toed for the exit.

"You know, we could stay a little longer if you still want to be with TJ," Fluttershy said.

"Shush, you!" Twilight Sparkle whispered harshly.

Fluttershy just giggled as the two finally walked out the door. Everyone left in the hut looked on for a few more seconds before they said anything.

"Too bad they didn't stay," Muse said. "But I understand that some of them need to get some rest after what they went through."

"So do you two," Moon Bright said referring to TJ and Firefly.

"Oh, come on," Firefly protested. "I could go back out and fight fifty more of those clowns if I had to."

"No you won't," the other three ponies declared.

Firefly groaned in annoyance before saying, "You guys are no fun."

"We're just worried about ya is all," TJ said.

"You're still no fun," Firefly said in a playful manner.

"I'll bet Fluttershy is a lot of fun," Muse said. "She's been really nice every time I've talked to her."

"They can all be a lot of fun," TJ said. "I spent several days with them on a boat and they were the best thing about that voyage."

"I also caught a glimpse of Pinkie Pie with the children yesterday," Firefly said. "She was a hoot and a half!"

"Yeah she was," Moon Bright said. She then looked to TJ and Muse. "Pinkie kind of reminded me of how you two are sometimes."

"You mean how all of us are with each other?" Muse asked bluntly.

"All the time?" TJ added.

"Fair enough," Moon Bright said.

Everypony let out a group laugh.

"I get what you mean, though," Muse said. "I hope I get a chance to spend more time with Pinkie Pie... and Fluttershy... all of them actually."

"I hope we all get to know them better," TJ said. "Especially... well... you, Firefly, and..."

"I know, TJ, thank you," Firefly said. "I hope that happens, too." A mischievous smile crossed her face. "I hope you get some more time with Princess Twily there soon, too."

TJ just smiled as he looked up and shook his head.

"They're all really great," TJ said.

"I think they're pretty nice fillies myself," Moon Bright said. "I really like them."

"They seem to like us pretty good, too," Muse said.

"Only time will tell," TJ said, "but I got a strong feeling when this is over we may all live together someday."

* * *

Anguirus was biting into a tree branch that hung from one of many gigantic old growths that stood tall and strong across the Willowing Forest. With what seemed like no effort at all, he ripped the branch off and grabbed it in his front paws. He held it steady as he began devouring the tree piece. As he chewed off the branch's bark, Anguirus looked over curiously at Godzilla. The large guest in the spiky kaiju's den had been sleeping almost ever since he got back from the island's volcano, Mt. Bullhorn.

He had sniffed the air to make sure the ponies that were with him made it back to the village and then pretty much dropped down and fell asleep. Godzilla's breaths were deep and heavy as he slept, his snores coming out as low, tired growls. It had only been a day since the two met, but Anguirus was still amazed to have learned that another kaiju like him actually existed. A kaiju who actually went out of his way to protect ponies, tried to be social, and overall tried to do the right thing. It was fascinating to Anguirus, as was the fact that even though Godzilla was clearly a superior monster in many ways, he didn't act like it.

Godzilla treated Anguirus like an equal and even went out of his way to chat with him. Most of what they had discussed up to that point was small talk, revealing very small, yet interesting facts about one another. It filled Anguirus with joy to have someone around like that who he could have such conversations with. Because of how nice a guy Godzilla seemed to be, Anguirus made a vow to have his back at any and all times. While he knew Godzilla would probably end up doing most of the heavy work, Anguirus would still help as best he could.

He may have been a lesser kaiju, but Godzilla didn't think so or act like he was, which Anguirus was grateful for. Plus their friends had all come together in a righteous cause, one which both kaiju had sworn to serve. Thinking about all this, Anguirus let a small smile cross his face before looking away from Godzilla and turning his full focus on his meal.

* * *

 **Sorry, folks. Been dealing with real life stuff that's getting in the way of me writing this story. Also, sorry for no author's note last time. Same thing I mentioned before. Depression, family drama, and a job will sap the energy out of ya real quick. Also I think might be getting writer's block, but I'm not sure. I hope not. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.**

 **But enough of me being a crybaby, I just want you all to know that I appreciate the continued support this story's getting. I hope you all enjoy it so far and I hope you'll tell me your feelings with a review whether they're positive or negative (keep it constructive, though). I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	17. Chapter 17: Muse's Awakening

Firefly stood by the balcony of the hut currently occupied by the Mane Six. Her heart was beating rapidly to the point where she could feel it in her throat. Her whole body also twitched and shook like she was convulsing. Firefly had gotten up fairly early this particular morning, even earlier than usual for her. It was five o'clock when Firefly awoke and the first thing she did was make her way over to the Mane Six's hut.

Firefly had been standing there ever since with two hours having already gone by. That wasn't the main reason she was so one edge, though, nor was the fact she had trouble sleeping all through the night before. At that moment, Firefly was all in knots because yesterday, when she left Moon Bright's hut for her own, she decided she would confront her daughter yet again. Perhaps it was too early to try again or pointless altogether, but Firefly still felt with all her being that she had to keep trying. She couldn't just leave it alone with her daughter being so close and even seeming to open up to her at one point yesterday.

With all that pressure on her and a lack of sleep to boot, Firefly felt like her body could fall apart or would implode on itself. She didn't let it get to her, though, for she had been under pressure many times before and she had also gone through several sleepless nights in the past. While she may have had to deal with more dangerous things previously, Firefly still felt like this was the worst pressure she had ever been under. It felt like this was the hardest thing she ever had to fight through, but she was more than willing to do it. Firefly had made a vow the other day to keep trying to get her daughter back and she planned to stick to that vow and try every opportunity she had.

So she kept on waiting like an impatient foal, becoming even more on edge with every passing second. Yet when the moment finally came, when all the pressure she had been putting on herself paid off, Firefly still felt like she wasn't ready for it. By some stroke of fate, Rainbow Dash had been the first of the Mane Six to exit the hut. She didn't usually get up this early at all, having always slept until noon or at the earliest, ten thirty. For some inexplicable reason, though, Rainbow Dash felt the need to not only get up earlier than usual, but to go outside and greet the morning.

She wasn't ready, however, for who was there to greet her. Firefly had her back turned to Rainbow Dash when she came out, for she was deep in thought. She never even heard Rainbow Dash come out of the hut, whereas the rainbow maned pegasus noticed her mom right away. Rainbow Dash was surprised at first, but that quickly turned to aggravation, which she emphasized with a groan. It wasn't particularly loud, but it was enough for Firefly's ears to pick up, alerting her of her daughter's arrival.

The pink furred mare's ears dropped as did her eyes while her face turned into a frown. She had known this was most likely the way Rainbow Dash would greet her, though. For that and other reasons, she didn't dwell on it and instead turned to face her offspring. As was also expected, Rainbow Dash met Firefly's look of a hopeful mother with an angered glare.

"What are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash demanded, though a bit groggily from the early hours. "What do you want, especially this early in the morning?"

"You know what I want," Firefly said.

"Yeah... I do," Rainbow Dash said. "Did you have to try and get it so early in the morning, though?"

"I'm sorry," Firefly said. "I didn't think this would be early for you."

"Well, it _is_ ," Rainbow Dash said as she turned away. "This is _way_ too early for me. Don't know why I'm even out here right now. Why would you think I'd get up this early?"

"I guess... I was hoping we would have that in common," Firefly said.

"Well, you were wrong on that one," Rainbow Dash said.

"I guess was," Firefly said. "I think I also figured it'd be the right time because... well, because I would think the rank of captain for the Ponyville weather team would require early hours."

"There's multiple captains for different shifts," Rainbow Dash explained.

"Oh, that makes sense," Firefly said.

Rainbow Dash's eye widened as she turned back to her mother.

"Wait, how did you know I was captain of the weather team?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I've been talking with your friends, Dashie," Firefly said.

"All about me, I'm guessing?" Rainbow Dash said with a groan despite ordinarily finding that to be a good thing.

"Not all, but you do make up ninety percent of the conversation usually, yeah," Firefly admitted. "They all seem to admire you and really respect you, Rainbow Dash. You made some really good friends and they all think the same about you."

"Of course," Rainbow Dash said. "They're the best friends a pony could ever ask for. I mean... they put up with me for pony's sake. "

Firefly couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Way to pick 'em," Firefly said as Rainbow Dash stared on. "Sorry, it's just that sometimes I think the same about my own friends."

Rainbow Dash scoffed before saying, "Trying to act like we have some things in common so you can make a deeper connection to me?"

"I know it may seem desperate," Firefly said. "Heck, I _am_ desperate. Even taking that out of it, though, I really do think we have a lot in common."

"Like what?" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"Well, there's the Wonderbolts," Firefly said.

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened again.

"You said what?" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"I know you became a member of the Wonderbolts reserve," Firefly said.

"My friends told you that, too, did they?" Rainbow Dash asked in annoyance.

"Yes, they did," Firefly said. "They also told me you worked very hard to get that position and that it was your number one dream to get into the Wonderbolts for years. It was my dream, too, but I couldn't imagine how far I had gone when I finally achieved it. I imagine the same would be true for you when they finally give you a chance to shine."

"I always shine!" Rainbow Dash insisted.

"Yes, of course," Firefly said with a smile. "Just like your mother shined all the time."

"That isn't the reason why!" Rainbow Dash insisted. "It's because of my own unique brand of awesomeness!"

"That doesn't surprise me in the least," Firefly said, her smile growing bigger.

"Don't act like we're doing buddy, buddy, mother, daughter bonding time, Firefly!" Rainbow Dash demanded. "Besides the Wonderbolts, what other connections could we possibly have?!"

"Well, I know you're a fan of _Daring Do_ ," Firefly said. "I like that book series, too."

Surprise took over Rainbow Dash's face as she stared at her mom in disbelief.

"You've read the _Daring Do_ series?" Rainbow Dash asked in amazement.

"Not just read it," Firefly insisted. "I own the whole book series."

Rainbow Dash shook her head, after which her angry frown returned.

"So what?" Rainbow Dash asked with contempt. "I have the whole series, Twilight has the whole series. Everypony who's a loyal fan probably has the whole series."

"Ah, true, but does every loyal fan have a whole series of first editions?" Firefly inquired.

Rainbow Dash gasped as the surprise returned to her face once again.

"You have a whole series of first editions _Daring Do_ books?!" Rainbow Dash asked, her excitement being clear to see and hear.

"I sure do," Firefly said. "It wasn't easy getting them all, I'll tell you that. But eventually I was able to do it because I'm just that darn good."

"Too darn good!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her excited smile growing bigger as she started to hover above the balcony. "Nopony's ever been able to put together a whole collection of first editions before!"

"Well, it was a _daring do_ , but somepony had to do it," Firefly said.

The two ponies shared a laugh, though Rainbow Dash cut hers short when she regained control of herself. It was right back to the grumpy, angry pegasus who was more than furious with her mother. This made Firefly's smile fade into a sad frown, for she knew what was coming next.

"Big deal!" Rainbow Dash let out. "So we both have Wonderbolt connections! So we both like _Daring Do_! That doesn't change or make up for what you did!"

"I know, but I'm trying desperately to make up for it now!" Firefly said on the verge of tears. "If you would please just give me a chance! I want this to work, Rainbow Dash! Truly I do! I am _begging_ you, please!

Firefly got down on her knees and put her front hooves together as she said, "Having you come back into my life is the brightest ray of hope I've had in a long time. You've always been the thing, _the pony_ that mattered to me the most! The only thing that would make it better is us being a true family again! I love you, Rainbow Dash! Do you still love me?!"

Rainbow Dash's face went blank as she lowered herself to the wood platform her mother stood on. She looked down at her still begging mother as she fought within herself with her thoughts, her emotions, all of it. It was like a war of conflicting feelings was raging inside Rainbow Dash that would eventually erupt within her.

"I... uh..." Rainbow Dash struggled to speak, but she couldn't form a full sentence.

"No, Rainbow Dash, I'm sorry," Firefly said as she stood up and wiped away her tears. "I shouldn't have asked you that. It wasn't fair of me to put that kind of pressure on you, especially not now. This is only the third day. I already knew this would take a long time, so it's best I not rush things any further.

"I'll give you your space for now... But I really do want to try connecting with you again soon. It's with a hopeful heart that I keep thinking maybe we can be a family again. After what I just did, though, you deserve a break from me. I love you... my little Dashie."

With that, Firefly flew off, leaving a stunned Rainbow Dash to watch her go.

"I... l- lo..." Rainbow Dash didn't finish what she was struggling to say. Instead, she stood there for a while and thought about several things. She thought about what her mom said, how it made her feel, whether they really did have close connections, and especially if they could be a family again. All this and more ran through Rainbow Dash's head, her heart, and even her soul. She still thought hard on the situation even when she returned to her hut eleven minutes later.

* * *

Godzilla groaned as he stretched out his arms and legs at his sides with his tail even lifting in the air a bit. The great beast's eyes slowly fluttered open as he left the realm of sleep and he awoke in the real world. Though his vision was not completely clear yet, Godzilla still pushed himself up, albeit very groggily, as he let out a loud yawn. It was a slow push, for Godzilla was still very tired, but eventually he managed to get himself up into a sitting position. While he sat, Godzilla continued stretching and shook his head around to get rid of all his lingering sleep fatigue while also trying to get his full vision back.

All the grunts and groans Godzilla made as he did his morning ritual eventually reached the ears of Anguirus, who was just beginning to wake up himself. The spiky kaiju, who laid off to the left of Godzilla, opened only a single eye to see what was going on. Like Godzilla, his morning vision was extremely blurred, so he could very barely make out what was happening. He could make out the light of the sun, though, so he knew it was probably best for him to get up. With that in mind, Anguirus stretched out his limbs and let out a rather loud yawn of his own.

The four legged monster slowly pushed himself up until he was on his feet, though he was still groggy and his vision was still blurred. His spike covered tail flung around freely almost as if it had a will of its own. It was because of this, along with Anguirus' mind being more focused on waking up and his vision not being right, that led to something... rather unfortunate. Anguirus swung his tail out a little too far and slightly faster than he probably should've for safety's sake. Thus the kaiju's spiky tail was sent crashing into Godzilla's thigh.

The pain of Anguirus' tail spikes piercing his skin was more than enough to jolt Godzilla fully awake and then some. The Kaiju King's eyes widened as he sprung up to his feet and let out a loud shriek while rubbing his hand on his injured thigh. Anguirus was wide awake and on high alert as he stomped over to check on Godzilla and see if he was alright. He let out several loud roars as he tried to assure Godzilla it was an accident, that he didn't mean to do it on purpose, and that he was truly and deeply sorry. Godzilla glared at Anguirus, who hung his head, though his eyes were still wide with alarm.

Anguirus let out a softer, quieter roar as he apologized again and said he would allow Godzilla to do whatever he wanted to get even. Godzilla only slightly turned his head before his glare intensified as he began to growl and bare his fangs. Anguirus' whole body tensed up as he prepared for retaliation from the mighty King of Monsters. Godzilla lifted his fist like he was about ready to sock Anguirus right in the face. He leaned in as his back spikes began to glow bright blue.

Right after Anguirus shut his eyes and looked away, though, Godzilla's angry snarl turned into a bright, cheerful smile. His spikes ceased glowing and he extended a finger from his balled up fist and lightly bopped it on the end of Anguirus' snout. Right after he felt Godzilla's finger on his nose, Anguirus opened his eyes and looked to see his friend's smiling face. Anguirus was confused until Godzilla showed him that his thigh was completely healed. Godzilla asked if Anguirus remembered he had healing powers just as the memory came to him.

The two let out chuckling roars of amusement before Godzilla began talking about the look on Anguirus' face. The spiky kaiju then asked Godzilla if he ever had a wake up call like that before. Godzilla said he didn't and he never wanted it again, which Anguirus understood and said he would make sure he didn't. At that moment, the two kaiju sensed another presence approaching them. They soon realized it wasn't just one, but two beings coming towards them.

It didn't take them long to spot both Fluttershy and Muse trotting up to them with big smiles on their faces. The two kaiju met the ponies with smiling faces of their own as they both roared out greetings to them.

"Ooh, ooh, what are they saying, Fluttershy?!" Muse asked excitedly.

"They just said, ' _hello_ '," Fluttershy translated.

Godzilla and Anguirus both let out their own respective soft, gentle, quieter roars.

"Ooh, ooh, what did they say that time?!" Muse asked just as excitedly as before.

"They said that it's very nice to see us again and we're looking nice today," Fluttershy translated.

Anguirus then let out an unusual sound, even for kaiju.

"Ooh, ooh, what did Anguirus say that time?!" Muse asked in anticipation.

"Oh, I could tell you that!"

The alicorn and the pegasus mares looked to see Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie coming up to them.

"You can understand what he said, Pinkie Pie?!" Muse asked in disbelief.

"No, because he didn't say anything," Pinkie Pie answered. "That was just a burp!"

Pinkie Pie let out a squeak as she shut her eyes tight and the sides of her mouth spread into a big, toothy grin. At the same time, Muse's big, excited smile turned into a somewhat embarrassed stare.

"Oh," Muse said. The other ponies all laughed while Godzilla and Anguirus looked on with amusement. "I'm sorry, I just get excited sometimes."

"Oh, you have nothing to apologize for, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said.

Everypony else spoke in agreement with the violet alicorn princess.

"Everypony gets super excited about some thing or another," Rarity assured.

"She's speaking from experience in that she gets overexcited about a _lot_ of things," Applejack said with a smirk on her face.

" _I do not!_ " Rarity protested with almost a shriek in her voice.

"Yes you do," the rest of the ponies from the Mane Six said together.

"Yes, it feels great to be on the other side of that," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Humph," Rarity pouted as she looked away, stuck out her nose, and closed her eyes.

"Anyways," Fluttershy chimed in, "it's okay to get excited about something, Muse."

"Pinkie was just jabbin' at ya a bit is all," Applejack assured.

"Yeah, I do that a lot with a lot of different ponies," Pinkie Pie added.

"Yes, she does," the rest of the members of the Mane Six said together.

"I take it she's done it with you all?" Muse asked.

"Mm-hmm," the others said as they nodded their heads.

"But that's to be expected when you're a group of friends as close as we are," Rarity said. "Maybe some sneezing powder."

"Painting my apples," Applejack said.

"Slipping me disappearing ink when writing my letters to the princess," Twilight Sparkle added.

"And more," Pinkie Pie said proudly. "Seriously, I'm not even halfway from being done."

"Uh-oh, you all hear that?" Muse asked out loud.

"Ooh," everypony else said in mock fright.

"You all better be careful, watch out, or something," Muse said. Everypony shared a quick laugh with each other. "Seriously, though, I know all about ribbing on each other. Trust me, we do it here all the time."

"So we noticed," Rarity said.

"I think it's pretty funny... most of the time," Pinkie Pie said.

"Yeah, it's true we do go too far sometimes," Muse said. "I mean, we don't think so, but to those on the outside... yeah, it can look pretty bad sometimes."

"Well, as long as you're having fun and nopony gets hurt, I think it should be all good," Pinkie Pie said.

Everypony spoke in agreement before their attention was taken away by Godzilla and Anguirus starting up their own conversation. They stood and marveled at these wondrous, magnificent giant animals, the likes of which were never thought possible. The two great titans looked to be so much larger than life almost like gods. They also looked like they could make anything they touch break with even the slightest poke of their fingertips. Yet here were these beings that could probably rule all of creation just sitting back, relaxing, smiling, and enjoying a conversation with their little pony friends close by.

"What are they saying now, Fluttershy?" Muse asked in a much calmer manner this time around.

"They're talking about us," Fluttershy said.

"Really?" Muse asked. "What exactly are they saying about us?"

"Ooh, ooh, I bet I know!" Pinkie Pie said. "I'll bet they're talking about how cute we are, how adorable we are, and how we all have amazing mane and tail styles!"

The pink Earth pony lifted her big, puffy tail in the air and waved it around for all to see. Rarity took the time to bounce her mane with her hoof as she smiled proudly.

"My mane and tail _do_ look fantastic, don't they?" Rarity asked.

"You were mostly right, Pinkie Pie... except for that last part," Fluttershy said. Rarity instantly stopped admiring her hair. "They were also saying that they felt lucky to have us as friends. Both of them confided in each other how scary it was for them at first being... the way they are. They both thought they'd be alone forever and that everyone else would fear and hate them."

"Oh, the poor darlings," Rarity said sincerely.

"I can't even begin to imagine how that must feel," Twilight Sparkle said.

"It was even worse because those who were their size only seemed to be interested in fighting and destruction," Fluttershy said. "They couldn't relate to those other monsters, nor could they try because when they saw Godzilla or Anguirus all they wanted to do was fight."

"Luckily, they found us!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a big grin on her face.

Godzilla let out a few soft growls as he looked down pleasantly at the ponies around him and Anguirus.

"Godzilla's agreeing with you, Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy said. "He said we made him the happiest creature alive when we agreed to be his friends and got him friends all across Equestria."

"You know, you partially did that yourself by being who you are, Godzilla," Applejack said. "It's not every kaiju that would befriend a little pony."

"Too bad they're the exception instead of the rule," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Godzilla may not be the rule, but he's the ru _-ler_!" Pinkie Pie said. "The King of Monsters title doesn't go to every other kaiju, ya know."

Anguirus began to speak with Fluttershy there to translate his howls, growls, and roars.

"Anguirus says he feels the same way about everypony here in Willowbrook," Fluttershy said. "Especially with Muse. He loves how she takes moments out of her day to come visit him. It especially tickles him on the days she comes to see him more than five times. It always amazes him somepony would take that much time for a creature like him."

"Well, of course!" Muse said. "You stayed with me and protected me through the night when we met for the very first time. You didn't have to do that, Anguirus, but you did anyways. That's because you were and still are a hundred percent good in your heart. You're so good you agreed to protect us and fight on like a true defender, like a true warrior, even in the face of such opposition as we've had to face.

"I love you, big guy, and I always will."

Anguirus' eyes trembled as he reached out a paw. When it was close enough, Muse reached out and embraced one of the spike covered kaiju's mighty talons. She hugged as tight as possible and nuzzled the side of it.

"Aww," everypony else let out.

After Muse was done embracing and nuzzling Anguirus, he pulled back his paw and stared down at the ponies; more specifically as Muse. She looked back up, though her smile eventually turned into a small, yet very sad frown.

"I wanna be like you," Muse said. She then looked around at everyone there. "I wanna be like all of you. You've all done so much to protect the lives of others, the lives of so many innocent ponies. You've helped them through so many troubles and... that's absolutely beautiful that you do it and go through what you do to do it...

"I wanna be able to do that, too. I wanna help like you do... but all I ever do is sit off to the side as a glorified cheerleader or make some sort of baked goods or paint or draw something."

"Every little bit helps, darling," Rarity said.

"You were just doing the things you knew for sure you could do," Applejack said.

"And you were trying to apply them to helping with the situation," Fluttershy said.

"There's nothing wrong with what you do, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said. "Showing as much moral support as you can is very important, too."

"But I feel like it's not enough," Muse persisted. "I mean, TJ and Firefly actually go out and fight the minotaurs while my mom puts herself through so much to activate the alpha stone when we need it. So many other ponies do similar things to protect us all, like being on the front lines... and I wanna be one of them."

"So then why aren't you?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Muse seemed very hesitant to answer the Earth pony mare's question, but she tried to anyways.

"I... Uh... It's..."

"It's your powers isn't it?" Twilight Sparkle asked gently. "You still haven't gotten used to them and don't know how to control them properly."

"Y- Y- Yes," Muse admitted. "I also haven't figured out how to use these yet." Muse's wings unfolded and stretched out so fast it almost seemed like they would pop off her body. "See what I mean? Remember, I was a unicorn before... well, this."

"Right," several of the other ponies said.

"Do you... wish the alpha stone hadn't made you an alicorn, Muse?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well... in all honesty... yes," Muse said. "I mean, right now all of this alicorn stuff feels more like a burden and a curse than it does a gift. Do you know what it's like being a normal, everyday unicorn who all of a sudden goes to being this winged and horned pony with phenomenal, cosmic power without any hint of warning? Do you know what it's like to have to try and hold back from being what you are when you're not really sure what you are or if your new power will blow up the world when you try to use it?"

Muse hung her head and started to sob lightly.

"Yes, I do," Twilight Sparkle said. Muse looked to the violet alicorn in surprise. Twilight reached out and wiped Muse's single tear away as she smiled. "The same thing happened to me, Muse. I wasn't born an alicorn, I became one later. I started out as a unicorn, too.

"I wasn't happy-go-lucky, though, mind you. I was a real bookworm and study nut, I'll admit it. A big part of that came when Princess Celestia, who is a natural born alicorn, took me under her wing as her apprentice. I wanted to do my absolute best to make sure I was the best student she ever had and so worked hard all the time... Still, none of it prepared me for what was to come.

"Turns out, Celestia was grooming me to become an alicorn princess right from the start. I have no idea why, but I still consider it an honor that of all the ponies it could've been, she chose me. When it happened, though, I felt a lot like you do now, Muse. I wondered if I was really ready for it or if I even wanted it. Just like you, everything was hard for me to control and get used to.

"I wasn't the strongest flier and having more magic to throw around wasn't a walk in the park either. The latter I got used to quicker, though because... yeah, magic was the thing I studied the most, so it came more naturally. Then there was that one time I got triple the alicorn magic... You know what, never mind, that's a story in of itself. Flying... I needed a lot more help with, though."

"Did you get it?" Muse asked.

"Absolutely," Twilight Sparkle said. "I got a lot of help and moral support through a large majority of the transitions I had to deal with. One day I was apprentice to an alicorn princess of Equestria. The next day I actually _became_ an alicorn princess of Equestria. Sometimes the roles felt similar and other times they couldn't be more different. It was even a while before I got an actual title."

"The Princess of Friendship!" the others of the Mane Six proudly proclaimed.

Twilight looked back to her friends with a grateful smile. She turned to see Muse was smiling, too.

"I see that support you were talking about," Muse said.

"It wasn't just them, but so many others," Twilight Sparkle said. "Spike... the other princesses... so many. They helped me through it all. They relaxed me, guided me, and even taught me to an extent. I really think that's what you need, Muse."

"Really?" Muse asked.

"Yes," Twilight Sparkle said. "Obviously you have all the moral support you need... but you also need a teacher."

Muse's eyes widened as she let out a huge gasp.

"Are you saying-?" Muse began.

"I can show you the way," Twilight Sparkle said. She lifted an eyebrow as she thought for a moment. " _We_ can show you." Twilight then waved a hoof to her friends. "There are more layers to being an alicorn than you might think and I know they can help you better in some areas than I ever could. Will you all help me teach her?"

"Of course we will!" Everypony looked up to see Rainbow Dash come in for a landing. "You just leave it to us, Muse," Rainbow Dash said when she was on the ground. "I know I can help you with all the flipping and flapping that comes with flying."

"And being awesome?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Well, yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "But we can all help her with that because we're _all_ awesome... I'll probably help you the most, though."

Rainbow Dash give a small wink while everypony else either rolled their eyes or shook their heads both in slight amusement and mild annoyance.

"So what do you say, Muse?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

The young alicorn said nothing at first, for all she could do was look on with an amazed smile and eyes filled with tears of joy. She sniffled as she wiped some tears away.

"Oh, thank you!" Muse said. "Thank you all so much!"

Unable to control herself, Muse hugged Twilight close to her. Twilight Sparkle let it happen and returned the hug as the other ponies gathered around and joined in. At that moment, both Godzilla and Anguirus let out soft vocalizations, which got everypony's attention.

"They're supporting you, Muse, and saying they have complete confidence in you," Pinkie Pie said. "Don't need to speak animal to know that's what they're saying."

Muse looked to everypony, all of whom nodded their heads in assurance.

"Like I said, nothing wrong with good, strong moral support," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Thank you both," Muse said to Godzilla and Anguirus, who smiled back. "Thank you, everypony... When do we start?"

"Right now," Twilight Sparkle said. "Is there an empty field nearby?"

* * *

It was hard to believe that there was a wide open space where there were almost no trees and none of them got past thirty feet all. Truly it did sometimes seem like the Willowing Forest covered nearly every space of Pony Tale Island. Yet there was actually a small area where it was mostly grass and flowers, though. It looked big to the ponies there, but in comparison to the forest, it was a tiny, black dot on a white sheet of paper. Still, it was an amazing sight to everypony, all of whom were thankful they got to be somewhere besides a dense forest where it was dimly lit all the time.

They had to trot over several hills, but eventually they found a part of the open field that was mostly flatland. Rarity and Pinkie Pie took the time to sniff some of the flowers of many shapes, sizes, and colors, all of which smelled beautiful in several different ways. Fluttershy was enjoying the company of the island's many local animals, something she'd been doing with several different animals since arriving on the island.

"Whoa, this place is awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she looked around in several different directions while hovering above the rest of the group.

"You really think so, RD?" Applejack asked. "This usually doesn't seem like your kind of thing."

"It isn't!" Rainbow Dash said. "But after being in that forest so long, this is like Las Pegasus to me!"

"Yeah, I know what you mean, Rainbow," Muse admitted. "This was a place I would visit frequently when I used to go on my little walks. TJ would come with me sometimes, too and that was always fun."

"Yeah, I don't know, I guess it's just... nice," Rainbow Dash said. "Nature, pure, untouched nature. No large buildings, big crowds... just wide open fields and hills. Ah, I love it. It makes me want to... I don't know, migrate or something."

"Ponies don't migrate, Dashie, birds do," Pinkie Pie said as she flapped her front legs like they were wings.

"Hey, I got wings, don't I?" Rainbow Dash asked as she began flying around.

"Why did you want me to bring you out here, Twilight?" Muse asked.

"So that if anything goes wrong, there's less of a chance of it effecting any innocent ponies," Twilight Sparkle explained.

"Oh, that makes sense," Muse said. "I thought it was something like that. I just wanted to make sure is all."

"Trust me, I had to do it sometimes, too," Twilight Sparkle said.

"So, what do we do first?" Muse asked.

"Before we begin, recite to me how magic works inside a pony?" Twilight Sparkle said.

"First a pony concentrates on nothing but the beating of their heart," Muse said. "Then the pony feels the blood the heart pumps coursing into their veins and spreading through their whole body. That eventually leads to the mind where the pony focuses hard and thinks about what spell they want their horn to cast. Next the concentration goes into the horn itself, thus making it cast said spell."

"Very good," Twilight Sparkle said.

"That's the bare basics of it, though," Muse said. "It's a little different for each spell usually. There's how you have feel in your body and emotions, too, among other outside factors. A lot of spells are so complicated that instructions on how to cast spells are written down in books. "

"Right," Twilight Sparkle said. "What we're going to do for starters is get you to feel... angry."

Muse raised an eyebrow in uncertainty.

"You said what?" Muse asked.

"For your first lesson you need to feel nothing but anger," Twilight Sparkle said. "Pure, raw, furious anger."

"But why?" Muse asked.

"Because you need that high level of emotion for what I'm going to have you do," Twilight Sparkle explained. "Muse... you're going to release a big burst of unchained, uncontrolled attack magic."

" _WHAT?!_ " practically everypony shouted at the same time.

" _Twilight, are you crazy?!_ " Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief. "So that's what it feels like to be on the other side of the question."

"What about the poor little animals?" Fluttershy asked.

"What about the grass?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"What about the trees?" Applejack asked.

"What about the flowers?" Rarity asked _._

"And what about us?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I was getting to that," Twilight Sparkle said.

"You're not seriously asking me to just let out a big blast of power are you, Twilight?" Muse asked.

"Yes, I am and I'll tell you why," Twilight Sparkle said. "I need to know exactly how powerful you are going forward. The best way to do that is to have you do a spell that you have to put your all into. While you're doing that, to measure your magic capacities, I'll be using a power reader spell... which yes, I _will_ teach you later if you want."

"But wouldn't something like what you're asking be really dangerous for everything the others mentioned before?" Muse asked. "I don't want to cause any damage. That's what I was trying to get away from when I agreed to take these lessons."

"Yes, this could be very dangerous," Twilight Sparkle said. "But I'm hoping I can minimize any sort of danger or possible damage that could be done."

"What do you mean?" Muse asked.

"Rarity," Twilight Sparkle said as she turned to her friends. The others looked to the white furred unicorn who waited for Twilight to go on. "I need your help in making a barrier around Muse that will be strong enough to contain her blast."

Rarity's expression conveyed shock, even more so than the others, at what Twilight was suggesting.

"Are you sure about this, Twilight?" Rarity asked.

"I wouldn't suggest a plan if I wasn't confident in it," Twilight Sparkle said. "The trick is to make a barrier just right so that there isn't a lot of damage to the surrounding area. But also, it's got to be big enough so the burst isn't so tight and close that it ends up hurting Muse, too."

"And you think we can do that?" Rarity asked.

"I measured the dimensions required for such a feat myself," Twilight Sparkle said. "Just follow my lead. I'll activate the barrier myself and you just feed it. That's my plan anyways and I think it will work. But I'm not the only pony involved.

"I want to hear from you, Rarity and especially you, too, Muse. I want to know if you're willing to do this."

Both mares thought hard about what Twilight was proposing, all the while the others stood or hovered off to the side on high edge.

"Muse, what do you want to do?" Rarity asked.

All eyes turned to the young, multicolored alicorn as she thought about it even harder. She pondered everything to the point where her head hurt from thinking too hard. It was easy to tell she felt a heavy amount of pressure when it came to this decision. But then, all of a sudden, it was like all that pressure was quickly wiped away like a cloth on a whiteboard.

"Let's do it," Muse said. "If you think we can do this, Twilight, then so do I."

"Then I'm in, too," Rarity exclaimed.

Twilight Sparkle smiled with appreciation.

"Thank you, girls, for trusting in me," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Thank Muse, darling," Rarity said as she walked up next to Twilight. "Her word is what mattered the most." Rarity leaned in as she whispered to Twilight, "Though I was hoping she'd say yes because I trust you deeply, Twilight."

"Thank you, Rare," Twilight Sparkle said. She then turned her full attention to the alicorn in training. "Muse, are you ready?"

"Uh-huh," Muse said as she nodded her head, though she was obviously nervous. "Ready when you are."

"Okay," Twilight Sparkle said, "here it goes."

The princess used her horn's magic to create a barrier around Muse as she had planned. Rarity instantly began feeding her own magic energy into the barrier so as to better stabilize it against Muse's magic.

"Oh, boy," Muse said.

"It's going to be alright, Muse," Twilight Sparkle reassured. "Remember, give it your all and put everything you can into the blast. Concentrate hard and remember, lots of anger."

"Twilight, you know raw anger isn't the only thing you need for attack magic," Rarity whispered.

"Yes, Rarity, I know," Twilight Sparkle said. "Not for normal attack magic, but this is just a test of Muse's raw power. We'll get to the real stuff for attack magic later."

"Are you guys sure about this?" Applejack asked the other onlookers.

"Uh-uh," they all answered.

"Even I wouldn't try something like this," Rainbow Dash said.

"I would," Pinkie Pie said. "But I would probably regret it afterwards."

" _Let her rip, Muse!_ " Twilight Sparkle called out.

With her orders made clear, Muse did everything as instructed by Twilight right down to the letter. Her source for the anger was easy to find in the memories of the minotaurs and their past sins against her tribe and the nightmares they gave her. With all those memories fresh in her mind, Muse's anger went beyond her boiling point. Combined that with her concentrating on her almost bomb-like spell and Muse was just about ready. Her eyes were shut tight as her horn began to glow in a yellow aura.

A great wind began to blow from within the barrier that surrounded the young alicorn. She let out a low growl that quickly grew into a loud shriek as she opened her eyes to reveal them glowing brightly. It wasn't long after that when the sound of a loud explosion went off for all to hear, followed by Muse being enveloped in a yellow glow. The effects were all greatly muted from within the barrier, but it was still very unnerving to watch for everyone nearby. Even Twilight was beginning to become unnerved thinking about what this explosion could do uncontrolled as the ground shook and the burst roared on.

The light didn't fade for another fourteen seconds and when it did, there was still a cloud of smoke. Twilight and Rarity quickly deactivated their shield and allowed the smoke to disperse before they ran up to check on Muse.

"Muse?!" Twilight Sparkle called. "Muse, are you alright?!"

She tried to see through the black smoke, but it was very difficult as was trying not to cough and gag from said smoke.

"I'm... fine, Twilight," Muse managed to say in a shaky voice.

As the smoke continued to clear, Muse's clearly shaken form was revealed. It didn't look like she was hurt, but she was rather messy. She had been covered in dirt, dust, and even blades of grass with her tail and mane sticking out all over. The ground she stood on, however, was completely torn up. The grass had been burned away and Muse now stood in a small impact crater covered in black burn marks.

Muse looked to Twilight and Rarity who stared with sympathetic facial expressions.

"So..." Muse said, "that was something, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Twilight Sparkle said. "I... guess it was."

"Oh, Muse, you poor darling," Rarity cooed. "That explosion got you all messy. Well, don't you worry, dear. You'll be cleaned up in two shakes of a lamb's tail."

"How about I shake my ponytail instead?" Muse said playfully as she swung around her completely messed up tail.

The others couldn't help but laugh out loud as Muse was hoping they would do.

"Funny joke, Muse!" Pinkie Pie said gleefully. "I gotta give ya props!"

"I don't do prop comedy, Pinkie Pie," Muse said.

This got an even louder snort of laughter from the pink mare as she held her sides and fell to the ground.

"Stop it!" Pinkie Pie demanded in between laughs. "Stop that! You're gonna kill me!"

"Hey, look, she fell for me," Muse said.

Everypony laughed even harder with Pinkie Pie even pounding a hoof on the ground.

"I'm glad to see how well you've recovered from that lesson, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said. "How did it feel releasing that much power and how do you feel now?"

"It was... accelerating... but also really frightening," Muse said in a soft voice as she lightly frowned. "Right now, I'm a little... off balance... but as you clearly see, I can bounce back from it."

"Way to go, Muse!" Twilight Sparkle said. "I love your spirit! Keep a positive attitude!"

"Thanks, Twilight," Muse said.

" _Thank you_ for being as good about all this as you have been," Twilight replied.

"Speaking of which, how did I do?" Muse asked. "How powerful am I?"

"Oh, you're pretty powerful," Twilight Sparkle said. "You're raw as heck, but you're still powerful. I don't mean to sound egotistical, but you're almost as powerful as me. According to my readings, if you were putting your all into that blast like I told you to, at your peak, you could make an explosion that exceeds at least three hundred meters."

"Dang, girl!" Rainbow Dash let out. "You got mad power."

"How big were your calculations when you did this test, Twilight?" Muse asked.

"You mean as a unicorn or an alicorn?" Twilight asked.

"Alicorn," Muse clarified.

"Oh... three hundred and thirty two meters," Twilight Sparkle admitted.

"Whoa," Muse said. "So you're like... totally more amazing than I already thought you were?"

"I... guess," Twilight Sparkle said as she smiled and blushed with embarrassment.

"Don't be modest," Muse said. "You got it going on, your royal awesomeness."

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash called out. "We all agreed that was my title!"

"Muse doesn't know yet," Fluttershy defended.

"Oh... never mind," Rainbow Dash said.

"So now what do we do?" Muse inquired.

"Well first, we give you a few moments to take a breather," Twilight Sparkle said.

"During which I shall clean you up, darling," Rarity said.

"Thanks, Rarity," Muse said.

"Then we move onto the next lesson," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Which is?" Muse asked.

"We already know the height of your power," Twilight Sparkle said. "Now we just need to get yo to learn how to control it properly. We're going to do that... with but a flower."

"Huh?" everypony else said in confusion.

"You know how you're usually suppose to start small and go bigger as you progress?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "Well, I started you off super big instead. Now you need to go super small."

"Really?" Muse asked.

"Yes and you're going to do it with... a dandelion," Twilight Sparkle said.

She looked to what was one of many hundreds of small golden flowers that grew across the gorgeous field. She used her magic to pluck a single dandelion off the ground and brought it up to her nose as she sniffed it.

"Hardly worth calling a dandelion a flower," Applejack said as she rolled her eyes. "It's more like an annoying weed if you ask me."

"You're missing the point, Applejack," Twilight Sparkle said.

"What _is_ the point, Twilight?" Muse asked.

"Right," Twilight Sparkle said. "You're going to find a dandelion, doesn't matter which one, and then-"

"Use my magic to pick it out of the ground?" Muse asked. "That's a tad silly for it to be a lesson isn't it?"

"Oh, I don't want you to just pick its stem out of the ground," Twilight Sparkle said. Suddenly the dandelion Twilight held with her magic came apart in several different pieces that began spinning and floating all around everypony. "I want you to take it apart bit by bit, piece by piece, and pedal to pedal. Then I want you to mix them up just like this. And then..."

The pieces of the small flower rushed to each other before combining into one. The newly reformed flower then gently floated down to the part of the ground it came out of.

"Then I want you to put it back together and reattach it to where you found it," Twilight Sparkle finished up.

"Oh..." Muse said. "Well then... Uh... Yeah... Whew, that's something alright."

"Do you think you can handle it?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well, I don't know, I-" Muse began.

"It won't be as easy as you think it will be, Muse," Twilight Sparkle warned. "As an alicorn you have a lot more power you need to contain, to keep under control. What you did before was an uncontrolled outburst... Or at least uncontrolled on your part. Now I need to teach you what was one of the hardest things for me to learn with the new powers of an alicorn... _how_ to control them.

"Now, what you need to do is figure out how to use just a small pinch of your power, which is all it will take to pick that flower you choose. Then you need to learn how to slowly and gently increase that power to just the right point where you can pick the flower apart. Then concentrate to where you can juggle the pieces around and put them back together no matter how random the pieces were scattered before. Finally you need to be able to put the flower back in its place like I did."

"Well, how do you do that?" Muse asked.

"You need to be... basically the exact opposite of what you were with that explosion," Twilight Sparkle said. "You need to be calm, cool, collected and focus on those feelings. For example, feel the gentleness of this field. Focus on all the beautiful colors of the flowers, the perfect green grass, the trees, the cool, clear fresh air, and the stillness with the exception of the gentle breeze. Be as relaxed as this environment around you.

"Not all environments will be like this, so you may need to rely on something more like happy memories that give you a good feeling inside. You need to also concentrate just as much on the magic as you do your emotions with no exception. Remember, the magic starts inside your heart and spreads through you like a blood flow. It's up to you to make sure the flow of magic inside you is under control and calm like the rest of you should be when doing something like this. Also very important for you is to keep your breathing as steady and consistent as you possibly can.

"Breath in and out very deep for big spells and breath in and out very softly for small spells like this. All this may also depend on the size of the object you're focusing your magic on and the situation you're in when using your magic. All this will be much more difficult to apply in high stress situations, but we'll worry about that later on in your training. Is all of this making sense to you?"

"Yes, Twilight, absolutely," Muse said.

"Do you think you'll be able to do what I've asked you to?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"I'll certainly try," Muse said.

" _No!_ " Twilight Sparkle said with the authority of a drill sergeant. Everyone looked to the princess in shock. " _No try!_ Do... or do not. There is no try."

For a moment everypony was still, with not one of them making even a tiny sound.

"Huh?" Muse finally let out.

"I have no idea, I'm sorry, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said with a chuckle. "It just sounded like some sort of sagey thing a teacher would say to their student. It popped in my head, and I went for it. Go ahead and try your best and remember focus, calm, still, gentle, relaxed, and control your breathing."

Muse nodded her head.

"I'm finished, darling," Rarity said. She then pulled out a mirror. "What do you think, Muse?"

"It's better than new!" Muse said as she admired herself in the mirror. "Thank you, Rarity!"

"Oh, no need to thank me, darling," Rarity said. "It was my pleasure. And thank you for the mirror, Pinkie Pie."

"Like you said, Rare," Pinkie Pie said as she stuffed the mirror back into her poofy mane. "It's my pleasure."

Muse took what would be the first of many breaths in this exercise. She turned her sights onto a single dandelion and began focusing on trying to do what Twilight was trying to teach her. She continued her breathing, trying to mellow out as much as possible. Muse closed her eyes as she focused in on the beating of her heart yet again and trying to even make it a little more still. She also concentrated on the flow going through her as Twilight instructed, which eventually led to her mind.

Once her concentration took her there, Muse tried as hard as she could to think of as many happy memories as possible. It was difficult for her, though because, unfortunately, every time she tried to focus on good memories, a few bad memories would slip in as well. This would throw her off because she was afraid it would make her attempt at the spell ineffective, thus she would start over and try again. No matter what she did, though, no matter how desperately she tried, she couldn't think of something good without then quickly thinking of something bad. Because of this, she would always have to start over again, which frustrated her more and more, though she kept trying despite it all.

What also made it hard was trying to generate the desired amount of magic it would take to do the spell right. Much to Muse's dismay, Twilight was correct in that it wasn't easy trying to use just a small bit of power. Her horn's magic wanted to just let loose with everything it had as it did before. Power control was a whole other struggle in of itself, which was something Muse had feared for sometime. Despite these obstacles, the multicolored alicorn pushed on with her attempts at a task she had been charged with and seemed like it should've been so easy to accomplish.

Fifteen minutes went by without the result that was desired being met. Another fifteen minutes went by looking mostly like a mirror of the first fifteen minutes. At forty five minutes into Muse's test she still wasn't any closer to achieving her goal. Muse kept failing again and again with her horn only getting a small flash of yellow light before she had to stop and try again. It got to the point where most of the other ponies weren't watching anymore.

Rainbow Dash laid on the grass with her front hooves behind her head and a pair of sunglasses covering her eyes as she looked up at the sky. Pinkie Pie laid on her belly and used her tail for a pillow as she snored loudly. Applejack and Rarity were playing poker while Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy kept looking on with concern. The yellow pegasus walked up to side of the alicorn princess.

"Do you think she's really up for this, Twilight?"

"I'm not really sure, Fluttershy. To tell you the truth, I never was. I promised TJ I would do this, though, so I'm doing the best I can. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but... dang."

"I know," Fluttershy said. "But remember, you have to have patience with her. I'm sure you didn't get it right away either. Though, not that you wouldn't, I mean. It's just that..."

"Patience," Twilight Sparkle said in soft realization. "That's right."

Muse let out a growl of frustration, one that got everypony's attention. They looked to see the frustrated mare buck her back hooves across the grassy ground.

" _Darn it all!_ " Muse screamed out.

"Muse, take a break for a moment!" Twilight Sparkle called out to her.

"No, it's okay, Twilight!" Muse called back. "I can do this!"

"Now, Muse," Twilight Sparkle demanded. "Come over here, I want to talk to you for a moment."

Muse let out an exasperated groan, but did as she was instructed.

"Yeah?" Muse asked in a clearly agitated tone.

"You know, Muse, it's okay if you struggle along the way," Twilight Sparkle said. "I never expected you to get it on the first try... Then at some point that changed and I was thinking you should get it right away for some reason. But that changed just now with what Fluttershy said to me. She told me to be patient and she was absolutely right that I should be.

"But you should also be patient, too, Muse. A key component to achieving everything I was telling you to do before is having a massive amount of patience, especially if you're a beginner."

"I know," Muse said. "That's gonna make it harder, I'll admit. Heck, that's what delayed me with learning how to use normal unicorn magic. Yeah, as much as I like to think otherwise, there have been several... mostly isolated incidents where I wasn't the most... patient pony."

"But you were still able to overcome that and learn to use unicorn magic, right?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well... yeah," Muse said. "But it's even harder now because of all this alicorn mumbo jumbo."

"I know," Twilight Sparkle said. "I didn't get it on the first try either. And I did lose my temper from time to time. But I think sometimes that actually helped because I was able to unload my frustrations and truly start over again. I think you need to do the same.

"Just take a few moments to calm down and we'll begin again, but this time with the new knowledge we both just learned. Is that okay?"

Muse thought about it for a moment and eventually nodded her head in agreement.

"At a girl," Twilight Sparkle said. "Why don't you chat with Fluttershy and the others for a little bit. Maybe that will help loosen you up."

"Oh, it will," Muse said with a smile. "If anypony knows how to calm a pony down and make them feel good, it's Fluttershy."

Fluttershy lightly blushed as she slightly looked away and a small, gracious smile crossed her face.

"Why thank you, Muse," Fluttershy said.

"It's my sincere pleasure," Muse said. "I'm starting to feel a little calmer already."

"I'm glad to hear it, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said. "Keep on calming down and you come back when you think you're ready to start again. _But_ only when you think you're _truly_ ready. No shortcuts, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," Muse said.

"Twilight or friend will do just nicely, thank you," Twilight Sparkle said in her friendliest tone with a smile to match.

"Sure thing... Twilight of friend," Muse's eyes lowered into a sly stare before she walked over to Fluttershy.

Most of the animals around Fluttershy prepared to scurry or fly off, but she managed to convince them to stay. Muse and Fluttershy smiled to each other as the yellow coated mare put a hoof on the troubled alicorn's shoulder.

"How are you doing, Muse?" Fluttershy asked nicely.

"Not as good as I would like," Muse said glumly.

"I know," Fluttershy said. "It's still polite to ask, though."

"I'll bet you're always the most polite pony in the conversation anyways, Fluttershy," Muse said with a smile.

"Thank you, Muse," Fluttershy said. "I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. I wish things were going better for you with your training."

"How can they when I have so many distractions?" Muse asked in agitation. "All these negative thoughts, the emotions they cause... the pressure of fighting the minotaurs..." Tears began to form in Muse's eyes as she lightly wept. "I don't know if I can really do any of this, Fluttershy. It's just so... hard."

"Who said it wouldn't be?" Rainbow Dash asked. She and the others had walked up closer to Muse and Fluttershy, both of who looked on in surprise. "Yeah it's gonna be hard, but that's only because the things that are truly worth doing are always hard!"

"Rainbow's right, Muse," Applejack said. "Apple farmin' is one of the hardest things I do with my life and that's more than half of it. It was even harder at the beginning when I had to learn it... but I love doing it and I'm glad it's what I was born into."

"I run two fashion boutiques and have dedicated my life to the profession," Rarity said. "Not a whole lot of ponies get to where I am who have the same dream because of how hard the work is. I still do it, though because I think it's worth it. It's nearly the best thing in the world to me."

"Think of it this way, Muse, you love so many things," Pinkie Pie said. "You like painting, writing, and, one of my favorites, _baking!_ Wasn't that all a struggle to learn?"

"Well... no," Muse said. "I mean, kind of. It sort of came more naturally to me than it did for other ponies I knew who were interested in the same things. I'll admit, I struggled at first... but that was nothing like what I'm going through now with this magic training."

"I can certainly relate," Rarity said. "Having to go through trying to learn how to control my magic as a filly wasn't the easiest thing to do. I wasn't the most lady-like pony when doing it either. I admit, I threw many a tantrum when I couldn't do things right or felt under pressure."

"But I'm not a kid anymore," Muse said. "I should be able to do this! I did it all as a kid! Everything Twilight said to me, I did before and should be able to do again! Sure, it's more magic, but I'm more pony now! _Dang it!_ "

Muse growled as her horn emitted a small flash of yellow light. All the other ponies screamed as they jumped to the side or ducked down. However, Muse was able to stop herself before she could do anything really harmful that would effect anypony. The others all looked up cautiously from where they ducked and covered to see the poor alicorn with a very emotional look on her face. The Mane Six all got up and gathered around Muse to comfort her as best as they could.

Fluttershy hugged Muse close as she began to sob yet again.

"I'm so sorry," Muse said.

"No, Muse, it's alright," Fluttershy said. "We've all been there before... even me."

Muse looked up at Fluttershy in shock as she asked, "Really?!"

"Mm-hmm," Fluttershy said as she nodded her head. "More times than I care to admit honestly, but everypony goes through frustrations. It's even harder for you when you've gone through what most could argue is the hardest frustration nearly your whole life."

"I know," Muse said. "I want to be calm and carefree like I usually am. But when I think about using my magic... I just can't help but remember the bad times just as much as I remember the good times."

"Then maybe you need some more good things to think about to relax you and calm you," Fluttershy said.

Muse looked to her pegasus friend questioningly to which she answered in the most unexpected and unusual way. Fluttershy closed her eyes and smiled as she began vocalizing in a musical rhythm. The multicolored alicorn was even more surprised when the other mares nearby began joining in and harmonizing with Fluttershy. Then the yellow furred mare began to sing.

" _Sunday morning, nine A.M. I saw fire in the sky. I felt my heart pound in my chest. I heard an eagle cry._ "

Suddenly the other mares of the Mane Six began rhythmically stomping their front hooves on the ground like they were pounding a drum.

" _Now I'm alive, I can breathe the air,_ " Fluttershy sang as the others continued vocalizing harmoniously." _I feel the wind, smell the earth everywhere. I watch an eagle rise above the trees. Project myself into what he sees._ "

The others pounded on the ground in rhythm yet again at that moment.

" _Take me away,_ " the Mane Six all sang together in perfect time and harmony." _Come on and fly me away. Lift me up so high, where eagles fly._ "

" _I often dream I sail through the sky,_ " Fluttershy sang as the others vocalized." _I've always wished I could fly. The simple life of a bird on the wing. Oh, wow, I could sing._ "

" _Take me away,_ " the Mane Six all sang together." _Come on, fly me away. Lift me up so high, where eagles fly._ "

The Mane Six all began pounding their hooves in unison. Each time they did this, it seemed the beating lasted a little bit longer than it did before. This time it lasted for about ten seconds before its lead up was revealed. Fluttershy hit one of the highest notes anypony had every heard her attempt and she nailed it like a pro. It surprised even the other mares of the Mane Six.

Almost the entire time the Mane Six performed the song, Muse had a smile on her face. She was in pure delight for what her friends were trying to do for her. On top of that, they all had really good singing voices, better than Muse had ever heard in her life. Of them all, Muse thought Fluttershy's was the best. She hated to pick favorites, but she had a feeling the others would agree with her.

She also really liked the song, the lyrical content being rather lovely to her. The pounding on the ground was a little unsettling because it was always unexpected. It also sounded a little bit like what a soldier would play on a drum before going into battle, but that image was quickly phased out by the images the song's lyrics provoked.

Listening to the words and these particular voices sing them was actually very relaxing and soothing.

" _Now I'm alive and I breathe the air,_ " Fluttershy sang." _I wash the earth from my face. I catch a glimpse of another dream. I turn and looked, there's no trace._ "

The ground pounding only lasted two or three seconds this time around.

" _Take me away,_ " the Mane Six sang together. " _Come on, fly me away._ "

" _I wanna fly away,_ " Fluttershy sang solo. " _Pick me up so high._ "

" _Where the eagles fly,_ " the Mane Six sang together.

This time when the Mane Six began stomping on the ground, Muse found herself stomping along with them.

" _Oh, yeah!_ " Fluttershy sang as everypony continued stomping.

" _Eagles fly,_ " everypony, including Muse, sang.

"Oh, _take me away,_ " Fluttershy sang.

" _Eagles fly,_ " everypony sang together.

" _Oh, take me away,_ " Fluttershy repeated.

" _Come on, let's fly away,_ " everypony sang.

" _Where eagles fly,_ " Fluttershy sang.

With those last set of lyrics, the song ended and with it everypony's rhythmic beating on the ground. Everypony shared a big laugh with some of the largest smiles they ever had. Everypony gathered around and shared individual hugs with each other before embracing as a group. They held their group hug for several moments before they released their embrace. Muse then turned a serious look to Twilight Sparkle, who acknowledged it.

"I'm ready to try again, Twilight."

"Are you absolutely sure, Muse?"

The alicorn of many colors nodded her head and then smiled as she gave her mentor a wink of confidence.

"Well, alright then," Twilight Sparkle said with a smile of her own. "Go ahead and do it, Muse. You got this."

"You're darn right she does," Rainbow Dash said as the others began to cheer.

"Remember everything I taught you," Twilight Sparkle said. "Oh, one more thing I forgot to mention. Be sure to concentrate just as much on the actual task as your good thoughts and your magic. Visualize actually moving the flower while you're thinking of your good thoughts. Confusing, I know, but..."

"It's okay," Muse said.

"Good," Twilight said. "And remember, if you need more good thoughts, just visualize... well, the images the song provoked."

"If I need more good thoughts, I'll just think of all you," Muse said.

"Aww," the Mane Six all said together.

"Though, those lyrics do paint a good picture, too," Muse said.

The others all laughed as Muse returned to where she saw that one flower she was trying to use her magic on before. She was more determined than ever not to let it or anything else beat her. She stared intensely at the dandelion before she began breathing and trying to think happy thoughts. This time, it was easier than ever to think of good things and having them easily block out any negative memories or emotions. The level of magic was still a little hard to gather, but eventually she got it under control and then... magic really happened.

Muse's horn lit up and so did the dandelion she was concentrating on. Everypony gasped as they saw the dandelion begin to move. Their faces all lit up when she plucked it out of the ground and lifted it into the air. They watched as she slowly and carefully took it apart piece by piece and then juggled those pieces all around her and the Mane Six. Seeing Muse do this was even more wondrous and whimsical than it had been when Twilight Sparkle gave her demonstration earlier.

Everypony watched with glee as the flower pieces all gathered around each other. It was then that Muse opened her eyes to see her handy work. She looked on in amazement as she saw the flower pieces all become one whole, all because of her her magic, her spell, her will. She then placed it back on the ground and her magic seemed to make the flower reconnect from where it was plucked from. Muse gasped as she put her front hooves to her mouth.

She began jumping up and down in celebration as the Mane Six all began to cheer for her. She ran over and began hugging the members of the Mane Six, during which they all congratulated her and said they knew she could do it. When Muse came to Twilight Sparkle, she tried to calm herself and bowed.

"What are you doing?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Uh... being respectful?" Muse said hesitantly.

"Thanks, but... come over here and hug me already!" Twilight demanded playfully.

The two alicorns embraced each other like they were the lost sisters both never had.

"Thank you so much, Twilight!" Muse said.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but don't thank me just yet," Twilight said. "You've only taken your first step into a much bigger world. You've still got a _long_ way to go."

"Right, I get ya," Muse said. "So... what do we do now?"

"You're going to do it again," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Really?" Muse asked.

"Yes," Twilight Sparkle answered. "A hundred and thirty seven more times in fact."

" _WHAT?!_ " everypony asked together.

"Or at least until it becomes second nature to you," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Oh, I get ya," Muse said. "You want me to do it to where I can cast this spell in my sleep."

"Exactly," Twilight Sparkle said. "Or at least this variation of the spell."

"This variation?" Muse said in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well... remember when I said you needed all calm and positivety?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah," Muse said.

"That's still true... but only partially," Twilight Sparkle said.

Muse looked even more confused as she said, "I'm not following ya, Twilight."

"Those negatives from before like your anger and bad memories... can actually sort of help sometimes," Twilight Sparkle said. "More specifically, they can help in a high stress situation like a fight. As I said before, not every environment's going to be so calm and relaxing as this one, so you'll need alternatives to help cast certain spells. If a pony has master magic well enough, they can actually use certain negatives to help with their spells. But that's something only a high leveled and very advanced magic user can do.

"Right now, you're just a beginner when it comes to alicorn magic, so I thought I'd start you off on the easiest routes."

"Still not easy, though," Muse said. "But I know it's worth it, so I'll keep going forward."

"Way to go, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said.

Muse was about to start practicing the spell again as the ponies on the side watched and cheered happily. The young alicorn stopped and looked to her mentor for a moment.

"Twilight?" Muse said.

"Yes, Muse?" Twilight Sparkle responded.

"What do we do after this?" Muse asked.

"Oh, we head back to Willowbrook," Twilight Sparkle said. "When we get there, I'm going to help teach you the basics about being... an Earth pony."

* * *

 **Hi ya, folks! His rad, his bad, his BACK with a brand new chapter! Sorry it wasn't anything big, but I knew I had to validate having another alicorn in here somewhere. I also figured I'd take the opportunity to display some of my own headcanon on how I think ponies in Equestria use their magic. So fair warning, probably the next chapter or 2 will focus on Muse's training, but I hope I can dwindle it down to just 1 chapter. We'll see what happens.**

 **Anyways, I hope you have all enjoyed reading this story so far and enjoyed this chapter or at least tolerate it. Please let me know with reviews, reviews, REVIEWS either positive or negative (so long as it's constructive, come on, don't be an ass). I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	18. Chapter 18: Burning Heart

When Muse first got back to Willowbrook with the Mane Six, she felt like she could do just about anything. Having conquered her first lesson and even improved on it by using several flowers at once instead of just one on her final try with the spell, she felt very confident. She had faith in herself as a magic wielder, as an alicorn, and just as a pony in general. Those first two things were something Muse never thought she'd have. Yet here she was on the first step of her training and she was already feeling good and ready to keep going.

Muse was still a little confused, though, when she found out what her next step on the road to becoming a fully trained alicorn was.

"Uh, so what exactly am I doing and why am I doing it again?" Muse asked.

A short time after Muse and the Mane Six got back from the field, Twilight Sparkle had strapped Muse into a horse harness. The ropes of said harness were tied to a stone slab holding multiple hay bales of great size. This was all setup at an outer part of the village off to the side of the busy inner workings.

"You're learning how to be an Earth pony," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah, you said that before," Muse replied. "But... how exactly?"

"Well, it goes like this," Twilight Sparkle said. "Despite what some may think, being an Earth pony is _not_ that simple. Also, Earth ponies aren't worse off than the other two pony races. Because Earth ponies don't have horns that generate magic or wings to fly, they have to work extra hard at some things we take for granted. They do this in terms of physicality and because of this, they've naturally evolved to be more physically fit than the other pony species."

"So they're automatically born stronger and grow up to run faster than unicorns or pegasi?" Muse asked.

"Typically, yes," Twilight Sparkle said. "It also seems like they have their own kind of magic."

"What do you mean?" Muse asked.

"It's complicated, but basically, all three pony races have their own kind of magic," Twilight Sparkle said. "Earth ponies' comes from their physical prowess that I mentioned earlier. But it also seems like they have a deeper connection to the earth itself. It's like... if a unicorn or a pegasus were to plant a seed, it could take up to a year or more to fully grow. But if an Earth pony plants the same seed, it miraculously seems to grow at half the speed it usually takes.

"That is... unless a unicorn uses a growth acceleration spell, which usually they don't."

"Why?" Muse asked.

"Those kind of spells are tricky and easy to mess up," Twilight Sparkle said. "But back to topic."

"Right, sorry," Muse said.

"You already know you have attributes from both unicorns and pegasi," Twilight Sparkle said. "I mean, they're both plain to see."

"Right," Muse said.

"But what you probably didn't figure is you had attributes of an Earth pony as well," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's not a common knowledge, but an alicorn takes attributes from all three pony species. They can do all sorts of spells that unicorns can, they fly, control weather, and walk on clouds like a pegasus, etcetera. But alicorns also adapt physical attributes of Earth ponies, like the extended strength and the running and leaping prowess, too."

"So, you're saying I'll be able to do all those kinds of crazy things Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and my brother can do?" Muse asked in amazement.

"Well... maybe not Pinkie Pie," Twilight Sparkle said. "That mare is a whole other story. But you should be able to do the basics of what other Earth ponies can do. That even includes growing plants better and some other things we'll get to later. Right now, we're going to test how strong you are with what we're doing here.

"That's why you're tied to that slab stocked with hay. According to my calculations, this load here is equaled to the exact weight limit you should be able to drag along naturally. That means you shouldn't have to go through any physical exercises. Those come later."

Uncertainty was plastered all over Muse's face as she looked from Twilight to the load she was tied to then back to Twilight again.

"Are you sure about this, Twilight?" Muse asked.

"Absolutely," Twilight Sparkle said. "And just to give you some more support, I arranged it so you won't be doing this alone."

Twilight Sparkle looked up to Rainbow Dash, who was hovering in the air above, and nodded her head. Rainbow Dash nodded in reply and then looked away as she put a hoof to her lips and let out a whistle. Everypony, including some of the curious villagers, looked when they heard a small dragging noise. They all saw Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and TJ making their way to Muse's side, while carrying large, heavy-looking loads of cement slabs of varying sizes. Even when the three Earth ponies were standing right next to her, Muse couldn't believe her eyes as she looked to them all in joy.

"I can't believe it!" Muse said.

"Howdy there, Muse," Applejack said.

"Hi ya, Musey," Pinkie Pie squeaked.

"What's up, sis?" TJ said happily.

"They're gonna pull heavy loads alongside you the whole time," Twilight Sparkle said.

"But all they're loads are so much bigger than mine," Muse said. "And Pinkie, did you decorate yours?"

There were all sorts of stickers, drawings, streamers, and bows all covering Pinkie's stone slabs.

"I had to," Pinkie Pie defended. "They just looked so... plain."

"Their hulls are bigger because they've been conditioned to lift bigger," Twilight explained.

"Huh?" Muse asked. "I'm not sure I understand."

"You see, it's like this Muse," TJ began. "Even though Earth ponies are already born physically superior, they still do a whole lot of exercises and stuff to take care of and improve their bodies and physical health. Or at least all the Earth ponies I know do."

"Mm-hmm, so do a lot of the ones I know, too," Pinkie Pie said.

"Heck, that's one of the main things my family's all about," Applejack said. "You should meet my brother, Bic McIntosh. He's even bigger than TJ."

Muse looked on in shock at even the thought of such a thing being possible as there being a pony bigger than her brother.

"I don't know if it's some sort of built in Earth pony pride or what," TJ said. "But I know I've always felt the need to better myself, which is why I push myself a lot of the time."

"Mm-hmm," Applejack and Pinkie Pie agreed together.

"So you see why this is such an important step, Muse?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yes, I do," Muse said. "To embrace being an alicorn is to embrace being three ponies mixed into one. I won't go so far as to say it's the basis of being the ideal pony, but it's still pretty important. Like I said before, this may be a long road ahead of me, but I will cover even the most bare of basics in order to fully control and embrace who I am."

Everypony else cheered for the eager alicorn with TJ even flashing a grateful gaze to Twilight Sparkle, who blushed with a slight smile and a wave. Then the princess turned her full attention back to Muse.

"Are you ready?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"You bet I am," Muse said.

"Then _let's get ready to rumble!_ " Pinkie Pie exclaimed like a boxing announcer, stretching out her last word.

"You will feel some strain," Twilight warned. "But it would feel like you were pulling along a full shopping cart rather than a couple thousand pounds."

"I'm all for it," Muse said.

"Good," Twilight Sparkle said with proudly. "Then begin!"

Muse, Applejack, TJ, and Pinkie Pie all began pulling their loads along with all their might. Muse was shocked and amazed by what she was experiencing at what was happening. Like Twilight had said, their was a deal of strain from pulling the hay covered slab, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it probably should've been. She was pulling the slab along like it were a regular horse wagon. Her, Muse, a four foot and some odd inched pony was pulling along a thousand plus pounds like it was nothing but annoying carry on luggage.

This was a feat she had never, ever once thought possible for her to reach. Yet here she was accomplishing it with flying colors. What surprised her most was that she was keeping up neck and neck with both TJ and Pinkie Pie. She looked to her sides to see her brother and one of her amazing new friends smiling to her supportively. Confusion quickly crossed Muse's face as she realized Applejack was missing.

For a moment she thought the orange furred mare had been left behind at the back of the pack. It wasn't until she turned her head to look where she was going when she realized with a shock what was really happening. Applejack had long left the rest of the group behind in the dirt. Even more shocking was she was carrying the heaviest load of the four ponies. Both Muse and TJ were so surprised by this that it stopped them dead in their tracks while Pinkie Pie happily hopped along, humming all the while.

Both brother and sister stood and stared wide eyed and opened mouth for a few seconds before they turned to each other questioningly. Moments later they looked to each other with smiles of approval and admiration for Applejack. They then resumed pulling their heavy loads along as they tried desperately to catch up with the mares from Ponyville. Everypony participating in the exercise looked like they were pulling the amazingly heavy loads like they had no problems doing it at all. To some extent they weren't having problems, at least not the kinds they surely would if they weren't Earth ponies or in Muse's case, Earth pony-like.

At a hundred yards, the group reached a yellow flag planted in the ground that read, ' _marker_ '. Muse, TJ, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie all correctly figured that this was their stopping point. They kept going until they reached the flag, after which their friends all watching on the sidelines cheered for their accomplishment. It filled Muse with even more pride to see the genuine reaction everypony had for her and the others. All the cheering caught the attention of a certain pony passing by on a low hanging bridge.

Moon Bright was heading back home from the market place with a few bags of groceries in her saddle bag. She had been having a little bit of a struggle balancing them when she caught wind of what was going on below her. As soon as she saw it involved her daughter and figured out what it was, Moon Bright dropped everything she was doing and watched on in curiosity. She was soon joined by another curious onlooker as Firefly flew around to the bridge and landed next to her friend.

"Hey, Moon Bright," Firefly said as she perched herself next to her friend and looked down.

"Hi," Moon Bright said half distracted.

The two friends flashed each other a quick greeting smile before they turned their attention below.

"You did great, sis!" TJ exclaimed happily.

"Better than great!" Applejack said.

"You were smashing!" Rarity said.

"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash supported.

"Super-riffic!" Pinkie Pie squealed.

"You did a good job," Fluttershy said in her own unique calmness.

"I knew you could do it, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said with a smile.

"Well, I sure didn't!" Muse let out in prideful amazement. "But I do now. And... I think I can do... just about anything else an alicorn can now, too!"

This got a cheer from the majority of the ponies in the crowd. Moon Bright and Firefly both smiled down with happiness for Muse.

"Well, before you go trying the rest of being an alicorn, you got to finish up with this first," Twilight Sparkle said.

"How many times do you want me to pull this load?" Muse asked knowingly.

"Until you're plum tuckered out from pulling it so many times for so long," Twilight Sparkle said.

"What?!" Muse asked in disbelief.

"Than you'll take a thirty minute break and we'll move on," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Oy vey," Muse said in exasperation.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Muse," TJ said. "I'm gonna stick with ya through it all."

"So will I, all the way to the end," Applejack said.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Pinkie Pie said as she performed the theatrics that go with the promise. "That's a Pinkie promise."

Muse giggled as she looked on in appreciation.

"Thanks you guys, you're the best," Muse said happily. A new smile of determination crossed her face. "Now let's hurry up and get down to business!"

"Way to go, sis!" TJ said happily. "I'm all for that!"

"Boy howdy!" Applejack said in agreement. "Let's make like a plow in the field and get to movin'!"

The four ponies were preparing to pull their loads again when they noticed Twilight and Rainbow Dash walking away.

"You're not gonna stay, Twilight?" Muse asked.

"What gives?" Firefly whispered as she and Moon Bright continued to look on.

"While you're doing this, I need to grab a few things," Twilight Sparkle explained. "They're all going to be used in the rest of your training. When you're done here and get your break, we're all going to carry the supplies back to the field where you'll do the rest of your training."

"Why couldn't we have just stayed in the field?" Muse asked.

"Two reasons," Twilight Sparkle said. "One: I needed to collect your brother to help with the rest of your training. Like I said, we need other ponies here who can probably help teach you certain aspects better than I could. And I think your brother is one of those ponies. Two: I needed to grab the supplies...

"And I'll admit, I was kind of playing by ear before. I've never trained a pony to be an alicorn before and the decision to do it was sort of... spontaneous. I mean, I always meant to, but not when I told you I would, Muse. It just sort of... happened that way."

"That doesn't sound like you at all, Twilight," Fluttershy said.

"It isn't," Twilight Sparkle said. "I was trying something new to see how it felt."

"And how _did_ it feel?" Rarity asked.

"I don't care for it," Twilight Sparkle said bluntly. "So while you were doing your first two lesson, I decided to plan out the rest of your training curriculum. Now I have it all in my head. I just need a quill and scroll to write it down and it'll be a lock. I'll be grabbing that with the rest of the supplies I need. I should probably grab those first so I can make a list of the items I need for the rest of the training and-"

"Now that sounds like the Twilight we know," Rainbow Dash said.

Everypony laughed out loud while Twilight Sparkle looked around with a sheepish smile on her blushing face.

"Anyways, I'll go do all that now," Twilight Sparkle finished. "Muse, I promise you this will all payoff."

"You sure?" Muse asked.

Twilight Sparkle walked over to a wagon and amazed everyone when she lifted one of its wheels off the ground with just one hoof.

"Guaranteed," Twilight Sparkle said with a confident smile.

Muse smiled back before saying, "Alright, Twilight Sparkle, if you say so. I trust you more than I trust... a lot of ponies actually."

"I appreciate that, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said genuinely as she put the wagon down. "I hope I end up earning it."

"I know you will," TJ said confidently.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash resumed their trek to the market for their supplies. Meanwhile, Muse, and the three Earth ponies with her, resumed pulling their cargo along.

"Getting tired could take a while," Muse said. "I feel like I could pull this for hours."

"Don't be fooled, Muse," Applejack warned. "You do get tired, even if you're an Earth pony."

"In fact it can even be worse as an Earth pony," TJ said.

"Why's that, TJ?" Muse asked.

"Because it usually sneaks up on ya when you least expect it," TJ explained. "One moment you feel like you could hold the world on your shoulders and the next you're out like a light."

"Whoa," Muse said. "Well, I'm still willing to do this! I wanna learn all there is about being an Earth pony. I especially want to learn how to plant things faster. That will really help with my vegetable garden."

"Ooh, then you'll love this, Muse!" Pinkie Pie said. "Food grown by an Earth pony tastes even better, too!"

"Really?!" Muse and TJ asked in amazement.

"Absolutely, yes siree, indeedy!" Pinkie Pie said.

"It's true," Applejack said. "It's a proven fact. You still gotta put in all the hard work and care it takes to make a good meal. But that's only because it'll make it taste that much better, too."

"Whoa," Muse and TJ said together.

"Even I didn't know that," TJ said.

"That's totally awesome!" Muse said. "That could really help me with my eggplant salad recipe I've been working on lately."

"That sounds simply divine," Rarity said in amazement.

"I'd sure like to try it when you get the recipe down," Applejack said.

"As would I," Rarity said.

"Me, too," Fluttershy said.

"Me, three!" Pinkie Pie squealed out as she hopped along.

"You're all welcomed to it the first chance I get to make some," Muse said happily.

Firefly watched the group of ponies for a few more seconds as they moved further away. Then she turned to see Moon Bright was staring even more tentatively than she was. It made sense because both her children were down there, but Firefly still felt the need to ask Moon Bright about it.

"What are you thinking, Crescent?" Firefly asked using her nickname for Moon Bright.

"Just how lucky Muse is to have such good friends that help her where I couldn't," Moon Bright said.

"You did try, though," Firefly said. "It's not like you just brushed it off or anything. You did your best... Just like I did when I was trying to teach her to fly. Guess we just weren't the ponies for the job when it came to Muse's case."

"I wish I was, though," Moon Bright said. "I mean I'm Muse's mom for pony's sake."

"True, but you can't be there for her forever," Firefly said. "Muse is at a point in her life where she's more than likely gonna need a lot of help from a lot of outside sources."

Moon Bright hesitated for only a moment before saying, "Yeah, I guess you're right, Firefly." She allowed a small smile to cross her face. "But at least I know she's in good hooves."

"Those ponies are really something special, aren't they?" Firefly asked.

"Yeah, I guess they are," Moon Bright said. "My son was always a good judge of character."

"He gets that from his mom, you know," Firefly said.

The two mares smiled at each other before they embraced in a friendly hug. Then Firefly and Moon Bright took off as they slowly walked along the bridge in the opposite direction Muse and the others were going.

* * *

The Mane Six and Muse had returned to the field, but with TJ in tow this time. Everypony helped setup the field with the supplies that would be used to help Muse in her training. The only one that didn't help was Muse herself, who Twilight told to take it easy for a bit while the rest of them took care of it. Once everything was finished, Twilight told Muse her training would resume. It came as a bit of a surprise to Muse when it was revealed none of the supplies would be used in her next lesson.

"Alright, Muse, with this next one, we're just going to just dive right in," Twilight Sparkle said. "We're gonna teach you to fly."

Muse's eyes widened with nervous excitement.

"Really?!" Muse asked, her tone matching her expression.

"Yes," Twilight Sparkle said. "There _is_ more to pegasi, like how they can walk on clouds, create clouds, move them around, and do a lot of other things that create our weather. But all of that is secondary because none of it is possible without one of the pegasi's defining physical traits: their wings."

Twilight Sparkle spread out her wings as Muse looked down at her own, which were still folded. She tried to unfold them part way, but they instantly flung out all the way. While Muse looked on in aggravation, Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Well, you'll also have to get used to using your wings more often, too," Twilight Sparkle said.

"How do I do that?" Muse asked.

"To answer that, I'm going to turn you over to the capable _wings_ of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash," Twilight Sparkle said as she stepped to the side.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both flew in with a spiral before landing where Twilight once stood.

"Whoa, that was cool," Muse said.

"Did you expect any less from me- I mean, us?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Now, Muse, I know your wings have been giving you trouble when you tried using them," Fluttershy said. "I've seen it for myself a few times. But I think it's only because you haven't really realized your wings are new limbs."

"Yeah, you should be able to use them and move them around as easily as you wave a hoof, kick a leg, nod your head or even blink your eyes," Rainbow Dash said. "You probably haven't realized this yet."

"Well, how do I do it?" Muse asked.

"Don't even think about it," Fluttershy said.

"Just fold them like this," Rainbow Dash said.

She demonstrated as she folded the top half of her wings over the bottom half and then out again. She repeated this several times for emphasis.

"Notice how fluent the movement is," Fluttershy said. "Not choppy or strained at all."

At the same time Rainbow Dash began fluxing her front legs like a bodybuilder showing off their muscles.

"Notice how my muscle flexing is in time with my wing flexing," Rainbow Dash said. "Now they're not. And now they are again. All because I'm willing it. It's just that easy.

"Try it for yourself, Muse."

The young alicorn looked to her wings with uncertainty, which the two pegasus mares took notice of.

"It's gonna be alright, Muse," Fluttershy reassured as she walked in closer to the alicorn. "This is the easy part."

"Like, the easiest," Rainbow Dash said.

"Just don't think too hard about it," Fluttershy said. "Just do it. Don't dwell on doing it at all and just do it."

"O... Okay," Muse said.

Though she still looked uncertain, the multi-colored alicorn let out a deep breath after a moment's pause. Her eyes closed as she attempted to do what her two pegasus friends said.

"Muse, open your eyes!" Rainbow Dash said with excitement.

"Muse, look!" Fluttershy said equally enthused.

The young mare did as she was told and looked to her wings. She gasped in amazement when she saw that her wings were folding and flexing of her will, exactly like she wanted. She thought she had felt something in her wings before, but now seeing it was true nearly put her over the edge with excitement.

"I don't believe it!" Muse said. "I'm actually moving my wings!"

"We told you it was easy!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Way to go, Muse!" Fluttershy said.

"Oh, thank you, thank you both, thank you!" Muse cheered happily as she wrapped her wings around Fluttershy for a hug. "I'm actually using my wings! And I'm using them for things besides flying! I didn't think I could use them at all! I didn't think it was possible!"

"Don't get too excited yet, sweetie," Rainbow Dash said. "That was only the easy part. Now we need to move on as quick as possible."

"Right, right, sorry," Muse said. "So what do I do now?"

"Hmm," Rainbow Dash said as she looked to the sky above while tapping a hoof to her chin. "Well, let's start you off with something typically standard maneuvers."

Rainbow Dash then flew up into the sky at an unbelievable speed. Fluttershy and Muse both looked on with wide eyes and open jaws at Rainbow Dash's velocity. She made several sharp turns, did vertical and horizontal loops, zig-zags, and all sorts of crazy aerial moves. When she came down, Rainbow Dash looked at both her friends in confusion.

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That was all standard stuff. You think you can handle that, Muse?"

Both ponies shook their heads to snap them out of their shocked states.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Muse exclaimed. "You want me to do all that at that speed?!"

"What speed?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I slowed down like way beyond twenty percent for that demonstration."

"Yes, you were slower," Fluttershy said. "But you still weren't slow."

"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked with uncertainty.

"Yep," Fluttershy said. "Also, those may be standard moves for you, but I don't think Muse is anywhere near your level yet. I already know even I'm not."

"Neither were those moves," Rainbow Dash said.

"Still, you really skipped a few steps, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said.

"Oh," Rainbow Dash said. "So about twenty percent less then?"

"Probably more like eighty," Fluttershy said.

"Dang, that was a long time ago," Rainbow Dash said. "I mean it, it's been a long while... But it'll be worth it to help, Muse."

"Maybe I should take the reins on this part?" Fluttershy suggested.

"You go, Fluttershy, girl!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Go right for it!"

Fluttershy nodded her head and smiled gratefully before turning her attention to Muse.

"You can move your wings now and that's good, great even," Fluttershy said. "That's essential... obviously."

"Yeah," Muse said as she stared at her wings while making them move in all sorts of ways.

"Now it's time for you to learn how to use them to get you off the ground," Fluttershy said.

"How am I gonna do that?" Muse asked.

"First, hold out your right wing," Fluttershy instructed. Muse did as she was instructed as she looked on tentatively. "Now slowly and gently flap it up and down. Not too hard now."

Muse began to do as Fluttershy said while looking at her wing barely flapping up and down.

"Now switch to your left wing," Fluttershy instructed, which Muse obeyed.

A few seconds more went by before Fluttershy spoke again.

"Now switch," Fluttershy said. "And switch... And switch... Now do it with both wings at the exact same time."

Muse did as instructed and kept looking back and forth, seeing both wings flapping and feeling them move in perfect sync with no delays at all.

"What do I do now?" Muse asked.

"Just wait and keep flapping," Fluttershy said. A few more seconds went by without any sort of change at all. "Now flap them a little harder... And a little more... A little harder more...

"Harder... Still harder... Muse, look!"

She didn't even have to look at that point. The excited and joyful alicorn could already tell her body was slowly being lifted into the air. She felt her hooves leave the ground and her wings flapper harder and harder. They scooped up the air around them and pushed it down, propelling her body upward. She was only three or four feet off the ground, but it was still a big moment nonetheless.

" _Whoo-hoo!_ " Muse let out with pure delight. " _I did it! I got my wings to lift me off the ground!_ "

"Don't stop, Muse!" Fluttershy warned. She had been keeping in time with Muse's flapping and remained at eye level with her. "Stay focused on your task. You're not a natural yet, Muse."

"Oh, right, sorry!" Muse said with very slight panic.

"You will be if you stop flapping your wings," Rainbow Dash said.

"Now flap them... _twenty percent_ harder than you are now," Fluttershy said.

She turned and winked at Rainbow Dash, who just responded with an amused smirk.

"Okay, here it goes," Muse said. "Watch out, skies. You're not ready for me. I'm not ready for you either, but more so you're not ready for me."

The group of ponies shared a quick laugh as Fluttershy and Muse both began flapping their wings harder and harder. Muse was excited, but also a little nervous, to find herself rising into the sky. She let out several nervous chuckles, though she had a big smile on her face the entire time. Eventually the two ponies stopped rising and settled at about ninety seven feet in the air.

"Now what?" Muse asked.

"Well, now you know that how high you rise depends on how hard you flap your wings, right?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah, I think I got that figured out," Muse said.

"Just checking," Fluttershy said. "Then you need to learn how to shift your body so that you can fly forward, backwards, side-to-side, everything like that."

"Sounds great," Muse said somewhat half heartily. "But how do I do that?"

"First, I'm gonna teach you how to go forward," Fluttershy said.

"Makes sense," Muse said.

"Basically, all you have to do is lean your upper body forward," Fluttershy said. "Stretch out your forelegs and your neck, and keep your back legs stretched out behind you at all times. This is a very basic flying form that's very easy to do. Keep it so your head and front hooves are stretched out in front of you, but don't strain yourself too hard. Remember to keep your head and limbs perfectly balanced or you could lean or tip.

"Do you understand, Muse?"

"Yeah, I think so," Muse said.

"Are you ready to try it?" Fluttershy asked.

The yellow furred mare got her answer when Muse began to move forward. Fluttershy let out a little squeak as she dodged to the side and Muse flew passed her. She looked on to see Muse was doing exactly as she had instructed. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash both looked on with joy as Muse screamed, whooped, and cheered all the while continuing to fly.

" _I did it!_ " Muse called out. " _I'm flying! I'm really, really flying! Flying like a bird! A newborn maybe, but who cares?!_

" _I'm flying!_ "

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy couldn't help but laugh with delight at just how ecstatic their friend was. At the same time, they were both just as happy for her as they watched her fly on. While Muse was flying, she looked up, down, and all around at the sights she was seeing for the first time. To be able to see the open field, the hills, and even the trees of the surrounding forest. To feel like she was that much closer to touching the sky; all of this and more almost felt to Muse like she had gone straight to nirvana.

She was so distracted, Muse hadn't even realized she had picked up a flying partner. Muse looked to see Twilight Sparkle flying right next to her with a big, ol' smile on her face. The multi-colored alicorn's face lit up upon seeing her teacher flying right there next to her.

" _Twilight!_ " Muse cried out in happiness.

"Hi ya, Muse!" Twilight Sparkle called back.

" _Look at me!_ " Muse exclaimed. " _I'm flying!_ "

"I see that!" Twilight Sparkle replied. "I'm really happy for you and very proud of you, too!"

"So am I."

Twilight and Muse looked to see the pleasantly welcomed sight of Fluttershy flying on Muse's other side.

"They ain't the only ones either."

Next, everypony turned to see the equally welcomed sight of Rainbow Dash flying next to Twilight Sparkle.

"So, this is what it's like to slow down while flying," Rainbow Dash said as she looked around. "I forgot how relaxing it could be. I usually associate being on the ground or sleeping with relaxing... I may have to try this again sometime."

"If you can tame your wings' need for speed that it is," Twilight Sparkle said teasingly.

"And we all know that'll never happen," Rainbow Dash said.

"Yeah," the other three ponies said.

The foursome shared a quick laugh as they continued to fly. For several moments, the quartet of pony mares flew in silence and just enjoyed the sensation that was flying.

"So, if I wanted to speed up, how would I do that?" Muse asked.

"Ooh, my need for speed is rubbing off on her already," Rainbow Dash said slyly.

"Be that as it may, I would suggested not speeding up for now," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Oh, okay," Muse said.

"But we'll tell you for future reference," Twilight Sparkle said. "There's a certain way you can flap your wings. You still try to make them move up and down, but you also got to try and move them backwards."

Twilight Sparkle gave a demonstration, doing what she described, thus moving a little further ahead of the pack. This only lasted for a second before she fell back in line with the others.

"How fast you go depends on how hard you flap your wings," Fluttershy said. "Also, you don't have to worry about rising higher while your flapping your wings like that. That's only if you're moving your wings up and down only."

"To rise or change course at all while doing this, you have to shift your body in the direction you want to go," Twilight Sparkle said.

"That's also how it is with flying in general," Rainbow Dash said. "Well, kind of. I mean, there are technically several alternatives to doing certain things certain ways while flying, but right now we're sticking to the basics."

"This is just a normal, slow, and relaxing flight," Fluttershy said.

"Cool," Muse said enthusiastically. She paused for a moment before speaking on. "So... how far are we gonna fly?"

"We should be coming up on our marker any moment now," Twilight Sparkle said as she scanned the area below in the field around them. "Ah-ha! There it is!"

Twilight Sparkle pointed a hoof, which everyone followed to see a large wooden flagpole with a red flag on it.

"And look, there's Pinkie Pie and Rarity waiting for us," Fluttershy said.

"Sweet," Muse said. "But how do I go in for a landing?"

"Like we said before, you just got to shift your body in the direction you want to go," Twilight Sparkle said. "In this case, you would be diving towards the ground."

"But be sure to aim your hooves at the ground before you hit it, though," Rainbow Dash warned.

"How soon do you think I should switch positions before I get to the ground?" Muse asked.

"That's usually at the flier's discretion," Fluttershy said.

"I don't know about this," Muse said.

"Don't worry, Muse, you'll do fine," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Besides, we'll be here to help if anything goes wrong," Fluttershy said. "We won't let you crash."

"At least not hard," Rainbow Dash said teasingly. Twilight and Fluttershy both gave the rainbow maned mare stern expressions, to which she smiled sheepishly. "Right, not helping. Sorry... but sometimes these things can't be helped. You know that."

"Yeah," Twilight and Fluttershy said together.

"Still , we'll make the best of this," Fluttershy said.

"We're coming up on where we have to land," Twilight Sparkle said. "Are you ready for this, Muse?"

"Sure, why not?" Muse replied. "I've come this far, literally and figuratively."

The others let out a light chuckle.

"Alright, here we go," Twilight Sparkle said. "Remember, once your hooves are aimed at the ground, start flapping your wings more softly. That'll help lower you to the ground more naturally."

"And... _dive!_ " Rainbow Dash instructed.

All four ponies changed their trajectory, one after the other in near perfect synchronization. Muse was a little shaky, but she was able to recover. She tried to keep her focus on her landing, yet she couldn't help but look around at the other fliers around her. She wanted to study them as best as she could and see if maybe following them more closely would lead to her making a better landing. They were about twenty two yards from the ground when Rainbow Dash shifted her body so her hooves were aimed at the ground.

She was followed quickly by Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy, which was Muse's cue to shift. Muse let out a few grunts of distress and, for a moment, it seemed like she might end up falling out of the air. Luckily, she managed to make the shift, albeit in a very shaky manner with her hooves kicking all around. Though the others were all concerned, they continued on with their landings when they saw Muse made the shift well enough. Rarity and Pinkie Pie both waved to the incoming fliers with big smiles to greet them.

Rainbow Dash was the first to make the landing, followed closely behind by Twilight, then Fluttershy. Everypony looked up to watch Muse come in for her landing. Each one had concern on their face, not only because this was Muse's first landing, but it seemed like she might be coming in a little too fast. Plus she was still kicking her hooves around and her overall approach was still very shaky as she let out several small grunts of panic. When Muse finally touched down, she felt a jolt go straight through her legs and and into her whole body while having to take a few stumbling steps to keep from falling into the dirt.

When Muse finally had stable footing, she took a moment to breath as she pressed a hoof to her chest. Her heart was beating faster than it ever had in her entire life. Her whole body shook like crazy from the adrenaline rush she got from flying and landing for the first time that was still going through her. Everypony else saw this along with the wide eyed look on Muse's face and wondered if maybe they should consult her. The mares of the Mane Six looked to each other before stepping over to Muse's side.

"Muse?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she put a hoof on the mare's shoulder.

" _Wha-hoo!_ " Muse cheered as she jumped into the air with a hoof raised. "I did it! I flew! I not only flew, but I landed without face planting, too! I can fly!"

Everypony giggled happily as Muse flapped her wings and lifted herself into the air. She was only a few feet above them, so nopony was too worried as Muse flew around for a moment. She then landed, this time doing much better than before because it was only a little bit in the air. She ran over and practically jumped into the embrace of the other mares.

"I knew you could do it!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily.

"Way to go, Muse!" Fluttershy said.

"Well done, darling!" Rarity said. "We knew you had it in you all along."

"I'm so proud of you, Muse!" Twilight Sparkle proclaimed.

"Thank you, Twilight!" Muse said happily. "Thank you, Fluttershy... Rainbow Dash... Thank you all!"

"You should also thank yourself, darling," Rarity said. "Not everypony would be so willing to face these challenges the way you have."

"Yeah, not everypony's the little pony engine that could," Pinkie Pie said. " _But they can't be because you are! Whoo-hoo! Go Muse!_ "

" _Let's go, Muse!_ " the mares of the Mane Six cheered. " _Let's go, Muse! Let's go Muse! Let's go, Muse! Whoo!_ "

The young, multi-colored alicorn was overcome with emotions, all of them positive. She couldn't believe the overwhelming amount of support, both moral and direct, she was getting from her friends. It was almost too much to take, but in the best of ways. Muse was floating on cloud nine and she never, ever wanted to come back down again.

"You girls..." Muse said in an emotional tone. "You're the best friends I've ever had."

"And you're one of the best friends we've ever had, too, Muse," Fluttershy said.

"I know who the best friends you've ever had are," Muse said. "It's the same group of ponies who have been the best friends to the entire world. You all are so special."

"So are you, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Only because you made me that way," Muse said.

" _No,_ " the mares around the alicorn said.

"You were always special, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said. "We're just showing you what was already there. You just needed a helping hoof to open your eyes."

"Well, my eyes are plenty open now," Muse said. "Thank you all again... for everything."

"We're happy to do it, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said, to which her friends agreed.

It was mostly silent for a couple of moments after that with everypony standing around smiling. It eventually got to the point where it was a little awkward.

"Now what do we do?" Muse asked.

"Oh, right," Twilight Sparkle said. "Well... I think you need to keep working on your flying and your landings especially. Back the opposite way we came is another marker. Applejack and TJ will be waiting there."

"Cool," Muse said enthusiastically.

"Basically, you're going to fly back and forth and land at each marker," Twilight Sparkle said.

"For how long?" Muse asked.

"Until I say stop," Twilight Sparkle said playfully. Everypony looked at her for a moment. "Don't worry, it won't be too long. I still have a lot of basics to teach you. I want to try and knock as many out as I can before the day's over.

"Don't worry, Muse, you'll do fine. Besides, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy will be flying with you the whole time, so almost nothing can go wrong."

"Aww, man," Rainbow Dash complained. "Really? The whole slow thing was relaxing before, but if we keep doing it, it's gonna get boring." Both Rarity and Pinkie Pie dug an elbow into the blue pegasus' sides, which got her to smile big. "Which is just okay so long as it helps Muse and all."

"No, it's okay, Rainbow Dash," Muse said. "You don't have to-"

"It's settled," Rainbow Dash said in a stern voice. "I'll be by your side the whole time."

"Me, too, Muse, I promise," Fluttershy said quickly.

Muse's smile was soon replaced with a questioning look.

"Wait," Muse said as she looked to her main teacher. "You're not flying with us, Twilight Sparkle?"

"No, I'm going to hangout at the second marker," Twilight Sparkle explained. "I want to see how well you're doing from a distance. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy will report to me on their up close perspective."

"But Twilight-"

"Don't take it personal, darling," Rarity whispered to Muse. "I think it's also because your brother's at the second marker."

"Ohh, I get ya," Muse said understandingly. She then smiled to Twilight, as did everypony else there. "I understand, Twilight. You just go ahead and do that then."

At first, confusion was spread across the violet alicorn's face as she looked around at everypony else. She felt her face start to get hot when she realized what they were all thinking

"So..." Twilight said with a nervous smile. "I guess I'll see you fliers... over there... Uh... yeah... Okay, bye now."

With that, Twilight Sparkle disappeared in a puff of smoke. When she reappeared, she was flying towards the second marker as fast as her wings would carry her. She must've flown more than thirty kilometers away before the second marker came into view. The hundred foot flagpole was clear to see, as was the red flag that waved on it. What was even better for Twilight Sparkle was seeing both Applejack and TJ waiting to her from the base of the pole.

Both Earth ponies waved to the flying alicorn, to which she responded in kind before coming in for a landing.

"Howdy, Twilight," Applejack greeted. "You're looking good up there flying with those big, ol' wings of yours, as usual."

"Thank you, Applejack," Twilight Sparkle said. "But I think, as usual, you might be exaggerating a bit."

"No, it's true," TJ said. "Every time I've seen you fly, I always thought you looked like a pro. Maybe not at the same level as a pony like say, Firefly or even Rainbow Dash. But let's face it, those ponies will always be on another level. Besides, honesty is Applejack's thing, remember?"

"Yeah, that's true," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Then you know what I say is also true," Applejack said. "You may not have started out so great, but nopony with wings does. Now you fly around better than a field bug in the pumpkin patch."

"Speaking of flying good, how's my sister doing?" TJ asked.

"Muse is coming along great with her flying," Twilight Sparkle said. "She needs to work on her landing a little bit more, but she's still coming along better than I expected. After how long it took her with that first levitation lesson, I honestly thought that's how everything else would go. I'm more than happy to see that up to this point that hasn't been the case."

"Absolutely, fan-freaking-tastic!" TJ exclaimed enthusiastically. "Seriously, that's great to hear, Twilight. I knew you were the right pony to take Muse under your wing."

"Oh, it's not just me," Twilight Sparkle said. "Everypony here's been contributing to her lessons in one way or another. I don't think I could do this all without their help in some way of another."

"Well, we're all mighty glad to help ya out with teaching Muse, Twilight," Applejack said. "Everypony needs a helping hoof sometimes."

"You fillies have been giving us islanders _way_ more than just a helping hoof," TJ said. "I want to thank you all again for everything you're doing, including helping my sister come out of her shell."

"We're more than happy to do it, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "It won't be easy, none of it. Muse still needs a lot of work and so does the plan to finally put these minotaurs down."

"Well, you know the old saying," Applejack said. "You can't have a woodpile without a few chips. Granted, some of those chips are big and muscular and have horns among other weapons, but we have something even better."

"We have each other," TJ said as he wrapped a hoof around Twilight's shoulders.

Surprise crossed the alicorn's face as she started to blush. TJ realized what he was doing and removed his hoof as he, too, began to turn red. Both ponies tried at the same time to say something, but it came out more as nervous stuttering and chuckles. They settled for a friendly smile, though their faces got hotter when their ears picked up the sound of Applejack's laughter. The three ponies directed their eyes to the sky to look for their flying friends.

As they looked upward, Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but think about how she actually didn't mind having TJ's hoof around her. A part of her was kind of hoping he would do it again and even thought about asking. She quickly pushed any thoughts of that kind away and concentrated on keeping her focus solely on Muse's training for the time being. Eventually. the three ponies spotted Muse, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash coming towards them. They were still flying high in the sky and while Muse didn't look quite as natural as the other ponies while flying, she still seemed to be getting along decently.

Almost instantly, the trio of flying ponies spotted the flag that marked their landing destination. As they came in closer, they all soon spotted Twilight, TJ, and Applejack on the ground awaiting their arrival. The two trios waved to each other happily, for they knew they would soon be united for what was sure to be a joyous time for how Muse was progressing. Sure it probably would only last for a little bit because they still had a lot of work to do. But for the first time in a long time, everypony was feeling truly great about themselves and their situation.

For all these ponies had been put through so far, most would say they deserved all their moments of happiness.

* * *

Muse and Twilight Sparkle stood on a hill that was elevated over most of the rest of the field. Next to them was a wooden sign that was staked into the ground and read, ' _Location 1_ '. Spread out around them across other parts of the field were other signs with the word ' _location_ ' and a different number on them.

"Alright, Muse, for this next lesson in magic spells, we're going to go right into one of the big ones," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'm going to teach you how to teleport."

"Ooh _!_ " Muse exclaimed as she smiled big. The alicorn also lightly bounced in place and clapped her front hooves together in excitement. "This is gonna be so awesome!"

"Well..." Twilight Sparkle let out. "It may not be so cool at first."

"Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Twilight?" Muse said as she tilted her head and looked on with a questioning look.

"Well, it's just that teleportation is a really hard spell to learn," Twilight Sparkle said. "And it's even harder to learn how to do right. Trust me, as someone who struggled with this before in the past, I know. If you don't get the spell just right, it can make you really dizzy when you do go to do it. It can even make you sick to your stomach to the point where you might even throw up.

"Even if you learn how to do it the right way, excessive use of the spell can make a pony pass out. This happened to me several times when learning this spell and even one time while I was trying to escape a fire... Ironically, that was also when I met Godzilla."

"Why does teleporting come with such dangerous side effects?" Muse asked.

"Well, actually all spells come with potential side effects," Twilight Sparkle said. "But teleportation is definitely one of the big ones. That's because you really need to use your noggin on this one. You need to envision yourself going to certain locations and really focus hard on that while also focusing hard on your magic and your emotional state and controlling it all. Without that kind of focus with this spell, you could possibly end up somewhere you _really_ don't want to, even inside a wall."

"Oh, my," Muse said.

"Indeed," Twilight agreed. "You also need to make sure your aiming to go somewhere you know is within your magic's range. Stretching too far while having to focus your head on so many other things can lead to the nausea that causes everything I mentioned before."

"Ohh, I see," Muse said.

"You know, maybe we should try a simpler spell for this lesson instead," Twilight Sparkle suggested.

"No!" Muse protested with intensity in her voice.

Twilight Sparkle looked to her protege in surprise at just how forceful her voice was and saw her face matched it.

"What?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"I'm sorry," Muse said as her voice and expression softened. "It's just... I can do this, Twilight. Don't go soft on me, please. I can take it, I promise. Hit me with all ya got."

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked.

"Positive," Muse said as she smiled with determination.

Twilight Sparkle soon smiled as well.

"Well, alright, then," Twilight Sparkle said. "I trust you, Muse. If you say you can handle it, then I'll let you try. I just hope you can do what you say you can."

"I can," Muse said confidently.

"Well, I'm glad your confidence has gone up since we started at least," Twilight Sparkle said. "Okay, these markers are all placed where I want you to teleport to. As you can see, the markers all have a number painted on them because I want you to teleport yourself and the items to those areas in that order."

"Items?" Muse asked.

"Oh, that's right," Twilight Sparkle said. "You won't be teleporting yourself the first time around. No, instead I'm going to have you teleport certain items to specific markers. We'll only do the first ten markers since they're the closest and I don't want you over exerting yourself the first time around. When it does come time for you to try teleporting yourself, please stay in the order of the numbers on the markers.

"They may not all be easy to find, but I made sure to put them all where you should be able to see the next marker you need to go to, no matter how far it is."

"Right," Muse said.

"Here are the ten items I'll have you try teleporting first," Twilight Sparkle said. She used her magic to pull back a cloth that revealed assorted items from a vase to a hammer, and several other things. "Notice they all have tags with numbers drawn on them. Those are also the numbers of the markers I want you to try and teleport them to."

"I got ya," Muse said as she nodded understandingly.

"Are you sure you don't want to try something else?" Twilight Sparkle asked one more time. "I don't want you to feel like I'm rushing you into something you're not ready for."

"Absolutely not," Muse said. "Sometimes you got to learn how to run before you learn how to walk. Twilight, you and the others have already helped me to learn things I never thought I could do. With your guidance, I know I can get this and many other things knocked out before the day's over. And I believe that because of you... all of you."

Twilight Sparkle smiled almost like she was a proud mother at that moment.

"Then, let's get this lesson done with so we can move on to the next," Twilight Sparkle said. "Remember, picture in your head where you want what the items to go while also concentrating hard on your magic casting. Remember the words of the written spell I showed you in the book when I was going over various spells with you before. Think of them, though you don't need to speak them out loud. Concentrate on all that and remember to think of only positive memories and try to feel only good emotions."

"No," Muse said.

"What?" Twilight Sparkle asked in shock.

"No, I won't only focus on the positives," Muse said. "I'm going to think of both the positive and the negative and I'm going to make them go hoof in hoof because that's what a big part of successful magic is, right? It's about finding balance in yourself to the point where you can control your magic and use it in your sleep, right?"

"Well... yeah," Twilight Sparkle said. "But that usually doesn't happen until later. Usually you have to get further along in training to learn how to do that. Or at least that's how I learned. I was taught at fist to just think positive."

"Back in magic kindergarten?" Muse asked. "I mean no offense at all, Twilight, but how what age were you when you learned that?"

Twilight Sparkle paused for a moment as she thought about it.

"Okay, fair enough," Twilight Sparkle said. "Sorry, Muse; it's just like I said, I've never taught before, so I'm just doing the best I can."

"And you're doing a great job so far, Twilight, thank you," Muse said. "You were just implementing a teaching technique and using it the way you learned. Not a bad idea trying to throw in certain things from when you were learning... But I think you might need to try thinking older than the age range you were going for. Plus, I think that can even make it harder for me.

"It's easier for children to be more positive, but part of being an adult is balancing the good and the bad as best as you can."

"Not only that, but I think trying to cast spells the filly way makes the spell weaker anyways," Twilight Sparkle said. "So that's what you need to focus on right now and from now on, Muse. You need to find balance, balance in thought, emotion, and even balancing those while trying to cast your spell."

"I already know it's not going to be easy," Muse said. "But as some wise ponies taught me recently, nothing worth doing is. It's still worth it, though, which is why I'm gonna do it."

"Then you go on ahead and do it, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said.

Muse smiled confidently as she looked to the items. Specifically, she was looking for the one that was marked with the number 2 since they were already at the first marker. She quickly spotted the item, a camera, with the number she was looking for and then quickly found the marker to match. Muse seemed to be preparing herself as her body tensed up and she took a stance like a bull ready to charge. The young alicorn hesitated for a moment though as a thought crossed her mind.

"Twilight?" Muse called.

"Yes?" Twilight Sparkle replied.

"Has... anyone... ever died trying to do a teleportation spell?" Muse asked. "Like, did they accidentally teleport themselves into an environment they... shouldn't have? Or, like, did the side effects overwhelm them to the point where they finally... you know."

"No, not that I'm aware of," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Okay, good," Muse said with relief.

"You shouldn't worry, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said. "Right now, you're only teleporting some items. I'll be here to pull you back if I think you're overexerting yourself. Don't worry, Muse, it's like you said. No matter what happens, you got this."

Muse smiled confidently as she turned back to her task, one of many that she would have to undertake in her coming lessons. Going forward, none of those lessons were easy, though. She wasn't always able to concentrate on every aspect to make her teleportation spells work. It even got to the point where it would take ten to seventeen minutes for her to teleport something. The struggle of finding balance in her concentration was that hard.

Even when she finally was able to teleport something, she still felt small douses of the side effects Twilight warned her about. They weren't as bad as she thought they would be, but she usually needed to take a minute or two to fully recover from them. Luckily, Muse managed to pull through it all and teleport all the items to the markers they were suppose to go to. Then she had to teleport them all back to her and Twilight, which was just as big a pain as teleporting them away was. She had to repeat this process about eleven times before moving onto the next step.

For Muse's next step, she had to teleport them all at the same time rather than individually. Doing that seemed to amplify the side effects of the spell, making Muse feel even sicker. She refused to let Twilight stop her from continuing, though, pushing on and taking as much time and care with this phase of the lesson as possible. It took her longer because of the amplified side effects, but she didn't care in the slightest. Muse knew all the struggles would be worth it.

This was confirmed when she was finally able to teleport everything at once without so much as a tummy ache. Muse felt accomplished and proud while Twilight felt the same and even impressed at how her student was progressing. This progress convinced Twilight Sparkle that it was time to move on to Muse teleporting herself instead of just other objects. This was easier said than done, because, for some reason, it didn't feel the same for her trying to teleport herself as it was teleporting other things. On one hoof, she expected this because it was her and not some random knick-knacks.

Yet it also felt at times like she was doing a completely different spell. She kept trying to picture herself somewhere else, in this case, one of the other markers, while also trying to apply her magic to making her appear there. Muse couldn't do it right away, though, despite her hard fight for success in teleporting the items from before. It took even longer to teleport herself than it did with teleporting the stuff from before, both individually and altogether. It ended up taking nearly a half hour to get her to teleport herself, but even then when she did, the side effects were now in full effect.

It was like all the nausea, dizziness, headaches, and stomach pains from before hit her all at once. It was all still very worth it to Muse, though. When she realized she had teleported herself somewhere else, her pride and her confidence increased tenfold. Muse whooped and cheered, but only for a moment as she had to fight back the urge to vomit. She did manage to smile over to Twilight Sparkle, who smiled back from the first marker.

From there, the process of Muse teleporting herself got a little bit easier every time she did it. She still felt sick as a dog by the time the lesson was done, but Muse was able to make a full recovery and move onto other lessons. From there, she learned about Earth ponies' natural superior running and jumping abilities they had over the other pony races. She went on a long jog with TJ and then an obstacle course with Applejack.

Neither one was easy to get through, with the obstacle course being especially difficult. It was specifically to designed to test all the physical attributes an Earth pony had and push them to the max. Even TJ only tried it once and couldn't get through the whole thing. Applejack did every time, though, as did Pinkie Pie the first and only time she tried it herself. Muse went through the obstacle course nine times and only on the final try did she complete it without a problem.

When she did, though, the other ponies were there to congratulate her with many cheers and words of encouragement. The jog afterwards, only Muse's second, felt like a breeze. What made it even better was that the Mane Six even joined her and TJ for the jog. Nopony seemed to mind when Muse pulled ahead of them. Instead, they all seemed rather amused at how excited Muse got to get ahead of the pack.

Some of the others probably could've caught up to Muse if they wanted to. But they chose instead to let her have her moment. They mostly stuck to a small path that took them completely around Willowbrook. Sometimes they could even see it through the trees. When the jog was finally over and everypony had ran the full path, they took a moment to stretch and breathe before moving on.

Next, Muse focused partially on improving what she already knew about flying. Then she learned about other methods of flying like riding air currents and gliding and how to better change direction and turn while flying. Rainbow Dash wanted to try teaching Muse some crazy stunts she loved doing. Fluttershy and Twilight insisted, however, on sticking to the basics for the time being. Rainbow Dash reluctantly agreed, though she felt the lessons were going too slow and they could easily move on to more advanced stuff.

Muse, Twilight, and Fluttershy ended up humoring their daredevil flier friend, however, by agreeing to watch her perform for a little bit. While all three observers enjoyed the show, Muse got the biggest kick out of it. She even asked the others if they thought she'd be able to fly like that someday, to which they said it was possible. They then warned her not to try too early like Rainbow Dash wanted, though. As great of a time the others had watching, Rainbow Dash was having an even greater time showing off and doing what she loved to do.

Her good time crashed and burned, however, when she saw out of the corner of her eye that Firefly was there. Apparently she had come by at some point during Dash's impromptu flight show. Rainbow Dash saw her mother was talking with the other ponies hovering in the air that had been watching her before. The cyan blue pegasus growled in frustration as she flew over and asked very angrily what was going on. Firefly explained that she was coming out to check on how Muse's lessons were progressing at Moon Bright's request.

When she saw that Rainbow Dash was the only one flying around, she decided to just watch with the others. Eventually a conversation struck up amongst the group that started out being about Rainbow Dash. They soon moved on to talking about pointers on flying with latitudes, longitudes, and elevation being key subjects. Firefly was also making sure nopony expected Muse to try and do everything Dash had been doing. From there, the flying lessons resumed with Firefly joining in despite Rainbow Dash's objections.

With Twilight Sparkle and the others there to help out, Firefly actually turned out to be a good teacher. Turns out she was trying to teach Muse exactly like Rainbow Dash wanted to teach her. Luckily Twilight was there to actually teach Firefly a thing or two while they were both trying to teach Muse along with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. It got confusing sometimes, but they managed to get through it. Firefly tried to give Rainbow Dash advice, too, but she shrugged it off.

Apparently Rainbow Dash wasn't as tight with some of her moves and techniques as she could've been. After Firefly gave a quick demonstration, everypony applauded her while Rainbow Dash stared on contemptibly. All and all, the whole flying experience took nearly four hours, after which, Twilight Sparkle decided to call it a day. She did say they would start again first thing tomorrow morning, though. Overall, everypony was quite happy with how the first day went, despite the rough spots they had to get through.

Everypony was incredibly tired and ready for bed when the day was done, though. It felt like their bodies had been put through the meat grinder right after running a three day marathon. Nopony was feeling the burn quite as bad as Muse, but she wore every ache like a badge of honor. The next day, Twilight Sparkle got up early because she wanted to surprise Muse by getting an early start. She ended up being the one who was surprised when she found Muse already wide awake and working.

She was actually working on three things at once with three different ponies. She was using her levitation magic to bake with Pinkie Pie, paint with Moon Bright, and sew with Rarity. She explained to Twilight that she wanted to try multitasking with her magic and see how she did under that kind of pressure. Twilight was impressed, especially because that was something she wanted to work on that day. Once Muse and the others were done working at her hut, they gathered up everypony else to start the lessons for that day.

This time around, Twilight Sparkle taught Muse a different variety of spells, including transfiguration and how to shoot a laser from her horn. There were a great many more spells learned, but these ones were the hardest. It was even harder when Twilight went to teaching Muse how to use multiple spells at once and trying to while under pressure. She also taught Muse how some spells were actually a combination of other spells. After working on that for two and a half hours, Muse felt exhausted like she had just climbed a mountain.

She was still happy, though, because she passed every magic lesson. The you mare was turning into quite the young alicorn at this point. Next, she learned how to garden like an Earth pony. She even noticed that some seeds being planted by Applejack were already starting to grow right there in her hoof. That got Muse very excited about the prospect of gardening like an Earth pony.

Less exciting was learning several very physical exercises from Applejack and her brother, TJ. They taught her about proper stretching, lifting weights, dragging massively heavy objects, pushups, jumping jacks, chin ups, everything. TJ and Applejack even had Muse tie weights around her waist while doing the chin ups, though they did this themselves, as well. Sometimes, they also made her wear weighted clothing while doing her workouts. They explained that they were just showing her how she could get stronger, run faster, jump higher, all the things an Earth pony can do better than the other races of ponies.

They also taught her the right way to throw a punch and a kick. Applejack especially took Muse under her hoof to teach her back bucking. They had punching bags that seemed as heavy as a rock and they made Muse set them up and take them down. They also had her smash smaller rocks on top of bigger rocks or smashed them with a sledgehammer. Sometimes she would also use her magic to do work with the rocks upon Twilight's request.

Three hours after that, Muse was learning to fly again. The flying team went over the importance of body position and being completely focused on the task while flying and how there was little room for error. Then they went over the basics she had been learning the day before. After that they decided it was okay to move on. First they gave her more exercises to work on.

Some were similar to what she learned with the Earth ponies, like the chin ups, the pushups, and they even had her fly with weighted clothing. However, there were differences in that they only made her wear the weighted clothing while flying and never for anything else. The pushups were actually done with her wings in what pegasi called wingups. When she did chin ups, weights were still tied to her, but on her wings instead of around her waist. Most of what Twilight, Fluttershy, Firefly, and Rainbow Dash went over with Muse was both basic and semi-advanced Wonderbolts training according to Dash and Firefly.

Having a mother and daughter with the kind of situation Dash and Firefly did on Muse's training team wasn't always easy. Sometimes they would clash on ideas, with Rainbow Dash seemingly getting into conflict with Firefly on purpose. Even when they had very similar ideas about how some lessons should go, Dash yelled at Firefly. Everypony took it in stride, though, and managed to make it through the rest of the flying lessons. By the time it was done with, Muse felt like her body was being ripped apart from the inside out.

Apart from Muse feeling like she could break at any moment, it was always made harder for her whenever she messed up. Unfortunately, there were a lot of mishaps along the way where Muse would accidentally mess up, be it in a small or big way. Muse took both a physical toll and an emotional toll, which made it easier for her to feel bad for her screw ups. But the ponies training her would always be there to lift her back up and boost her confidence again. Besides, as far as the training went as a whole, the positives definitely outweighed the negatives.

Despite being put through the ringer more than just a few times, the things Muse learned to do made her feel great. She could feel her skills getting sharper and her body getting stronger. The improvement was too big for anypony to ignore. Muse could pull wagons full of concrete blocks while carrying TJ on her back. She could teleport Twilight and herself while holding an object with her levitation spell and turning it into something else.

Part of what motivated Muse so much was that everypony did everything with her. They were right by her side the entire time. They never asked her to do anything they weren't willing to do themselves. And her progress with her wings was unbelievable. She was actually hoof bumping with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and the others while they all did wingups together. These were only a few examples of her being able to do things she never thought she'd be able to do.

It got even better when she flew. On the last group flight of her training, Muse actually pulled ahead of the pack. While Firefly and Rainbow Dash had gotten into a mini-flying contest, they instantly let it go when they saw Muse pass them. They could've caught her if they really wanted to, but at that moment, all anypony wanted to do was watch Muse fly, despite any differences. Muse flew higher and higher into the sky as she flapped her wings as hard as possible.

Her heart was beating faster than ever before, her smile wide as could be as she ascended higher into the sky. For a moment, she thought she could touch the sun. Instead, she settled on landing upon a cloud after learning pegasi could walk on and move clouds around. She turned to face the open field that had been her training grounds, but at that moment, Muse felt like she was facing the world. Muse had her front hooves raised seemingly in victory as she let out a prideful cry of accomplishment.

Everypony cheered for Muse, including Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Firefly who had flown with her. Then there was Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and TJ who had ran after the group of fliers. Everypony even began to call out along with Muse as the pride the young alicorn felt flew through every other pony there who had helped her reach this point.

* * *

 **FINALLY! THANK GOD! First of all, I didn't want it to take this long to release this chapter. Life just got in the way. I've been dealing with a lot of personal problems lately, most of which kept me from finishing writing this chapter. Luckily, I managed to pull through and finish... even if the final product is kind of iffy. Yeah, I'm not proud of how the end of this chapter turned out. But I really wanted to get the alicorn training stuff out of the way, so I tried to do this in... The best way I can describe it is I try to do a training montage in written format. Yeah I rushed through the training stuff, but I want to get back to the main meat of the story as soon as possible. Still wanted to justify having another alicorn in here, though, so I did this. But trust me all, this stuff with Muse WILL payoff later and that won't be rushed at all I promise you that.**

 **So yeah, if you want to review, go ahead and say whatever you want. Also, I;m releasing several polls, all related to this story on my profile. So please go over and vote on the first one I've put up. I'd appreciate it very much if you did. Please and thank you. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, and hopefully it won't take so long to finish the next chapter.**


	19. Chapter 19: Down Time & Training Time

Twilight Sparkle and Muse both dropped next to each other on the grassy ground as they let out deep breaths of exhaustion. They continued to breathe heavily as they looked up at the now orange sky. This second day of training was, by far, more draining than the first day had been and the two alicorns were feeling it. The other ponies who had been helped with Muse's lessons were spread out across the field either laying or sitting or standing around. They were also exhausted and trying to catch their breaths as they rested on the grassy plains.

Some were more tuckered out than others, for they weren't quite as used to being physical as the lessons had demanded. Still, everyone could agree it was a long day, though they would also agree it was worth it. Both Twilight Sparkle and Muse turned to each other and, while still breathing heavily, smiled and laughed to one another.

"How's your body feeling, Muse?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Killing me," Muse said.

"Mine, too," Twilight Sparkle responded.

"I thought so," Muse said.

"It was worth it, though," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Heck yes, it was!" Muse said as she turned her gaze back upward. "For the first time in my life, I can touch the sky... among other things. Every bone and muscle in my body is aching like it's nopony's business, which frankly it isn't... Well, except for the paramedic's maybe." The two mares shared a quick laugh with each other.

"Still, all things considered, I feel pretty darn good."

"That's great to hear, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said. "That's one of the things I was hoping most to happen. Well, along with everything else that happened in your lessons... Or the good parts at least."

"I know what you mean, Twilight," Muse said. "And because of you and everypony else helping me, it was able to happen."

"Maybe, but don't leave yourself out, Muse," Twilight said. "You had to agree to go through everything you did. And I must say, you did a great job. Even though it may not have felt like it sometimes, you were still doing really well for your first lessons. That's especially concerning some of the stuff you had and chose to learn."

"Thanks, Twilight," Muse said. "So... do you think I'm finally ready to help fight against the minotaurs?"

"Absolutely not," Twilight Sparkle said. Muse looked to her mentor in confusion. "Sorry, Muse, but it's the truth. You literally only had two days of training and most of that was showing you how to do things, most of which were really basic. Most of the stuff we went over was already there.

"You just needed to learn how to use it. If you ever really want to do anything with what you learned, you need to improve upon it."

"How do I do that?" Muse asked.

"Just keep on doing what we've been doing," Twilight Sparkle said. "Practice makes perfect."

Muse's eyes widened in disbelief and even a slight bit of horror.

"You mean I have to do all of that everyday if I want to get better?!" Muse asked in horror. "You've got the wrong mare!"

"Relax, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said. "I didn't mean everyday or do it all in a day either. Just pick what you want to work on and what day you want to do it and take it a little bit at a time."

"Oh," Muse said as he face began to turn red. "Guess I... jumped to conclusions there."

"Hey, it's only because your brain is fried," Twilight Sparkle said. "So's mine... and everyone else's from everything we did today."

"Not to mention our bodies were put through the ringers mighty good, too," Muse said.

"I hear that," Twilight Sparkle said. "But seriously, Muse, until you improve on all your skills, I'd say it's best not to try and use them against the minotaurs. You can still use them for small chores around your hut and the village, but it's best if you steer clear of engaging the enemy."

"How long will I have to practice before I'm ready for something like that?" Muse asked.

"If things go the way we're planning, you won't have to," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Huh?" Muse asked.

"During times you were working with other ponies, I slipped away and outlined some ideas with your mom," Twilight explained. "I also went over those outlines with some of the others while you were in session without me."

"Oh, I see," Muse said.

Twilight Sparkle noticed a small tinge of disappointment in Muse's tone.

"Did you... actually _want_ to fight the minotaurs?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well... no," Muse said. "I mean, yes. _I mean..._ maybe. It's just... Well, I was learning to do all this to help with the fight, wasn't I?"

"Not really," Twilight Sparkle said. "I mean, it was a short term goal for some involved, but realistically, I didn't think it was going to happen. I was thinking long term, which was just teaching you how to get along in life with who you are now."

"You mean what I am now?" Muse asked.

"No, Muse, I mean _who_ ," Twilight Sparkle said sternly.

"Oh, I see," Muse said. "Well... thank you, either way. I know what you all helped me with will payoff big time in the long run... I just wish I could do more in the immediate situation."

"Then do it," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Huh?" Muse asked in confusion.

"Go ahead and help more," Twilight Sparkle said. "Use everything you've learned to help improve on your moral support for the village and everyone in it."

"Do you really think that's the best way to start using my new skills?" Muse asked.

"In terms of helping the village out in the current conflict, yes," Twilight Sparkle said. "But in terms of other uses, it's like I said before. Find a regimen that works for you to work on your new skills. But most importantly, work on them at home and incorporate them into whatever everyday tasks you think you can."

Muse was silent for a moment as she pondered Twilight's words in her mind.

"I guess that's all I can do for right now," Muse said.

"Trust me, Muse, it's all you want to do," Twilight Sparkle said. "You're nowhere near ready to go into a fight like this."

"I know, we've covered this," Muse said.

"I don't just mean skill-wise," Twilight Sparkle said. "I also mean in terms of the psychological trauma that comes with going into a conflict. That's especially one as big as this. Taking on something this big your first time around can be very traumatizing."

"You think so?" Muse asked.

"I know so," Twilight Sparkle said. "It nearly happened to me my first time around. If it wasn't for my friends being there with me the whole time, I possibly could've ended up in a mental ward... run by the villain I was trying to stop." Twilight Sparkle chuckled before she said, "It's ironic because I didn't even want them to come with me originally."

"Really?" Muse asked. "Why?"

"Because we weren't friends yet," Twilight Sparkle said. "Also... I wasn't interested in that kind of thing back then. I preferred being alone with my studies... Jeepers, how foolish I was. Luckily it all turned out differently and I don't regret a moment of it."

"I'm glad it happened, too," Muse said. "You know, I'd still have you all if I ended up getting directly involved in this thing with the minotaurs."

"Yes, but listen to me, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said. "This is _much bigger_ than what I went through my first time around. I honestly think it could push me over the brink if things don't go right. I want to save as many ponies as I possibly can from facing that possibility. My friends and I, we all volunteered to do this so you all wouldn't have to."

"I... guess I understand," Muse said. "Okay, I'll hold back for now and just focus on improving myself."

"Thank you, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said. "I really think that's the best course of action for you."

"I guess," Muse said. "But I could get involved later if my skills and psyche got good enough, right?"

"Oh, absolutely," Twilight Sparkle said. "There's no question about it. You exceeded my expectations. You struggled, true, but not nearly as much as I was expecting. You're an amazing pony, Muse."

"So are you, Twilight," Muse said. "I think you did better as a teacher than you were expecting yourself to. Heck, I'll bet you did even better than how you're thinking you did. I'll bet you think you were average, don't you?"

"I was," Twilight Sparkle said.

"No, Twilight," Muse said. "Take it from your student, you did fantastic. Nopony could've done it better."

"I don't know," Twilight said.

"I do," Muse said.

The violet alicorn smiled gratefully before saying, "Well, I thank you for thinking so, Muse. But it wasn't just me either. You had some other great teachers along the way."

"Yeah," Muse said. "I take nothing away from everypony else who helped me. They did a great job, too. I mean, I got new skills, don't I? But it took an extra special pony to be the head organizer.

"I know everypony else thinks so, too... Especially my brother."

Twilight Sparkle stared blankly as she felt her awkward levels rising. Muse just chuckled all the while.

"Sorry, Twilight, I shouldn't have done that to you," Muse said.

"Eh, it's okay," Twilight Sparkle said. "I should be used to this kind of thing by now."

"Twilight, do you think everything's going to turn out okay?" Muse asked.

"Hmm?" Twilight let out questioningly.

"With the minotaurs, I mean," Muse explained. "There's this whole army of... basically war born body builders very adept in all sorts of combat and warfare. Then to top it all off, they're aligned with two psychotic, but still very powerful unicorns and not to mention several giant monsters."

"That's why I don't want you getting directly involved, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said. "This is a lot for anypony to take in. I can't say for certain how things will turn out. All I can say is how I think things will turn out based on what we've got to work with."

"And what does it all tell you?" Muse asked.

"Well between all of us working together, the plan outlines, the alpha stone, and us having our own monsters... I think it could turn out good for us," Twilight Sparkle said.

"You're sure?" Muse asked.

Twilight nodded her head.

"We've already proven we can stand against them and hold our own," Twilight Sparkle said. "Now we just need to prove we can push forward, which I think will happen really soon. We just need to refine these plans and work them over a bit longer."

"I guess I'll have to trust in that," Muse said.

"Don't be scared, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I'm not, though," Muse said. "I was, I'll admit. I was scared for so long. I'm still uncertain and a tad bit nervous... But you, my family, and all our friends helped wash away my fears. Nothing I could say or do would ever truly show how much that means to me, Twilight."

"You already have," Twilight Sparkle said. "Thank you, Muse."

"No, thank you, Twilight, for everything," Muse said.

The two were about ready to hug each other when Twilight Sparkle stopped.

"Muse?" Twilight Sparkle said questioningly.

"Yes, Twilight, what is it?" Muse asked.

"You say you're not scared of the situation with the minotaurs now and I believe you," Twilight Sparkle said. "But... is it at all possible that you may be scared of... anything else going forward?"

Muse chuckled before saying, "Like what, that I may end up one day taking over charge of the village from my mom?"

"TJ told me," Twilight Sparkle said.

Muse sighed as she spoke up, "Well, he wasn't that far off actually... I was kind of hoping it would be TJ to take over. He seems like more of a natural fit to me. But now that I'm an alicorn, I... I..."

"You feel like you may be obligated to to become the new pony in charge," Twilight Sparkle said. "You're also afraid the other village ponies might feel the same."

"Well... yeah," Muse said as her voice shook a little. "I never wanted to be a leader. I didn't think I'd be any good at it and I still don't. I don't know the first thing about what it takes to run a kiddie carnival, let alone a whole village. But... my mom's not going to be able to do it forever and with Strong Courage..."

Muse began to lightly sob as tears fell from her eyes. "Now with all that's happening... I... I just don't know."

Twilight Sparkle reached out and hugged Muse as tightly, yet gently as possible.

"That's got be such a burden on you, holding the weight of all that over yourself," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Well..." was all Muse was able to say in between sobs.

"It's even worse because it's not really necessary," Twilight Sparkle said. "Or at least, it isn't right now."

"What?" Muse said as she looked to Twilight with tear filled eyes.

Twilight Sparkle lightly wiped away some of the tears Muse had already cried while the multi-colored alicorn wiped away the rest.

"I honestly don't think any of the village ponies expect that out of you right now," Twilight Sparkle said. "They're too worried about what is happening _now_ , _here_ , _in the present_ with the minotaurs. Besides that, I've had one on one conversations with a few of these other ponies since being here. They seem like good ponies and the kind that wouldn't want a poor filly putting even more pressure on herself than she already has to face."

"But what about TJ?" Muse asked. "You said it yourself, he was talking with you about me becoming leader."

"I said he was afraid that you were afraid about becoming leader," Twilight Sparkle explained. "He wanted me to try and comfort you because apparently he already tried the best he could."

Muse just looked on in silence for a few seconds before saying, "It's true, he did. I just... What about my mom? She still can't lead the village forever."

"It's only natural you'd worry about that," Twilight Sparkle said. "Especially with the state of physical health she's in. Believe me, I've seen it up close, too. While I won't say stop worrying, because you can't and it'd be wrong for me to tell you to, I will say something else.

"You only need to face that moment when it happens. Whether it's you, your brother, or neither of you who takes over running the village, it doesn't matter. You need to only worry about that when the time truly comes for it."

"But if it isn't me or TJ, then who would takeover running Willowbrook?" Muse asked. "Will you?"

"I can't," Twilight Sparkle said. "I have too many responsibilities back in Equestria. Plus... I don't trust myself leading a group of ponies that big just yet, regardless of my being a princess."

"I think you could do it," Muse said. "Better than me at least. I think TJ could, too."

"Funny, he said the same thing about you," Twilight Sparkle said.

"What's that?" Muse asked.

"He thinks you'd be a better village leader than he would be," Twilight Sparkle said.

"How do you know?" Muse asked.

"Because he told me so," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Oh... I see," Muse said feeling a little awkward. "Well... What do you think?"

"I can't say," Twilight Sparkle said. "I've never seen either of you take up a position of authority. So I can't form an actual opinion on the subject. Truth be told, you both seem to be very comfortable outside the circle of leadership. If I had to say anything, it would probably be that after your mom and dad somepony else besides you and TJ should takeover charge of Willowbrook."

"Is that even an option?" Muse asked.

"If neither of you want to take charge, it's going to have to be," Twilight Sparkle said. "But let's worry about that another time in the distant future and stick with the now. As far as that goes, you've sprouted up from the closed seed you used to be, Muse. Your pedals have received the right amount of water to help grow and are slowly spreading in the bright rays of the sun. You have a lot of potential and a lot to be proud of, Muse.

"But for now, you need to keep working on all that in the best and safest ways possible. Also, save worrying about the minotaurs to us... Or at least, the facing them head on part."

"I guess... that's what I'm going to have to do," Muse said. "But at least I know that end is in good hooves."

"Thanks, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Uh, are you two love alicorns done making out on that hill yet?" Firefly called out from further away.

"Seriously," TJ called out in agreement. "I need to get my broken flank into my bed for some r and r asap."

Several of the other ponies scattered all around the field spoke in agreement.

"Come on, you guys, it wasn't that bad," Rainbow Dash said.

"Then why were you falling asleep next to me, Dashie?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Ixnay on the asleep-kay," Rainbow Dash muttered.

"O _k-say_ , _dos-kay_ , _los-kay_ ," Pinkie Pie said.

"Oh, brother," Rainbow Dash said in annoyance.

"Let's just all agree we need some rest and head back to Willowbrook now, okay?" Applejack suggested.

Everypony agreed as they began to head for the village. Muse and Twilight Sparkle stayed in place and watched their friends go for only a moment. They smiled brightly to each other before then trotting to catch up with their friends. Muse made her way to some of the other mares as they began to talk amongst themselves. Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle came up alongside TJ, who greeted her as warmly as could be.

"Hi, Twilight," TJ said almost like a giddy school pony.

"Hi, TJ," Twilight Sparkle replied.

The two giggled to each other before looking to Muse as she and the others talked.

"Just look at that," TJ said. "I haven't seen Muse this lively with a group in a long time. I have you to thank for not only turning her back into that pony, but helping to make her better. Thank you so much, Twilight."

"It was nothing, TJ."

"I'll bet Muse doesn't think so and neither do I."

"Well, it wasn't all me. It was a collaborative effort between all of us working together, including Muse. Without her strive to do all this, it wouldn't have worked at all."

"Still, it's very much appreciated," TJ said.

"Not as much as your kind words, TJ," Twilight responded.

"You sure about that?" TJ asked.

Twilight Sparkle didn't even think about it when she leaned herself up next to TJ, who was rather surprised at first. He looked down to see Twilight's smiling face while her eyes were closed with comfort. Eventually, TJ just smiled himself and trotted on with Twilight Sparkle still leaned up next to him.

"Aww, they look so cute together," Pinkie Pie said.

"Well, if anyone knows about being cute, Pinkie Pie, it's you," Firefly said half heartedly.

The curly maned Earth pony looked to her fellow pink furred mare questioningly. She saw that Firefly was looking all around like a bear looking for meat.

"Is something wrong, Firefly, darling?" Rarity asked after she took notice as well.

"Yeah," Firefly said as she looked to the others with a serious expression. "I think someone's watching us."

This got both mares' attentions very quick as they looked around.

"Are you sure?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"No, but... I just had a feeling," Firefly said. "A situation like ours will do that to ya."

"I get it," Pinkie Pie said understandingly.

"As do I," Rarity said. "That's yet another of many reasons why we're going to try to fix it."

"You mean, why we _are_ going to fix it!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "There's no doubt in my mind about that!"

"Well... I'm rooting for you girls, that's for sure," Firefly said.

So as the sun continued to lower from the darkening sky, the group of ponies continued on homeward to turn in for the night.

* * *

 **THE NEXT MORNING:**

Twilight Sparkle stepped out of the front entry way of her hut before letting out a big yawn that greeted the day. It was only three minutes before six and the sky was still very dark, though it was starting to light up. Twilight wondered, for a moment, if the sky was really as dark as it looked or if it was the dense forest brush making it look that way somehow. She decided not to dwell on it and instead began walking along on her way. Twilight headed for the hut that housed TJ and his family, a place she had visited several times since coming to Pony Tale Island.

TJ had told Twilight Sparkle about his mom's erratic sleep schedule. She was hoping to take advantage of it and expand on the plan outlines she had started with Moon Bright a couple days before. Twilight Sparkle also wanted to try and surprise Muse with an early start again. This time around she had a plan she was hoping Muse and everyone else would really enjoy. But for now she would just have to wait before she could find out.

TJ's hut wasn't very far away, so it basically took no time at all for Twilight to get there or at least that's how it felt. When she got there, Twilight knocked at the opening to the hut. There wasn't an answer to her knock, though, which made Twilight a little nervous. She wondered if she had come by a little too early. Though nervous, Twilight Sparkle knocked again, only to get no answer yet again.

"Hello?" Twilight Sparkle called out. "Moon Bright? Muse? TJ? Anypony?

"It's me, Twilight. Hello?"

It was against her better judgement, but eventually Twilight Sparkle decided to slowly tip-toe her way inside. As she entered the hut, Twilight Sparkle looked around. There was no light illuminating the main room at all. Or at least that's how it seemed until Twilight spotted a very small candle light across the room on the far side. Her ears also picked up very light humming that she had not heard before.

Twilight Sparkle stepped further inside the hut as she tried to figure out who the humming belong to. It was very quiet, so it was hard to tell, but she didn't think it belonged to TJ. As Twilight Sparkle got closer to the light, the shape of a pony standing nearby was now visible to her. It also became more and more obvious it was the shape of a unicorn pony, meaning it was most likely Muse and TJ's mother.

"M- M- Moon Bright?" Twilight Sparkle said in a shaky voice as she tried to be as quiet as possible.

This didn't keep Moon Bright, who seemed like she was half asleep, from flinching in surprise as she looked to her visitor with wide eyes.

"Oh, Twilight!" Moon Bright said before she began laughing hysterically. "I didn't hear you come in! You about scared me half to death and I was already halfway to begin with!"

"I'm so sorry!" Twilight said in between her own laughs. "I was trying to come in as quietly as I could!"

"It used to be that I wasn't surprised by much!" Moon Bright said. "But nowadays, the opposite is true and it don't take much to surprise this old pony anymore! Though that is the first time I've jumped in a while. Good on ya, princess."

The two laughed about it all for a few more moments before they got a grip on themselves.

"I hope we didn't wake up Muse or TJ," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Are you kidding?" Moon Bright asked. "Those two could sleep through a hurricane. We're fine, don't worry. How may I help you today? What makes you want to see me so early?"

"Oh!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. She then used her magic to make a rolled up scroll appear in front of her. "I was hoping we could go over our plan outlines again. Maybe this time we can possibly expand and improve on them."

"Okay, I can do that," Moon Bright said.

"You're sure it's not too early for you?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Not at all," Moon Bright said. "I can go from barely breathing to wired like a battery in two seconds flat. I'd just like to finish up what I was doing before if you wouldn't mind."

"Oh, no, no, no, of course not," Twilight Sparkle said. "You just go ahead and wrap that up. Don't rush yourself on my account."

"Thank you, dear," Moon Bright said. "This is delicate work that takes a lot of time and care to do right."

"Then by all means," Twilight Sparkle said.

Moon Bright nodded her head before resuming her previous activities. Twilight struggled with trying to get her eyes to adjust to the dim, barely lit spot where Moon Bright was working. Because she was curious, Twilight was trying to see exactly what Moon Bright was doing. What she saw was Moon Bright wearing a small pair of spectacles while using her levitation magic to to move around a tiny pair of cutting shears. She used them to cut away at an object laying on one of many small work benches that stood around Moon Bright.

The object that Moon Bright was cutting away from was revealed to be a really small tree. Twilight Sparkle looked around and realized there were a few more of these trees spread out on some of the other work benches.

"These are... banzai trees, right?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Bonsai," Moon Bright said.

"Oh, I see," Twilight Sparkle said. "They're originally from the far east, right?"

"That's right," Moon Bright said cheerfully. "Indeed, they are. Very good, Twilight. You know your stuff, Your Highness."

"Yeah, I know about them," Twilight Sparkle said. "I just can't seem to get the name right."

"Hey, at least you guessed," Moon Bright said. "Most ponies don't even try because they don't know anything about these trees. Cut yourself _some_ slack."

"Thanks," Twilight Sparkle said. The violet alicorn walked up closer and examined each tree. "These are very beautiful. Did you trim and care for all of them yourself?"

"Most of them," Moon Bright said. "Muse did some, too. Others I haven't even gotten to yet. I don't know if I will either because some of them seem just so perfect as they are. It's very rare that you can find a genuine bonsai tree that is fine as is and requires no care of cleanup.

"Some say because of its rarity, finding one is a sign that goodwill is in your future."

"Do you believe that?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"We got your help didn't we?" Moon Bright asked.

Twilight Sparkle looked to Moon Bright in surprise. Even through the dark she could see the unicorn mare smiling brightly at her.

"Thank you," Twilight Sparkle said.

"No, thank you, Twilight," Moon Bright said. "You and your friends coming here has already helped in so many ways."

"How's that?" Twilight asked.

"Well, besides the obvious big stuff, your restored my faith in that old wise tale about my baby trees here," Moon Bright said. The two ponies shared a small laugh with each other. "Even more than that, though... you really, really helped my daughter in ways I, quite frankly, was beginning to think she couldn't be helped. But then here you girls, you wonderfully amazing girls come and you do the impossible. You made my daughter comfortable and even happy with the pony she is now."

"Well, everypony needs a little help sometimes," Twilight said.

"Yeah," Moon Bright said. "I... I just wish I could've been the pony to help her. I mean, I'm her mama. If I can't help her, who can? Oh, yeah, a truly awesome princess and her friends."

Twilight Sparkle looked to Moon Bright sympathetically.

"I know what you mean, Moon Bright," Twilight said. "I can understand how this might make you feel. But you need to remember something, though. While you may be Muse's mom, you're also the leader of a whole village. You also have a responsibility to watch over and help the ponies of Willowbrook as best you can."

"Well... I guess that's true," Moon Bright said.

"So far, from what I've seen, you've been doing a really good job at it," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Do you really think so?" Moon Bright said.

"The village is still here isn't it?" Twilight Sparkle said.

Moon Bright smiled in appreciation of the princess's kindness.

"Thank you, Twilight, for everything," Moon Bright said. Her smile quickly melted into a small frown. "I still would've liked to have helped Muse, though. What makes it sting even more was I really did try. I took small moments out of my time to try and help her...

"Guess it wasn't enough."

"You did the best you could," Twilight Sparkle said. "That's all anypony could ask for. Besides, you've got enough on your plate."

"It wouldn't be so bad if... if my husband were here to help me through it all," Moon Bright said.

Tears began to form in Moon Bright's eyes as Twilight Sparkle came over to comfort her. Twilight wrapped one hoof around Moon Bright's shoulders while rubbing her hoof with the other. It was clear the poor mare was under a lot of pressure and that it had taken its toll on her. It truly crushed Twilight to see a pony suffering so badly.

"Do you really think he's alive, Twilight?" Moon Bright asked.

"I know he is," Twilight said.

"How?" Moon Bright inquired.

"Because I've seen the determination in you, your son, and your daughter," Twilight said. "I know Strong Courage has it, too."

"Heck... he's the one that put it in all of us," Moon Bright said.

"Then there you go, Moon Bright," Twilight said. "Wherever he may be right now, I know Strong Courage's own tenacity is keeping him alive and forcing him to pull through. You all fight on despite your predicament, so I know he will, too so he can see you again."

Twilight Sparkle and Moon Bright were silent for a moment as the older unicorn did her best to wipe away her tears. Eventually the two smiled at each other yet again, Twilight in support, Moon Bright in gratitude.

"Did we hear other ponies' voices out here?!" a high pitched, squeaky voice called out.

Twilight Sparkle and Moon Bright looked to see three ponies come out from behind a beaded curtain. They were none other than Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Muse, all of whom seemed excited to greet both Twilight and Moon Bright.

"Well, well, it looks like we did hear other ponies' voices," Rarity said.

"I knew it!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Hi, girls!" Twilight Sparkle and Moon Bright both said excitedly.

"Hi!" Muse, Rarity, and Pinkie all said together.

For a moment they all excitedly spoke at the same time as they greeted each other further.

"I can't believe I didn't hear you ponies come into the house earlier," Moon Bright said after the commotion had died down some.

"Well, Muse sent us an invitation to hang out via teleportation magic," Pinkie Pie said.

"And since Pinkie and I were the only ones up, we decided to accept," Rarity added on. "That was about two hours ago and you weren't up yet, Moon Bright. So it's no wonder you didn't hear us coming."

"Holy cow, that was somewhere around four in the morning!" Moon Bright said in surprise. "What are you doing trying to invite ponies over at a time they might still be sleeping, Muse?"

"I... just sort of went for it," Muse said as she shrugged sheepishly. "I was up, I couldn't get back to sleep, and I was bored. I didn't actually expect a reply... I'm glad I got one, though."

"So am I," Pinkie Pie said happily. "This has been a lot of fun."

"Indeed, it has," Rarity said.

"Four in the morning," Twilight Sparkle said, still in disbelief.

"Well, she is _my_ daughter after all," Moon bright said.

All the ponies shared a laugh with each other.

"That's true," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'll also admit, sometimes I've gotten up that early to study or work on something. Heck, sometimes I've gotten up earlier or didn't even sleep. I worked all through the night and the entire day after."

"That's crazy, Twilight," Muse said in amazement. "I can kinda dig it, though."

"Well, it might please you to know, darling, that we made rather good use of our early time together," Rarity said.

"I can see that," Twilight Sparkle said, referring to the dresses Pinkie, Rarity, and Muse were wearing.

"I was gonna say, dang, you girls got it going on," Moon Bright said admiringly.

"Why, thank you," Rarity said as she and the others wearing dresses posed together.

They all wore proud smiles as they stood and let Twilight and Moon Bright gawk at their new dresses.

"I'm guessing you made these, Rarity?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well, one of them," Rarity said.

"Huh?" Twilight Sparkle asked in confusion.

"I made the one Muse is wearing especially for her," Rarity said.

"Yes she did," Muse said proudly. "And it's absolutely fantastic!"

"Ohh," Rarity said happily. "You're just saying that because I made it for you."

"Well, that's part of the reason," Muse said. "But even if it wasn't you did a great job with it."

Everypony spoke in agreement as they admired the dress Rarity had made.

"Well, thank you, darling," Rarity said. "I'm really glad you like it. I just wish I could've made it better. But I didn't bring all my materials because I didn't think we'd have time for such things. I'll have to make it up to you at some point.

"Maybe I could make a better one in the future. Oh, or maybe just give you one of the best dresses I brought with me."

"You would really do that for me?" Muse asked in amazement.

"Absolutely, Muse, darling," Rarity said. "I can't very well just let you settle with less than my best. You're too good a friend for that."

"Oh, Rarity, thank you," Muse said happily. "You're a great pony. But I still think you shouldn't write this dress off. It's better than the one I made you."

Rarity made several tsk sounds as she shook her head.

"Don't sell yourself short on my account, darling," Rarity said at she looked down at the tie-dye colored dress she was wearing. "This colorful beauty you made is rather lovely, I must say."

"You made that dress, Muse?!" Moon Bright asked in amazement.

"Well-" Muse started to say.

"Yes, she did!" Pinkie Pie squeaked happily. "And then they both worked together on this dress I'm wearing!"

"That's great!" Twilight Sparkle said in amazement. "Looks like your _other_ training is paying off for you, Muse. These dresses are wonderful, all of them."

"I couldn't have done any of it without my main training, though," Muse said as she winked to her fellow alicorn. "A lot of what you taught me actually helped to make... well, several things that much easier actually. Thank you again, Twilight."

"Muse, where did you find the materials for all these dresses?" Moon Bright asked.

"We used some of the scraps left over from some of your projects," Muse explained.

"What?" Moon Bright asked with slight surprise.

"You said I could, remember?" Muse said.

"Oh, yeah, that's right," Moon Bright said. He nose then sudden;y caught a new scent in the air. "Why does it suddenly smell like brownies in here?"

"Oh, that's right," Pinkie Pie said. She then pulled a tray of brownies out of her mane. "Brownies anypony? They just came out of the oven."

Everypony happily took a brownie, though they were a little hesitant since they were resting in Pinkie's mane before. Rarity's fears were confirmed when she spotted a pink hair resting on top of her brownie just as she was about to take a bite.

"Pinkie, what have I told you about hiding snacks for other ponies in your mane?!" Rarity asked.

"Oh, come on, Rarity," Pinkie Pie said. "Haven't you ever wondered what Pinkie hair tastes like? I know I used to... It doesn't taste like I thought it would."

"How did you think it would taste?" Moon Bright asked.

"Like cotton candy," Pinkie Pie answered. Everypony looked at her in confusion for a second. "What?! That was a fair assumption... If you consider the fact that my hair actually _looks like_ cotton candy."

"Right," Rarity said as she continued to look down at her brownie.

Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes and sighed before snatching the brownie out of Rarity's hoof with her mouth. Everypony watched as she chewed up the whole brownie. She stopped chewing for only a moment.

"Hmm," Pinkie Pie let out. "Nope, still tastes like hair."

She swallowed the brownie as most of the other ponies laughed. Muse then gave Rarity a hair free brownie, to which the white furred unicorn nuzzled her with gratitude. She then took a bite of the baked good.

"Mm," Rarity let out. "Hair or no hair, these are actually quite delicious."

"I'll say," Moon Bright said as she ate hers happily.

"I think these may be the best brownies you ever made, Pinkie Pie," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Actually, Muse made them this time around," Pinkie Pie said.

Oh?" Twilight Sparkle said questioningly.

"Turns out, brownies are her specialty," Pinkie Pie said.

"That's true," Moon Bright said. "I taught her how to bake and then she took all my techniques and recipes and improved them."

"So when I found out, I gladly stepped back and let her take the reins on the baking," Pinkie Pie said.

"You still helped me a little, though, Pinkie Pie," Muse said. "It's actually a lot easier when you have another set of hooves helping you."

"Well now, you can help me by sharing some of your secrets with me," Pinkie Pie said. "If you'd be willing that is. Because these brownies are much better than mine."

"Sure, I'd love to," Muse said. "Then maybe later on we could try doing more sewing, Rarity."

"That sounds divine, Muse," Rarity said. "I would love that."

Twilight and Moon Bright took a moment to watch as Muse merrily mingled with her friends. It did them both good to see how great they were all getting along. To a point, it even almost made them feel easier about the crisis with the minotaurs.

"So what were _you_ doing over here so early, Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Yeah, what's up?" Muse asked.

"I came to go over plans for our strike against the minotaurs with Moon Bright again," Twilight explained. "I was going to let her finish trimming her trees first, though."

"Oh," Muse, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity said together.

" _So_ what should we do then?" Muse asked. "Should we sit in or leave or something? Like, w- w- what?"

"It'll be Twilight and I making the plans," Moon Bright said. "When we've finished, we're going to gather everypony together and go over it with them and see what they think. So you can stay if you want, but it's likely that most of what you'll hear now you'll hear again later."

"Oh, well then there hardly seems to be any point in us sitting in this time around," Rarity said.

"So then what do we do instead?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"You guys wanna hangout in my room a little more?" Muse asked.

"I actually feel like going outside," Rarity said.

"Yeah, that sounds about right to me, too," Pinkie Pie said.

"I wouldn't mind stepping outside myself come to think of it," Muse said.

"Well then, you girls do that while we do this," Moon Bright said.

"That sounds good to me, too," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I guess we'll see you later then," Muse said.

"Maybe we could meet out at the field later?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

Muse was uncertain at first because she was afraid that might mean more training. Eventually she nodded her head, though.

"Alright, Twilight," Muse said.

"Good, I'm looking forward to it," Twilight Sparkle said brightly.

Everypony wished each other goodbye at the same time as Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Muse headed for the door. Rarity stopped her group for a moment before using her magic to make the dresses they were wearing disappear back into Muse's room.

"How did you know I didn't feel like wearing my dress right now?" Muse asked.

"Me, too?" Pinkie Pie asked in amazement.

"Oh, it's fashionista's intuition, darling," Rarity said. "When I didn't feel like wearing my dress, I had a pretty good feeling you all didn't feel like it either."

"You should be at the blackjack tables with instincts that good," Muse said.

"What makes you think I haven't been before?" Rarity asked.

The group all laughed together merrily as they left the hut. Moon Bright and Twilight Sparkle watched happily as their friends all left together. They turned their smiles to each other, being able to tell they were both thinking the same thing. It was truly great to have moments like that in such dark times.

"You know, I can trim these bonsais anytime I want," Moon Bright said. "These plans are too important to wait on for trees. Can we skip to the planning instead, please?"

"Sounds great," Twilight Sparkle said. She froze for a moment, during which an almost anxious look crossed her face. "Will... TJ be getting up anytime soon?"

Moon Bright looked to Twilight as she raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know," Moon Bright said. A big smile slowly crossed her face. "I can get him up for ya if you'd like."

"Wait!" Twilight Sparkle let out in panic. "No! Please! Moon Bright!"

" _Hey, TJ!_ " Moon Bright shouted out. " _Get your lazy flank up! Your marefriend wants to talk to you! She says she wants to kiss ya!_ "

" _Moon Bright!_ " Twilight Sparkle let out with embarrassed panic.

The unicorn mare turned to Twilight with her most evil-looking smile yet.

"Gotcha," Moon Bright said before she started howling with laughter. "Surprise! TJ's not here!"

"He's not?" Twilight Sparkle asked as the red from her face slowly faded.

"No, he left earlier this morning," Moon Bright said. "He went to go help with a shipment from Sea Hoof's boat."

"Oh," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah, he goes around helping with all sorts of odd jobs," Moon Bright said. "That's not always easy, though. The time he gets up for a gig varies from job to job because they all require different hours. I gotta say, though, this is one of the earlier times he's gotten up. But he can take it.

"He's a tough boy... and a really good one."

"Yes... he is," Twilight Sparkle said as a small smile crossed her face.

"A good stallion should also have a good mare," Moon Bright said. "I don't know many others better than you, Twilight Sparkle."

The violet alicorn lightly blushed, but caught herself.

"Let's just get on with these plans, okay?" Twilight Sparkle requested.

"That's fine, dear," Moon Bright said, though she couldn't help but chuckle.

* * *

 **A SHORT TIME LATER IN THE VILLAGE:**

Muse, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie walked along one of many bridges that made up Willowbrook's upper levels. They were only slightly surprised to see there were some other ponies out and about as well. It was nearly seven o'clock in the morning and the early working ponies were out doing their jobs. Others were just going about their daily routines and habits they had developed overtime. Then there were those who just had a hard time sleeping and couldn't find any relief, so they went out walking instead.

It didn't take the trio of mares long to leave the system of bridges and huts above. They very quickly made their way to the forest floor below were many wagons, stands, and other things were scattered about.

"So what should we do?" Pinkie Pie asked as she eagerly looked around.

"Well, I don't see anypony we know that well," Rarity said.

"Me neither," Muse said. "I think it might be a while before they all get up, though."

Pinkie Pie and Rarity spoke in agreement as they nodded their heads.

"Then, like Pinkie said, what should we do?" Rarity asked.

"Well..." Muse said as she thought about it. "Why don't we go see Godzilla and Anguirus?"

"Huh?" Rarity and Pinkie Pie asked together.

"Well, we haven't done it in a day or two," Muse said. "Maybe they'll be happy to see us."

"But we won't be able to understand what they're saying to us without Fluttershy," Rarity pointed out.

"So?" Muse asked. "We can still say, 'hi'. I could never understand Anguirus before and I always hung out with him."

"Yeah and we hung out with Godzilla, with or without Fluttershy,, too, Rarity," Pinkie Pie said.

"All fair points," Rarity said. "I was just saying I like having two way conversations is all. Plus, I know Godzilla usually enjoys it, too. But you're both right. They'll be happy to see us anyways."

"Then it's settled," Pinkie Pie said.

The three mares made their way through the village as they headed for Anguirus and Godzilla's den.

"You know, it's still fairly early in the morning, darlings," Rarity said. "Godzilla and Anguirus could still be sleeping."

"If they are, then we just leave," Pinkie Pie said. "Then we think of something else to do. It's no big deal."

"Nothing to worry about," Muse said. "I don't think three little ponies could wake up two giant kaiju anyway."

"Oh, we probably could if we put our minds to it and felt enough like being pests," Pinkie Pie said.

"Well, I think we can all agree we value our lives too much to be that self destructive," Rarity said.

"Mm-hmm," Pinkie Pie and Muse said together.

The trio were surprised when they suddenly spotted Fluttershy flying towards them in, what seemed to be, a panic. She came down the trail from the exact direction the three mares had been walking toward. When Fluttershy spotted all her friends, she flew faster and didn't stop until she was right in front of them. Fluttershy then landed on the ground and let out several heavy breaths. The others quickly gathered around as they tried to comfort Fluttershy and check on her.

"Dang, Fluttershy, what happened?!" Muse asked in concern.

"Yeah, you look like you've seen a ghost," Pinkie Pie said. "Ooh, did you?! Did you see a ghost?! Was it a friendly ghost with three mean uncles?!"

"I..." Fluttershy finally managed to gasp out. "I... can't find... Godzilla and Anguirus."

The other three mares gasped in disbelief.

"What do you mean you can't find them?!" Muse asked in alarm.

"Aren't they at their den?" Rarity asked.

"No," Fluttershy said in between coughs and breaths. "I checked there three times. I checked everywhere I could think of without going too far."

Muse, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie all began looking around as if they would be able to spot the two kaiju immediately.

"How can you lose two giant monsters?" Rarity asked.

"Well, this forest is pretty big," Pinkie Pie said. "And, in case you haven't noticed, it's _kind of_ _unnatural_." Pinkie then looked to Muse with an apologetic smile. "No offense."

"None taken," Muse said as she looked around. She thought as hard as she could to figure out where the two monsters could've gone. "Let's go to the field!"

"What makes you think they'd be there?" Rarity asked.

"It's just a feeling I have," Muse said.

Rather than question it, the other three mares all agreed. All four ponies then fell in line as they took off for the field.

* * *

In what seemed like no time at all, the four pony mares stood in the middle of the wide open field that probably could've held more than thirty kaiju. They had all stopped to catch their breaths, for they had been running and flying non-stop for a good long while. As they all stood and hovered in place, they kept looking around for their giant friends.

"Alright, we're here," Rarity said. "So where are they?"

"I don't know," Muse said. "I don't even know if Godzilla and Anguirus really even came out this way."

Suddenly several loud roars rang out through the air.

"Did you all hear that?" Fluttershy asked.

"Sure did," Pinkie Pie said.

"They could hear that in Van Hoover," Rarity said.

They all listened closer as they tried to track down exactly where the roars were coming from. It was then that they heard what sounded like thunder crashing in the air. All four ponies looked on in alarm, for they knew if that sound came in tandem with monster roars, it usually meant-

" _A fight!_ " the four mares all said together.

"It sounds like it's coming from that way!" Fluttershy said as she pointed.

"Come on, everypony, let's make hoof tracks!" Pinkie Pie let out.

The four mares moved even faster than they had before as they ran and flew in the direction Fluttershy believed the kaiju were in. At the same time, several smaller animals like birds, rabbits, and deer were running and flying away from where the sounds came from.

"Look, I think I see them!" Pinkie Pie said as she stopped and pointed.

Everypony else stopped as they looked. They all spotted what looked like large specks against the landscape. Everypony knew the truth as soon as they saw them.

"Yeah, that's them," Muse said.

Everypony focused closely as they tried to figure out what was going on and why they were out there.

"What are they doing, though?" Rarity asked.

"Come on, let's get closer," Fluttershy said.

The other ponies agreed and resumed their trek across the field. Naturally, as they all got closer, they began to see what was happening a lot clearer. What they saw, however, made them wish they couldn't see the sight at all.

"Are... Are they fighting?" Pinkie Pie asked in confusion.

"That must be your eyes playing tricks on you, Pinkie," Rarity said.

"Then my eyes must be messing with me, too," Muse said. "Because I see them going at it, too."

"Me... Me, too," Fluttershy struggles to say, her voice conveying her horror.

"But... it can't be," Rarity said. "Why would they be-?"

"All we can do is reach them and try to find out," Muse said, her voice sounding more agitated than she meant it to.

"How are we suppose to find out anything from those two when they're in the middle of a fight?!" Pinkie Pie asked, sounding just as upset.

Nopony answered, for they didn't have one. They just kept on moving as fast as they could. None of the mares stopped even when they could clearly see what was going on with the two monsters. They didn't stop until it felt like the rumbling in the ground the kaiju caused could knock them off their hooves. While part of them wanted to keep going and try to stop the monsters' fight, the mere sight of the two warring kaiju was too much to overcome.

Even then, some of the mares thought maybe they were too close. Still, they stayed where they were as they watched Godzilla and Anguirus struggle against each other like starving animals scraping for the last bit of food. It looked as violent, aggressive, and vicious as could be as the two titans of terror fought against one another. Anguirus stood on his hind legs as he pressed his body against Godzilla's, swiping his front claws and biting his teeth into his foe's flesh. Likewise, Godzilla did all of that with the only difference being he seemed to be able to do it better since he was more natural standing on two legs.

One major hinder on him getting an advantage, though, was the spikes of Anguirus' shell pressing into his body, causing him a lot of pain. Both monsters were moving with speed, thrust, and agility that defied the massive sizes they were. The close combat came to an end, though when Godzilla, in an amazing display of strength, shoved Anguirus away. The power Godzilla put into this simple maneuver made Anguirus stumble back quite a distance. Still, the four legged, spiky shelled kaiju managed to keep from falling off his feet, even though he was still only on two feet.

Anguirus safely got back down to four feet and made a battle stance as he prepared to launch another strike against Godzilla. The King of Monsters did the same, taking a battle stance as he stared intensely at Anguirus, who stared back with the same intensity. Both kaiju were completely concentrated as they circled each other and prepared to attack, much to the horror of the ponies watching on the sidelines. Rarity even raised a hoof to her head and fainted just as Godzilla and Anguirus crashed into each other. Godzilla tried wrapping his arms over the top of Anguirus' shell and under his body, while the four legged kaiju pushed his body upward.

Aside from pressing his spikes into Godzilla's body, Anguirus broke free of the grip Godzilla couldn't fully establish and got up on his hind legs again. Once more, the two kaiju were biting and clawing at one another like they were blood rivals. They also continued to crash against each other in an attempt to knock the other off their feet. Both stood their ground, though, despite Godzilla feeling immense pain from Anguirus' spikes. Godzilla was eventually able to get his hands on Anguirus and force him back down on all fours.

He then kicked his foot into Anguirus' face, making him stumble back a few steps. Anguirus stared angrily at his foe before swinging his tail up and across Godzilla's face. This blow made Godzilla take a step back, leaving Anguirus an opening to charge forth. As he ran, Anguirus sprung up on his hind legs again, crashing his body into Godzilla's. Once more, the kaiju king wrapped his arms around his incredibly aggressive opponent

As the two giants of devastation clashed, the ponies kept watching. Their horror and sadness increased with every second. The sight of two of their closest friends fighting like this nearly made them sick to their stomach. They were literally feeling ill, like they could throw up at any second.

"Th- This just can't be," Rarity gasped out.

"How could they do this?" Muse said, sounding like she was one the verge of tears.

"Why?" Pinkie Pie said in stunned disbelief.

Fluttershy's whole body shook before she flew up high into the air and screamed out loudly.

" _STOP!_ " Fluttershy shrieked. " _STOP THIS RIGHT NOW! YOU'RE BEST FRIENDS! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO EACH OTHER?! STOP!_ "

Surprisingly, Godzilla's ears actually seemed to be able to pick up Fluttershy's screaming voice. However, he only faintly heard it, so he couldn't pick up exactly what she was saying, nor could he tell it was Fluttershy's voice he heard. Because he was so distracted, Godzilla's grip on Anguirus slipped. This caused Anguirus, who was pressing hard against Godzilla, to slip down to all fours. During the fall, the crown of spikes resting atop Anguirus' head crashed directly into Godzilla's kneecap.

Godzilla's eyes widened like a cartoon character's as a tremendous amount of pain tingled through his whole knee. The giant saurian shrieked out as he grabbed one hand to his knee while holding the other one up to Anguirus in a stopping motion. The spike covered kaiju's vicious expression softened greatly into one of panicked concern and even regret. Anguirus tried to get in closer as he let out a roar, much softer than those he had let out before. Godzilla roared back as he continued to hold his hand up to Anguirus, indicating he wanted the four legged monster to stay back.

He rubbed his knee while both monsters looked to it tentatively. This caused a great deal of confusion among the four ponies watching it all happen. It was plain to see by the expressions on their faces.

" _Huh?!_ " the four mares let out together.

"Wh-wha?" Muse barely managed to let out.

"The heck?" Pinkie Pie said.

The mares on the ground looked up to Fluttershy, who looked back and shrugged. She then turned away from them and flew in closer to the two kaiju that had just seemed like they wanted to kill each other before. As Fluttershy got closer, she saw that Godzilla's knee seemed to be doing better and both kaiju appeared to be happy about it. Before they could do anything else, Godzilla spotted Fluttershy coming out of the corner of his eye. He smiled brightly as he waved to Fluttershy, Anguirus following suit.

"Do either of you want to tell me what that was about?" Fluttershy demanded as she hovered close to the two kaiju.

They both looked at her in confusion and asked what Fluttershy was talking about.

"You know what I'm talking about!" Fluttershy said with her forelegs crossed and an angry frown on her face. "Why were the two of you fighting each other?! It looked like you were trying to tear each other limb from-"

Fluttershy couldn't even finish her sentence and actually had to fight to keep herself from vomiting. Godzilla and Anguirus looked to each other in realization and even almost face palmed at the situation. Fluttershy saw both kaiju smiling and almost seemed to be letting out chuckling roars.

"What's so funny?!" Fluttershy asked.

The other ponies easily picked up the roars of Godzilla and Anguirus as they talked with Fluttershy. From their body movements and the way their roars sounded, it was pretty clear they were trying to explain the situation.

"So what do you think they're saying?" Muse asked.

"I don't know, I'm not Fluttershy," Pinkie Pie said. "Though I have been told she sounds like me sometimes... I wonder why that is."

All of a sudden, the trio of Muse, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity heard Fluttershy belt out with the loudest laugh they'd ever heard from her.

"I am so sorry, you guys!" Fluttershy said. "We thought you were trying to kill each other... Oh, boy, we were so scared."

Anguirus roared to Fluttershy, asking her to tell the others everything was fine.

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to let them know," Fluttershy said as she started to fly away. "Thank you both for being so patient and understanding. Feel free to carry on whenever."

Godzilla and Anguirus waved to Fluttershy, who waved back as she flew over to where she had left her fellow mares. When Fluttershy landed and turned to her friends, they all had looks of mass confusion on their faces. Fluttershy could only smile and giggle as she raised a hoof to her mouth.

"What the heck's going on, Fluttershy?!" Muse asked.

"Yeah, really, what's the dealio?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," Fluttershy said as she continued to chuckle.

" _Nothing?!_ " Rarity let out. "How could you call what we just saw nothing?!"

"I'm sorry," Fluttershy said in between laughs. "I should probably explain."

"Yes, perhaps you should," Rarity said.

"Please do," Muse and Pinkie Pie said together.

"They were just sparring," Fluttershy said.

The other three ponies stood for a moment before they all busted out laughing, which Fluttershy quickly joined in.

"They were just training using mock combat?" Muse asked.

"Not even that," Fluttershy said. "They were more or less playing around."

"But it looked so real," Rarity said.

"Of course it did, they're giant monsters," Pinkie Pie said. "Any sort of fighting they do is going to look real to us even if they're playing because they're so big. That's how professional wrestlers get away with it, ya know."

"If you can call what they do now and days getting away with it," Rarity said mockingly. The white furred unicorn noticed her friends staring curiously at her, to which she just grinned sheepishly. "I- I took Sweetie Belle once because she asked me to."

" _Right_ ," Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy said, stretching the word out.

"So... what do we do now?" Muse asked.

"Well, we said we would meet Twilight here anyways," Pinkie Pie said. "So I say we grab a seat, get comfy and enjoy the show."

"Show?" the other three ponies asked together.

"Sure," Pinkie Pie said. "Since we know they're not actually trying to kill each other, I think it's okay if we enjoy their rough housing."

The other ponies looked to each other for a moment before eventually shrugging and seating themselves on the grassy ground. They all had smiles on their faces as they saw Godzilla and Anguirus preparing to start their exhibition once more. They stopped for a quick moment as they looked in the direction of their pony friends. They waved and smiled, which the ponies all returned in kind. They weren't sure if the two giants could really see them do it or not, but they still did it for manners' sake.

The two kaiju then looked to each other with focused, confident, and determined smiles. The pony quartet were all on the edge of their seats in anticipation for the coming match up. Both monsters let out mighty roars as they stomped at each other as fast as they could. As soon as the two monsters collided, the ponies all began cheering.

" _Whoo!_ " Muse whooped. " _Go, Anguirus!_ "

"Do your best, Godzilla," Fluttershy let out in a much calmer and collected manner. "Yay."

" _Yeah, go, Godzilla!_ " Pinkie Pie cheered." _Give him the chair!_ "

Fluttershy and Muse looked to her in confusion. Their expression turned to shocked, wide eyed expressions when all of a sudden, this happened.

" _The heck with that!_ " Rarity shrieked out like a possessed pony. Her face also resembled that of someone possessed. " _Get the table! Testify!_ "

Rarity noticed everypony was looking at her, which made her chuckle and smile with embarrassment. She rubbed a hoof on the back of her neck as her face turned bright red. The rest of the pony mares looked to each other questioningly. Ultimately they made a silent decision to just move on and act like it didn't happen. Instead, they watched as Godzilla and Anguirus continued to wrestle with one another.

"Looks like Godzilla might take it to him," Pinkie Pie said with a smirk as she raised her eyebrows twice.

"As if," Muse said. "Anguirus is going to take G down easily!"

Muse knew what she was saying was highly unlikely, but she still felt the need to support her friend.

"Oh, yeah?" Pinkie Pie said with a playfully competitive tone.

"Yeah," Muse replied.

The two ponies got closer to each other until their foreheads were pressed together.

"Wanna put some money on it?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Sure do," Muse said, even though she knew she'd probably lose the bet.

"I've got ten bits on Godzilla," Pinkie Pie said.

"You're covered and I raise you twenty," Muse said.

" _Put me down for forty on Godzilla!_ " Rarity cried out.

This led to another awkward exchange of silence and facial expressions both of confusion and embarrassment.

"Let's just call the whole thing off," Pinkie Pie said.

"Agreed," everypony else involved said.

"Agreed," Fluttershy added.

Everypony looked to her to which she just blushed, smiled, and giggled. They resumed watching as Godzilla and Anguirus continued to go at it. They started out pressing their bodies against each other. But then Godzilla tried for a headlock. Anguirus fought against it, though and it was hard to tell which way the struggle would go.

"Go, Godzilla and Anguirus," Fluttershy called out quietly. "You both rock. Whoo-hoo."

"Even if they are just playing?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I think it's more than just playing, Pinkie Pie," Rarity said.

"That might've been a poor choice of words earlier," Fluttershy said.

"Yes, I suspect it's more so they're doing actual training," Rarity said. "You know, trying to sharpen their skills, come up with new attack strategies, something like that. They're also trying to keep their strength up, I'm sure."

Muse watched intently as the wrestling match between the two colossal animals continued.

"Good thing, cause anypony knows Anguirus needs it," Muse said.

The mares of the Mane Six detected the ever so slightest hint of sadness in their alicorn friend's voice with that sentence.

"Oh, I'm sure Godzilla needs it, too," Fluttershy said.

"It was probably his idea so he could keep himself in tip-top shape," Pinkie Pie said.

"He probably asked Anguirus to be his sparring partner because, let's face it, he's never _ever_ had an opportunity like this before," Rarity said.

"Godzilla may need it, but not nearly as much as Anguirus," Muse said. "I hate to say it, but it always broke my heart to watch Anguirus get tossed around. I pray that his training with Godzilla pays off the way he truly needs it to."

Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity looked to each other, hoping the other would know the right thing to say or do next.

"Well, maybe Anguirus does need it more than Godzilla," Fluttershy said. "But I'm still willing to bet Godzilla needs it a whole lot, too. I know what it's like seeing a friend try to do something and you know they're giving it their all, but they still nearly fail. That almost happened to Godzilla in his fight with Solomon. Remember what happened, though?

"It ended up being Anguirus who came in and saved the day and Godzilla. So either way, I'm sure these sparring sessions are just as important to each kaiju."

"Thanks, Fluttershy," Muse said as she smiled to her friend, who responded in kind.

"I hope they take it a little easier, though," Pinkie Pie said. "The way they're going, they'll be too tuckered out to fight the real enemy."

"Oh, pish, posh, Pinkie Pie," Rarity said. "I'm sure they know best what their limits are and when is the appropriate time to stop. I'm just glad to look at them and know that they aren't really trying to brutalize each other. I'm glad they are still really good friends."

"Yeah, I'm glad we found out the truth," Muse said. "My heart was in my throat. I've never been so scared before in my life... I think."

"Had to think about it for a moment did ya?" Pinkie Pie asked as she and the others shared a laugh.

"I was gonna say," Muse said in between laughs.

"I had to think about it, too, darling," Rarity said. "I've had many rather frightening encounters and experiences in my life as well."

"I'm sure we all have," Fluttershy said.

"This is still in the top ten, though," Muse said.

"That's for sure," Pinkie Pie said. "Maybe even top five."

"Luckily we had Fluttershy here to direct traffic and help us sort everything out," Muse said.

"Oh, I'm sure you all would've figured it out eventually," Fluttershy said.

"Maybe, but since you were here, we didn't have to wait for eventually," Pinkie Pie said brightly.

"Seriously, that's one heck of a talent to get your cutie mark for," Muse said. "That _is_ why you got your cutie mark, right?"

"Oh, yes, it is, Muse," Fluttershy said as she looked to the pink butterflies on her flank.

Everypony else looked at what was basically the permanent badge of honor on Fluttershy's side before looking to their own.

"That's awesome," Muse said. But I got to ask, how is it that you're able to understand animal sounds as spoken words?"

"Hmm," Fluttershy hummed as she carefully pondered the question. It was easy to tell that this was the very first time she ever really thought about it. "I'm... not really sure to be honest."

"Whoa, I can't believe nopony thought to ask Fluttershy until now," Pinkie Pie said.

"Nor can I," Rarity said in disbelief.

"Then do you at least know why animals seem to be able to understand what ponies say, but can't say things the way they do?" Muse asked.

"Uh... I think Twilight said once that it was an evolutionary thing?" Fluttershy said in uncertainty.

"Huh?" the other ponies said in confusion.

"I'm honestly not sure of that either," Fluttershy said.

"I was afraid of that," Muse said.

"Sorry I'm not more help," Fluttershy said.

"Oh, don't be sorry, Fluttershy," Muse said supportively. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You shouldn't be expected to know of an... abnormality when other ponies don't either."

"But I'm the pony with the abnormality," Fluttershy said.

"That's actually a bad word for it," Muse said as she thought of something better. "A gift! That's it, you have a gift. I'm sure lots of ponies who have had gifts didn't completely figure them out on the first day or maybe even at all."

"You think so?" Fluttershy said.

"It's more like a guess," Muse said. "But a pretty safe one, I'd say. Things like this gotta be pretty rare, am I right? I mean, they don't call them gifts for nothing."

"All excellent points, Muse, darling," Rarity said.

"One last question, Fluttershy," Muse said. "Do you think there might be more ponies out there that can talk to animals?"

"Hmm," Fluttershy hummed as she thought about it. "I guess it's just as likely that there might be more ponies who can talk to animals as it as that there aren't. What about you, Muse? What does your cutie mark represent?"

"Yeah, what's your special talent?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Oh, this old thing?" Muse asked. The multi-colored alicorn looked at the symbol on her own flank. "Basically what I can say from my own personal experiences, and what other ponies have told me, it means I'm very talented in the arts."

"Ooh," the other three mares said.

"Painting, writing, even culinary arts, stuff like that," Muse said.

"That explains those awesome brownies," Pinkie Pie said.

"And I'm willing to bet your natural skills that earned you that cutie mark played a part in your marvelous sewing skills as well," Rarity said.

"Thank you, both," Muse said. "Still, I'd trade some of those skills for the chance to talk to an animal. I'd especially like to talk to Anguirus for sure, or even Godzilla. They're so amazing."

The four mares looked to the astounding creatures that were Godzilla and Anguirus, two mighty, almost god-like animals. Yet they were also some of the closest and truly best friends the ponies ever had.

"They really are wonderful aren't they?" Rarity said with wonder.

"Mm-hmm," Muse and Fluttershy said together.

"No kidding," Pinkie Pie agreed.

"They're so powerful, yet they do the right thing when it comes to being a good friend," Fluttershy said.

"What exactly does constitute as being a good friend?" Muse asked.

The other three ponies thought about it for a moment.

"Basically, it's trying to find out what's the right thing for your friends," Fluttershy said.

"Then doing the right thing for your friends," Rarity said.

"At the right time," Pinkie Pie said.

"It's a little more intricate, but that's the bare basics of it," Rarity said.

"I figured it was probably something like that," Muse said. "I guess I was hoping you would go into all the details."

"It really doesn't need a lot of explaining," Fluttershy said. "At least not usually. Most of the time you just have to feel it. I feel like you're a good friend, Muse."

Pinkie Pie and Rarity spoke in agreement.

"Thanks, guys," Muse said. "I feel the same about you, too."

"I know Anguirus and Godzilla feel that way about you, too," Fluttershy said. "You can show them with the special talents that got you your cutie mark, Muse. You don't need to wish to be anything else. You don't need to be able to talk directly to Anguirus or Godzilla."

"I know," Muse said. "To be fair, most of these skills, possibly all of them, can help a pony out with everyday life. I still wish I knew how to use them to help against the minotaurs, though."

"Oh, I'm sure you could if you thought hard enough," Fluttershy said.

"You think so?" Muse inquired.

"Possibly," Rarity said. "Perhaps we could help you figure that out at some point."

"Really?" Muse asked. "You'd be willing to help me find a way to fight the minotaurs."

"Hmm, well, maybe not the _minotaurs_ per say," Pinkie Pie said.

"But certainly something of similar magnitude in the future," Rarity said.

"For now, you should leave the minotaurs to us," Pinkie Pie said.

"So you all don't think I should get directly involved with the minotaurs, too?" Muse asked. "I guess you've all been talking with Twilight."

"Yes and it's something we all strongly agree with," Rarity said.

"I was thinking that even before we discussed it," Fluttershy said.

"That was my basic consensus before the conversation as well, I must say," Rarity said.

"Yeah, me too," Pinkie Pie said. "For now, it's best that you just leave the big bull, butt-whoopin' rodeo to us. I mean, we came here to do it so you all wouldn't have to, remember? Huh? Huh? Ya remember that?"

"Yeah, I do," Muse said. "It's just that..." Muse sighed before moving on. "I've been so afraid of getting directly involved with this fight. But now that I know how to use... well, _everything_ for the most part, I kind of feel like I... like I have to. I don't know, maybe it's just me being foolish and ready to rush into something."

"Maybe, but, Muse, you really should try and fight those urges," Fluttershy said. "You literally just learned how to do all these things the proper way."

"Trying to use them to the capacity you're suggesting is... well, frankly as you put it: foolish," Rarity said. "Only fools rush in, darling."

"It's a problem I've dealt with for years," Pinkie Pie said while suddenly dressed as a jester while riding a unicycle and honking a bike horn while juggling fish. Though baffled at first, the other three mares ended up laughing at their friend's antics. "Always trying to juggle more fish than I'm ready for. Speaking of which... Going in for a landing!"

Pinkie Pie struggled with maintaining control of the fish she was juggling until eventually they slipped out of her hooves. When she tried to grab them, she tilted to far to the side and ended up falling into the grass. Her friends laughed even harder, though they pulled her up and made sure she was okay.

"You alright?" Muse asked.

"I'm just Pinkie being Pinkie," the Earth pony assured her friends.

"Good to know," Muse said.

"Does anypony truly know?" Pinkie Pie asked.

After a few more laughs, Muse quickly shifted back to being serious.

"You know something," Muse said. "I see all of you outsiders from the mainland, and even locals like Firefly, my mom, my brother, and Anguirus. I see all of you being so proactive in this situation and I guess... it just inspires me to be, too."

"Well, that's very nice of you to say, Muse, and we all thank you for feeling that way," Fluttershy said.

"Indeed," Rarity said. "Such kind words from our supporters help to inspire us as well. But if I were you with such a desire to help, I would suggest doing so in a way that doesn't involve engaging the minotaurs in direct combat."

"That's what Twilight said," Muse said.

"And you didn't think she was on to something?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I guess I just needed a second opinion is all," Muse said.

"Well now, that's four!" Pinkie Pie said in a vampire voice. "Four opinions you have now. Ah, ah, ah."

"So what's important for you to do now, Muse, is think of ways you can help that don't involve fighting," Fluttershy said. "But also remember to practice everything you know so you can join us next time."

"You'd really let mt join you on another quest of yours in the future?" Muse asked with excitement.

"Provided you work on those things we discussed, darling," Rarity said. "I think it would be great having you along for the ride on future adventures."

" _Oh, we'll go sailing and exploring and be back in time for bed!_ " Pinkie Pie sang.

"That would be so great!" Muse exclaimed. "I only hope I'll know when the absolute right time to do it will be."

"You'll know," Fluttershy said.

"And when you know, we'll know, ya know?" Pinkie Pie said.

Everypony lightly chuckled as they embraced happily and watched the sparring match between Godzilla and Anguirus go on.

* * *

 **Looks like Godzilla and Anguirus are training for the main event. Perhaps they feel it's coming soon. Perhaps they feel it deep in their bones. Anyways, I want to address some things:**

 **1\. I thought turning Rarity into a wrestling mark would be funny. Also I wanted the chance to show off how big of a wrestling fan I used to be. One of the reviews I got on this story really pumped me up with the dude using terminology from Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson. LOL**

 **2.** **I wanted to answer a question posed to me recently about a Godzilla/Equestria Girls crossover story I'll be doing in the future. The question itself was whether it would take place in this continuity or be in an alternate universe from this series. I want everyone here to note any and all Godzilla/MLP crossovers I do will all take place in the same continuity, including crossovers with Equestria Girls. Like I said before I had already been working on this particular story, Godzillafan1, when you suggested that April Fools Day trailer to me. I'm taking what I felt were the best elements from that trailer and adapting them to my original outline. I know you said you wanted it to be an alternate timeline, but I'm sorry. This is just the way it is because it's the way _I_ want it.**

 **3\. I will not be adding Rodan or any other monsters suggested by readers. I know people want something like this and like to make their own suggestions for the story. As much as I would like my own little version of "Godzilla and his Amazing Friends" in this story, it doesn't fit with the vision I had for it. It was only meant to be Godzilla and Anguirus and the villains I chose and so it will stay. Feel free to keep making suggestions, but in the end, I'm going to do what _I_ think is best for it.  
**

 **4\. Big stuff is coming soon, I swear. It's just taking a while to get to it and it's hard to work on this story lately. It's just really hard for me right now because not only is it the holidays, but I'm also dealing with family drama right now.**

 **Anyways, I won't lay the drama of my personal life on ya, folks. Just bare with me, please. Anyways, please leave a review of any kind you wish so long at it's an actual review and all criticism is constructive. In case I can't later on, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukah, a Happy Kwanzaa, and an overall Happy Holidays. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	20. Chapter 20: A Splash at the Lake

"Thank you again, Moon Bright," Twilight Sparkle said as she was walking out of the hut. "I can't wait to get everyone else together so we can go over these plans we came up with. I'm sure they'll be as happy with the plans as I am."

" _Thank you_ , Twilight," a beaming Moon Bright said. "I'm glad you're like what we came up with. I honestly wasn't sure if I could keep up with you, but I'm happy with how things progressed, too. "

"Never doubt yourself," Twilight Sparkle said. "You're a resourceful pony. I knew it the first time we talked and I was proven right here."

"Aww, you're such a sweetheart," Moon Bright said.

"I'm going to go find the others," Twilight Sparkle said. "Maybe we'll gather and do something fun before we all come back and go over these plans together."

"That sounds fine to me," Moon Bright said. "Ponies above know we could use all the good times we can get right now."

"Why don't you come with us?" Twilight Sparkle suggested.

"Oh, no, I can't," Moon Bright said. "I'm so old now, I would never be able to keep up with all you younger ponies. Plus, I'm the village chief and a chief's work is never done. In other words, I need to be here to do some chiefing. It's okay, though, you'll will have more fun without me."

"I doubt that, but I understand where you're coming from," Twilight Sparkle said. "I guess we'll see you later then?"

"You can count on it," Moon Bright said. "Goodbye, Twilight."

"Bye, Moon Bright," Twilight Sparkle said with a small wave.

Twilight Sparkle had just barely begun to walk away when a group of ponies walked passed her. She turned and watched as they knocked at the entry way of Moon Bright's hut. Shortly afterwards, Moon Bright herself invited them all in.

 _I see what she means about a chief's work never being done_ , Twilight Sparkle thought to herself. _I get how you feel, Moon Bright. Sometimes I feel that way with my princess duties._

Eventually, Twilight Sparkle turned away and proceeded towards her hut. When she got there, though, she found that none of her friends were around.

 _All of them must be up now and are probably walking around somewhere in the village_ , Twilight Sparkle thought to herself. She decided to go out and find them. Only problem is she didn't know exactly where to start looking. They could literally be anywhere from the monsters' den to Firefly's hut, and so on. That was when Twilight thought of a place she was pretty sure that at least some of her friends might be.

Twilight Sparkle recalled telling Muse, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie she'd meet them at the field at some point.

 _Maybe they're already there_ , Twilight Sparkle speculated. Deciding it was a safe bet, she flew into the air and took off in that direction. She also decided she would check the kaiju's den since it was in the same direction. Fluttershy at least was almost guaranteed to be there. Besides, even if nopony was present, Twilight could at least say "hi" to Godzilla and Anguirus.

She wouldn't have to wait that long to find some of her friends, though. As Twilight Sparkle took a brief look down at the ground, she instantly spotted Applejack and Firefly talking to each other side-by-side. Twilight Sparkle changed her trajectory and slightly sped up, her excitement sort of getting the best of her. She manged to get control of herself, though, and safely landed on the ground close by to where her friends were.

"Hey!" Twilight Sparkle called out happily as she waved.

Applejack and Firefly looked to the excited alicorn. They greeted her with smiles and waves of their own as Twilight walked up to them.

"Hey, Twilight!" Firefly called back.

"Howdy, Twi!" Applejack called.

When they were all close enough, Twilight and her two friends exchanged a quick hug.

"You're all up early," Twilight Sparkle said.

The two mares gave their princess friend confused expressions.

"What are you talking about, Twilight?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, it's only three minutes before ten," Firefly said.

"Really?" Twilight Sparkle asked in disbelief. The two mares simply nodded their heads. "Huh... Guess that meeting took longer than it felt."

"What meeting?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, I met up with Moon Bright earlier this morning to go over plans of attack against the minotaurs," Twilight Sparkle explained.

"Is that so?" Firefly asked with great interest. "How did that go?"

"Great, I think," Twilight Sparkle said. "I think we came up with some really good strategies that may just win us this thing."

"That _does_ sounds great, Twilight," Applejack said.

"Yeah, sounds like you came up with some real winners," Firefly said. "Then again, you got a winning combination of you and Crescent coming up with the plans. Anything you two come up with can't possibly fail."

"Well, I won't go that far, but I'm fairly certain these plans we made won't," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Your words say maybe, but that smile on your face is more confident than the Lone Pony at a shoot out," Applejack said.

Twilight's smile only got bigger despite her friend pointing it out.

"I can't help it," Twilight Sparkle said. "I really think what we wrote down will guarantee the liberation of the ponies of Pony Tale Island."

"That's the best news I've heard in a long time," Firefly said. "Maybe even a lifetime. Did the two of you write the plans down on paper?"

"Yes, Moon Bright's got them back at her hut," Twilight Sparkle explained. "We agreed we wanted everypony gathered together when we go over them."

"That makes sense," Firefly said. "So are you gathering up everypony so we can do that?"

"Yes, but not until later," Twilight Sparkle said. "Moon Bright has some chief duties she has to take care of first. So I figured in the meantime that I could gather everypony so we could do something fun together."

"I like the sound of that," Applejack said, sounding extra enthused.

"Me, too," Firefly said. "I'm in."

"Same," Applejack said.

"Great!" Twilight Sparkle said. "Now I just need to find everypony else."

"Well, ya don't have to look far for TJ," Applejack said.

"What do you mean?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Oh, he went out with a group of ponies earlier today," Firefly said.

"Yeah, to help with a shipment from Sea Hoof's ship," Twilight Sparkle said. "Moon Bright told me about it when I was at her place."

"Bet you were pining over him the entire time you were there, weren't ya?" Applejack said.

The southern Earth pony and Firefly both gave Twilight teasing smiles. She responded with her own, somewhat bashful smile.

"I was not," Twilight said, though her face was turning red.

"Uh-huh, sure," Firefly and Applejack said together.

"Anyways, we were just watching his group coming back from picking up the shipment," Applejack said.

Twilight Sparkle's face instantly lit up, an excited charge going through her.

" _You mean TJ's here right now?!_ " Twilight Sparkle exclaimed excitedly. " _Where is he?!_ "

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy, you poor, colt crazy filly!" Firefly said.

Twilight Sparkle caught herself and tried to get a handle on her emotions. It was obvious, though, that she was still a little embarrassed. Despite that, she was still excited as well.

"We haven't seen him yet," Applejack said. "But that's his group over there pulling the wagons full of food and metal."

Twilight Sparkle looked and saw that there was, indeed a big group of ponies pulling several large wagons. All of them were filled with all sorts of supplies in addition to the ones Applejack mentioned. What they seemed to have the most of, however, were baskets filled with all sorts of food and large bricks of metal. Twilight, Applejack, and Firefly watched them go by, scanning the crowd in hopes of even getting a glimpse of Thunder Jack. They were joined by several other ponies who watched the newly arrived wagon ponies walk on by carrying their large, heavy loads.

"I see him!" Firefly let out.

"So do I!" Applejack agreed.

Twilight Sparkle saw TJ, too. He was further back a ways than the ponies they had been watching go by before. There were still several more ponies pulling wagons behind him, as well. The trio of mares watched and waited as TJ slowly, but surely got closer to them. As he kept getting closer, it became clearer to see that he, like many of the other ponies pulling the wagons, was as tired and exhausted as could be.

They had all gotten up in the very early hours of the day and were just now getting back to the village. On top of that, they were pulling along heavy, wooden wagons the entire time that only became heavier when they picked up their cargo. Still impressive, though, was that TJ managed to pull his wagon all by himself. The other wagons had two or more ponies pulling them, but TJ had elected to pull his wagon alone. His wagon wasn't the biggest of the bunch, nor the smallest, being somewhere more in the middle.

Twilight Sparkle and the others followed the band of wagon ponies to their intended destination. That ended up being one of the bigger huts on the ground. While the metal unloaded from the wagons was taken into the hut, the rest of the supplies were sent elsewhere. Applejack, Firefly, and Twilight Sparkle waited patiently for the moment when TJ was told he could be done for the day. They were right there to greet him the moment he turned around.

A big smile crossed TJ's obviously tired face as he and the mares around him greeted one another. He even managed a half hug with Firefly as everypony talked amongst themselves.

"Whoa," Firefly said after sniffing the recently returned stallion. "TJ, did you take a bath this morning?"

"Why, is there one missing?" TJ asked in a tired breath.

The mares all laughed with genuine amusement.

"We make that joke all the time," Firefly explained.

"Runs in the family," TJ said. "Except when Firefly tells it that is. Then it flies." For a moment everypony was silent as they just stared blankly at TJ. "Tough crowd."

"Nah, you're joke just didn't really... take off," Firefly said.

"We got two bad jokes for the price of one," Applejack said.

"You really _are_ brutally honest, aren't you?" Firefly asked.

"In my defense, I'm pretty tired," TJ said.

"You look it, too," Applejack said.

"You sound like it, too," Twilight Sparkle said. "Every word you say sounds like a gasp of breath hanging on for dear life."

"Well... don't let that fool you, Twilight," TJ said. He cleared his throat and tried his best to talk normally. "I can still go if I have to. I see a minotaur in front of me and I can still take him on."

"Yeah, sure," Firefly said. "We were wondering more if you could still hangout."

"We were all gonna get together and do something as a group," Applejack said. "But we can see you're in serious need of some r and r."

"It's okay, TJ, we understand," Twilight Sparkle said.

" _No!_ " TJ blurted out, eyes wide as could be. He saw the surprised look on the mares' faces and got control of himself. "I mean, no, that's okay. I'm still cool to hangout."

"Are you sure?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "You look like you're about to drop."

"No, no, I'm fine, I'm fine," TJ assured. "I can go for a little while longer so long as I can be with you."

Twilight Sparkle's eyes flickered for only a moment, but with a strong sense of emotion. She seemed to be very touched by TJ's words.

"Uh, that is, all of you!" TJ let out quickly. "Yeah, I'd be more than willing to keep going today so I can hangout with all you and the other ponies today."

"Oh, I see," Twilight Sparkle said. "Of course, we'd all be happy to have you, I'm sure."

"Oh, sure," Firefly said as she tried to stifle back her snickering.

Applejack, on the other hoof, was having a bit more trouble doing so.

"I'm sure we'd _all love_ to have you join us," Applejack said. "But nopony more than Twilight."

Twilight and TJ tried at first to ignore the two snickering mares. They ended up shaking their heads, though with amused smiles on their faces.

"Is that true, Twilight?" TJ asked.

"Well... yeah," Twilight Sparkle answered.

"Oh... well... thank you," TJ said.

"You're welcome," Twilight Sparkle responded.

For a very brief moment, the two of them found themselves getting lost in each others gaze. There seemed to be a glimmer in each pony's eyes that neither could get passed, nor did they really want to. Still, they managed to catch themselves and snap out of their near trance.

"Oh, uh!" TJ let out in a panic.

"Yeah!" Twilight Sparkle said in the same manner.

"So, uh... we're gonna grab the others, I guess?" TJ asked.

"That's right," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Cool, cool," TJ said. "Where are they exactly?"

"I think Muse, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie are out at the field," Twilight Sparkle said. "I told them I wanted to meet up with them there and they said, 'okay'."

"I guess that just leaves Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash," Applejack said.

"Well, if you're looking for Rainbow Dash, look no further," TJ said as he turned and pointed a hoof.

The three mares looked to see he was pointing back at the crowd of returning wagon ponies. They quickly spotted Rainbow Dash helping unload metal slabs out of the back of a wagon with four or five other ponies assisting. While Firefly looked on with motherly pride, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack were more so flabbergasted. This was mostly because they knew how early TJ had to get up for the job. They also knew how early Rainbow Dash had to of gotten up so she could go with him.

Getting up early to work just seemed so unlike Rainbow Dash. That was what made it so shocking to them that she did it. TJ saw the look on the two shocked ponies' faces, which made him let out an amused chuckle.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" TJ called out after the blue pegasus was done unloading the metal. Instantly Rainbow Dash looked to see the Earth pony waving her over. "Come on over, our friends want to see us!"

Rainbow Dash's face lit up when she spotted Twilight Sparkle and Applejack. Her happy expression was slightly dimmed when she saw Firefly with them. She ended up just shrugging it off and flew over.

"Hi, guys, what's up?" Rainbow Dash asked as she landed amongst her friends.

"Not you anymore," Applejack said.

Everypony shared a laugh, though Rainbow Dash cut hers off when she noticed Firefly had joined in as well.

"Hi... Firefly," Rainbow Dash just barely managed to force out.

Though the contempt was clear, Firefly was just happy to see it had gotten to the point where her daughter was at least talking to her.

"Good morning, Rainbow Dash," Firefly said. "Or should I saw early morning."

"Really," Twilight Sparkle agreed. "I never would've thought you'd get up that early to do..."

"Anything," Applejack finished.

"Why would you think that?!" Rainbow Dash asked with mild outrage. Both mares gave their rainbow maned friend sideways smirks in reply. "Okay, I get it. I don't know, I... I can't explain it. I got up really early this morning for some reason and couldn't get back to sleep.

"I tossed and turned, but eventually gave up and decided to go flying outside, also for some reason. Then I spotted TJ meeting up with all these other ponies, asked what was up and decided I wanted in. I guess I just... wanted to help, ya know?"

"Now that sounds like you, Rainbow Dash," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Makes much more sense now," Applejack agreed. "Not you getting up early, but going out and helping despite how early it is."

Rainbow Dash responded only with an aggravated frown. This got a laugh from most of the other ponies, though Firefly tried to hold back hers.

"Well, she fooled me," TJ said. "She seemed like a natural being out and about so early. I was thinking to myself, this is definitely Firefly's kid."

TJ realized too late that he probably should've worded that differently. It was obvious Rainbow Dash didn't like being compared to her mother. Because of that, an awkward silence came quickly after.

"What I meant was, Firefly gets up early to start work, too," TJ said. "She's even better about it than I am. It honestly felt like you were better about it than me, too, Rainbow."

"Thanks... I guess," Rainbow Dash said.

"No, _thank you_!" TJ said. "You helped make that cargo run much easier."

"I make everything easier," Rainbow Dash boasted.

"I don't doubt it," TJ said. "We were all glad to have you're help, Rainbow Dash. Thank you very much."

"It's all good, TJ," Rainbow Dash replied.

"By the way, we were all gonna get together and do something," TJ said. "You're gonna join us, right?"

"Of course!" Rainbow Dash said. Her enthusiasm quickly subsided, though, as a frown crossed her face. "Wait a second, is _she coming_ with us?"

Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof to Firefly, who clearly had an upset look on her face.

"Well... yeah," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Of course she is, Rainbow," Applejack said. "She's one of our friends now." Rainbow Dash started to grumble something, but was cut off by Applejack. "Well, she's a friend to the rest of us at least and we want her with us! You got a problem with that?!"

"Maybe I should just sit this one out," Firefly said.

"Nonsense!" Applejack said. "I won't here of it. The rest of us want you there and so long as you wanna go, you're more than welcomed. Now, I'll ask again. You got a problem with that, Rainbow Dash?"

The ponies all looked to Rainbow Dash with hopeful eyes. None, though, were as hopeful as Firefly's. This was one of the few times Rainbow Dash didn't like being the center of attention at all. She groaned and rolled her eyes as the others around her hung on what she would say next.

"No, I guess not," Rainbow Dash said. Everypony else gasped as either smiles or surprised looks crossed their faces. Rainbow Dash then looked to her mother as she said, "Firefly... you obviously make a lot of ponies happy by being around... I don't want to get in the way of that. That's why I'm personally asking you... to please come with us."

"You still gonna join us, too?" TJ asked.

"Well, of course I am!" Rainbow Dash said. "I'm not gonna let anything get in the way of me having a good time with my friends. So let's just do it already!"

"I'm for that," TJ said.

"What did you have in mind, Twilight?" Applejack asked.

"Well, I had planned something out earlier today," Twilight Sparkle said. "But for the life of me, I can't remember what that was now."

"Probably used up all your brain juice making those other plans with Moon Bright," Applejack said.

The other ponies shared a quick laugh with each other.

Maybe," Twilight said in amusement. "Anyways, I figured we could meet up with everypony else and think of something together."

"Sounds good to me," TJ said.

"You said you thought they were at the field, right?" Firefly asked.

"Either that or the monsters' den," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Well, that's perfect," TJ said. "They're both in the same direction."

"Then let's go already!" Rainbow Dash said.

"To the den then," Twilight said.

"To the den!" the others agreed.

The group began to make their way towards the outer rim of the village. As they walked, Firefly managed to make her way next to Rainbow Dash, much to the latter's annoyance.

"Pss, hey, Rainbow Dash," Firefly whispered.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, but rather than ignore her mother, she surprisingly answered her.

"Yeah, what is it?" Rainbow Dash whispered back.

"Thank you for letting me come along and not leaving," Firefly whispered.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Rainbow Dash said.

Firefly turned her head away, but didn't leave her daughter's side. Instead, she leaned in close to Applejack when she saw the Earth pony staring.

"I think you're getting to her," Applejack whispered.

Rainbow Dash groaned as she ever so slightly sped up her walk. The group got to the dwelling area of Godzilla and Anguirus only to find that none of their friends were there. Even more surprising to them was that the monsters themselves weren't there either.

"Hey, they're gone," TJ said. "Anguirus and Godzilla, they're not here."

"Duh, we see that," Rainbow Dash said.

"But where do you think they went?" Applejack asked. "Do you think they were captured somehow?"

"Highly unlikely," Twilight Sparkle said. "I think wherever the rest of our friends are, that's probably where we'll find Godzilla and Anguirus, too."

"And I'm guessing you're still thinking it's the field?" TJ asked.

"It would make sense," Twilight Sparkle said. "There's enough room out there for ten Godzillas to dance the rumba if they wanted."

"Which, for the record, I'd pay a lot of money to see," Firefly said.

"Yeah, me, too," Rainbow Dash said with a laugh.

While everypony else was laughing, Rainbow Dash realized what just happened and silenced herself.

"It may be a sight to see, but I'd rather it not happen," TJ said. "You know, considering, it would cause an earthquake probably strong enough to rip the island in two. The rumbling monsters cause when only two or three are fighting is bad enough. Just imaging ten of them trying to dance!"

"Well, I guess that means we're heading for the field then?" Applejack asked.

"I'd say that's a safe bet," Twilight Sparkle said.

"What if they're not there?" TJ asked as everypony started walking.

"Then I'll fly around, find them, and get them to come out to the field," Rainbow Dash said. "Simple as that. Easy, peasy, one, two, threesy."

"I can dig it," TJ said.

With that, all five ponies made their way through the dense forest terrain in a trek for the wide open spaces ahead.

* * *

It wasn't long before the ponies were out in the fields of Pony Tale Island. The memories of the last two days, which they spent in the field training Muse, were very fresh in everypony's minds. Even though it was technically only two days, everypony involved felt like it lasted much longer. It felt like they had gone through many long months of military boot camp in trying to teach Muse. But just like during the training itself, they had no regrets at all.

While Muse may not have became an elite military soldier, at least she could just live her life normally. Or at least as normally as possible on an island full of monsters and evil minotaurs. At that moment, the group consisting of Twilight Sparkle, TJ, Firefly, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack were having some trouble finding some of those monsters. Most of them thought they'd would instantly spot the giants in the wide open plains. Such was not the case as they all looked around, but found no trace of the kaiju.

"I though you said they'd be here, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said as she flew above.

"I honestly thought they would be," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Well, I can't see them," Rainbow Dash said.

"Me neither," Firefly said, having joined Rainbow Dash in the air.

Upon realizing this, Rainbow Dash flew back to the ground below. It had gone on like this a lot on the way to the field. Rainbow Dash would be somewhere in the air or on the ground and Firefly would be there, too. While it annoyed Rainbow Dash, it was clear Firefly saw it more as a game. Whenever Rainbow Dash would move to avoid Firefly, she would follow her daughter.

While it angered Rainbow Dash, the other ponies actually got a laugh out of it. They did start to feel Firefly was going a little too far near the end, though. Firefly must've thought so, too, because she had stop following Rainbow Dash around. It wasn't until that point she began flying with Rainbow Dash yet again. This time, though, it was specifically to look for Godzilla and Anguirus.

"I can't see them anywhere," Firefly said.

"Well, it is a big field and we literally _just_ got here," TJ said. "I'm sure the others are somewhere around here. We just got to keep looking is all."

"I'll fly up higher and see what I can find," Twilight Sparkle said before taking to the air.

"Me, too," Rainbow Dash said.

As Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash flew, they soon found themselves joined by Firefly. Rather than get agitated, Rainbow Dash decided to just ignore her and focus on the search. The two Earth ponies the flying ponies left behind stood and watched them go for a moment or two.

"So... do you ever wish you had wings and could fly?" Applejack asked.

"You have no idea," TJ said. "I guess we'd better start after them, right?"

"Good thinking, TJ," Applejack said.

"Lead the-" Before TJ could finish, Applejack was already off and running. "Well, that's just cheating."

TJ ran after Applejack as fast as he could. Even though he managed to keep up good enough, TJ was never able to pass Applejack. In the air above, meanwhile, the team of Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Firefly looked for their friends. It came more naturally to both Firefly and Rainbow Dash to do an aerial search. They flew like hawks with just as precise vision and awareness of their surrounding environment.

Thus it was only natural the two mares both spotted two of the friends they were looking for at the exact same time.

"There they are!" Rainbow Dash and Firefly said at the same time while also pointing.

The two pegasi looked to each other with blank expressions. While Firefly's turned into a smile, Rainbow Dash's turned into a frown.

"Where?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"You'll see them in a little bit," Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight Sparkle soon saw they were getting closer to two specks on the ground. As they flew closer, the objects became easier to see. Twilight Sparkle was able to make out more details on the objects because of this. It didn't take her long to realize her friends were correct.

"You guys are right!" Twilight Sparkle said. "That's Godzilla and Anguirus down there!"

"Let's go down for a closer look," Firefly suggested.

The three ponies lowered themselves closer to the ground as they continued their approach.

"It looks like they're sprawled out on the ground," Twilight Sparkle said.

"They're sleeping," Rainbow Dash and Firefly said at the same time.

They looked to each other. While Firefly laughed, Rainbow Dash growled.

"Could you stop doing that?!" Rainbow Dash said.

"I'm sorry, I'm not doing it on purpose," Firefly said, though she was clearly still laughing. "You just happen to start talking when I do."

"Or maybe you're beginning to talk at the same time I do!" Rainbow Dash retorted.

"Isn't that the same thing?" Twilight Sparkle asked in confusion.

Rainbow Dash was silent for a moment, for she had to think on an answer.

"No," Rainbow Dash said, though her tone was uncertain. "I- It's not... Totally different."

" _Right_ ," Twilight Sparkle said, stretching the word.

"Hey, look, there's Muse and the others!" Firefly said as she pointed.

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash looked and instantly spotted the four mares Firefly spoke of. Muse, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity were off to the side where Godzilla and Anguirus slept.

"They're altogether just like I said they'd be," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Wonder what happened here," Rainbow Dash said. "It looks like a huge number was done this area. I mean, look at it, the field's all tore up."

For a moment, concern overtook the three flying ponies as they examined the area. It was plain to see that the field had suffered serious damage. It almost looked like a tornado or an earthquake struck the area.

"Do you think there was a battle?" Firefly asked.

"I don't think so," Twilight Sparkle said. "Godzilla and Anguirus wouldn't be sleeping if there had been a fight. They'd be on high alert."

"So what do you think happened?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I think Godzilla and Anguirus were just rough housing," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I could see that," Firefly said.

"If so, I bet G's been waiting a long time for someone to do it with," Rainbow Dash said.

"I think we should go find TJ and Applejack then come back here," Firefly said.

"Agreed," Twilight Sparkle said.

The three ponies turned back in the direction they had just come from. They all looked down at the ground to try and spot TJ and Applejack as they flew. It wasn't long before they spotted the two Earth ponies running as fast as they could across the plains. The trio then flew down, not stopping until they were hovering only a few feet in front of their Earth pony friends.

"Oh, hey, guys," TJ said sarcastically. "Nice of you all to drop in."

"Don't be like that just because you couldn't keep up with us, TJ," Firefly said.

"Actually, you two kept up better than I thought you would," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Well, we weren't really flying all that fast," Rainbow Dash said.

"I swear I'll get faster," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Well, don't do it at our expense," Applejack said jokingly. "Anyways, I take it you found the others?"

"Yeah, you can see Godzilla and Anguirus just over this rise," Rainbow Dash said as she pointed behind herself.

"Fluttershy and everypony else are there, too," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Awesome," TJ said.

"No need to call me, I'm right here," Rainbow Dash said. Before anypony could say anything, the light blue pegasus was already in the air flying away. "Don't any of you ponies start slacking on me! Move, move, move!"

Everypony moved as fast as they could to catch up with the blue pegasus. While most of them had trouble doing so, Firefly easily flew up to her daughter's side. Rainbow Dash looked to see her mother's smiling face, much to her irritation. Rainbow Dash growled as she pushed herself to go faster. She started to pull ahead, but suddenly, to Rainbow's shock and further agitation, Firefly blew right passed her.

Rainbow Dash growled even more as she boosted her speed to the point where she not only caught her mom, but managed to pass her. The cocky blue pegasus' laugh would be short lived, for Firefly caught up to her and made it seem effortless. Still Firefly had her smile, one both playful and competitive. It was as if she were challenging Rainbow Dash, who became more and more furious with each passing second. How dare this pony who had the gull to call herself Rainbow Dash's mother also be so bold as to challenge her to a race?

Well, Rainbow Dash had every intention of showing this pony she felt abandoned her who the best flier was. Unfortunately, that would have to wait because-

"Hey, look, we're here!" Firefly said joyfully.

Rainbow Dash looked in shock to see the two of them were coming up on Muse, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. Godzilla and Anguirus looked just as giant as ever in the background, even though they were laying down for a nap. They made pretty much everything they did look mighty. All Rainbow Dash could think about, though, was how quick her mom and her had arrived.

"It feels like it only took us seconds to get here," Rainbow Dash said in disbelief.

"It did," Firefly said.

"But that means..." Rainbow Dash was unable to finish her sentence.

"What?" Firefly asked.

"Nopony can keep up with me like that!" Rainbow Dash said. "But... you kept up with me neck and neck... And you made it look easy!"

"Well, it wasn't, I can promise you that," Firefly said as she let out a heavy breath.

"Don't patronize me!" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"I'm not," Firefly said. "I'm being honest, I swear. Cross my heart... h- hope to fly... Uh..."

"Stick a cupcake in your eye!" Pinkie Pie let out happily as she hopped over.

"Yeah, that's it," Firefly said. "Trust me, Rainbow Dash, you are as good a flier as you think you are. You'll be smiling even bigger than I was at that speed in no time if you keep up with your flying."

"Well, for now, I'm gonna catch my breath," Rainbow Dash said.

"Or you could say hello," Rarity said.

Firefly and Rainbow Dash turned to greet the ponies they had been looking for. At the same time, Twilight, TJ, and Applejack were just making their way over. Everypony spoke happily and excitedly as they greeted each other. They carried on like this for several moments before finally calming down enough to talk normally.

"So what's with Godzilla and Anguirus?" TJ asked.

"Yeah, why did they trash the field?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, they were just sparring," Fluttershy explained.

"As big tough guys tend to do," Muse added on.

"You called it, Twilight," Firefly said.

"Told ya," Twilight Sparkle gloated.

"Yeah, yeah, we're all impressed," Rainbow Dash said. "I would've been more impressed if I got to see the smackdown between G and Anguirus! Bet it was epic, right?! I'm also betting Godzilla won!"

"Actually, as far as monster fights go, nothing really huge happened," Muse said. "Well, they are huge, but... you know what I mean. There wasn't really a winner either. They just tussled for a while and then laid down for a nap. They've been sleeping ever since."

"Well, we certainly don't want to disturb the poor, tired darlings," Rarity said. "So I'm guessing we'll have to do whatever Twilight had planned somewhere else in the field. You did have something planned, didn't you, Twilight?"

"Yeah, I remember you saying so this morning," Pinkie Pie said.

"It's true, I did say that," Twilight Sparkle said. "But I've honestly forgot what it was. I was hoping I'd remember by the time we all met up again. Guess that didn't end up happening."

"Then what are you gonna do?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I don't know, whatcha wanna do?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Hmm," everypony hummed as they tried to think of something.

Pinkie Pie suddenly went over to TJ, reached into her mane, and pulled out a light bulb. She held it over TJ's head, which somehow caused the bulb to light up.

"I've got it!" TJ exclaimed. "I know what we can do!" The other ponies gathered around excitedly as they waited for the stallion's suggestion. "There's a lake not far from here. We could down there, maybe have a dip, splash around, relax on the shore, whatever."

"Don't know about y'all, but that sounds like a mighty fine idea to me," Applejack said.

"I could use a day relaxing on the lakeside," Rarity said. "I haven't had any real rest since we got to this island. No offense."

"None taken," TJ, Firefly, and Muse said together.

"I'd like to try to have some fun and relaxation myself honestly," Firefly said. "Going to the lake sounds about as close as I'll get to it."

"So do we all agree that the lake is what we want to do?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

" _Yeah!_ " the other ponies all exclaimed happily.

"Then let's go!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

"Follow me, everypony!" TJ said as he ran off for the lake.

The other ponies all fell in line behind the stallion, whether they were running or flying, and followed TJ as he led them to the lake.

* * *

For the last four hours, everypony had been enjoying their time at the lake in one way or another. At one point, they had all either been swimming around, splashing in the lake, running around on the shore, playing some sort of game, and several other lake going activities. Whether they did it in separate groups, by themselves, or as one unit, everypony did it all and had a great time doing it. It truly felt like everyone involved was getting a huge relief from the hardships they've all had to endure. To think a simple trip to a lake was like one big release from everything would sound silly to some.

But it was true in this case and everypony was enjoying it. Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Muse, Rainbow Dash, and TJ were all messing around in the lake. Rainbow Dash would switch between just letting herself float on the water's surface to flying up into the air and splashing back down to then swimming around at high speeds. Muse and Pinkie Pie would take turns stepping a back hoof into TJ's front hooves and letting him launch them up and backwards into the air before splashing back down. Twilight Sparkle occasionally took breaks from swimming to look around at the beautiful scenery the lake had to offer.

While nature's natural beauty was breath taking enough, Twilight was more so happy to see all her friends there enjoying themselves. It truly felt like she was in paradise watching all her friends living life and enjoying the lake to their fullest extent. Twilight's sight seeing was sometimes interrupted, however, when a wave of water would suddenly splash her. She would look to see a sly grinning TJ looking back at her, to which she responded with her own splash. In between launching ponies into the air, TJ got into several splash fights with Twilight Sparkle and they always had fun doing it.

At one point, however, Twilight Sparkle suddenly lost her balance and fell forward. She ended up falling against TJ's chest as he put his front legs around Twilight to try and catch her. It was an awkward moment for both ponies, who's faces blushed like crazy. It was made even worse when they noticed everypony else looking at them. Most of the other ponies were relaxing on the lakeside.

They had all had their turns in the water, but were all tuckered out after nearly four hours of activity. Rarity, who hardly ever went in the water, was resting in a long beach chair as she let the sun's rays dry her. Applejack and Firefly sat together on the ground talking with each other. Fluttershy was happily chatting with several ducks, otters, and other animals.

"Hey, Fluttershy, how about you come give this a try?!" Pinkie Pie called after popping up out of the water.

The yellow furred pegasus looked away from her little animal friends and to the ponies in the lake with a questioning look.

"Yeah, come on, Flutters, you gotta try this?!" Muse encouraged. "Pinkie and I have been launched at least fifty times each and we both wanna go fifty times more!"

"Part of it is because we want to go for an even hundred," Pinkie Pie said. "But mostly it's because it's _so much fun!_ "

"So what about it, Fluttershy?" Muse asked.

The pegasus mare seemed rather uncertain about whether or not to do it.

"Yeah, Fluttershy, come on," TJ joined in. "You think you can stand the launch of _Thun-dar?!_ " Everypony looked at the stallion with befuddled expressions on their faces, to which he responded with a sheepish look. "You know... b- because my name is Thunder Jack."

"Actually, Fluttershy, darling, I agree you should try it at least once," Rarity said. "I did it a few times and found it rather fun."

"B- b- But... it's so..." Fluttershy sputtered out. "Are you sure?"

"Who could be unsure about this?" Pinkie Pie asked.

She went over to TJ, who laid his front hooves together, allowing Pinkie Pie to step into them. Then, with all his strength, TJ hoisted Pinkie Pie into the air.

" _Whee!_ " Pinkie Pie called out as she flipped backwards and splashed into the water. She popped out seconds later. "See, Fluttershy? Fun, right? So will you do it?"

Everypony looked to Fluttershy curiously, though she still looked somewhat unsure. Part of her didn't like idea of being launched like that by somepony else. But another part of her thought it actually looked like a lot of fun and everypony seemed to think so. Fluttershy finally made a decision as she smiled and nodded her head.

"Sure, why not?" Fluttershy said. As the other ponies cheered, Fluttershy looked to all her new animal friends. "Would you all please excuse me for a little bit?"

The group of animals agreed they would wait for her.

"Thank you all for being so kind and so patient," Fluttershy said. "I'll be back."

Fluttershy then slowly made her way towards the lake. During her trot over, she was joined by a drenched Rainbow Dash running in the opposite direction. They both greeted each other with warm smiles without ever stopping. When Rainbow Dash reached the group on land, she began shaking herself like a dog trying to dry off. The other ponies all started screaming and complaining to Rainbow Dash, who smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, everypony," Rainbow Dash said. She then caught sight of her mother sitting next to Applejack, giving her a dark look. "Well, _almost_ everypony at least."

"You meant _everypony_ , Rainbow Dash," Applejack said angrily.

"Whatever," Rainbow Dash said as she trotted away. She took a seat a little further away from Firefly, though she did seem to have a disappointed look on her face. "Yes... I am sorry... to all of you... Especially you, Firefly."

Everypony smiled, though none as brightly as Firefly.

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash," Firefly said. "Apology accepted."

Everypony else agreed.

"Good..." Rainbow Dash said. "That's... That's good."

Everypony looked out to the lake and saw TJ about ready to launch Fluttershy into the air. The yellow coated pegasus still seemed a bit hesitant, but more so willing overall. That was when her ears picked up the cheering of all the ponies on land. She looked so her eyes could confirm what her ears already told her. At first old fears of stage fright and public anxiety began to take hold of Fluttershy.

But just as quickly, they were fought back by feelings of warmth, safety, and love from the friends she had formed such deep bonds with. Because of this, Fluttershy was able to smile as she nodded to TJ, giving him the okay to launch her. TJ did just that, lifting Fluttershy as high into the air as he could. Fluttershy actually found herself enjoying her trip through the air, even flapping her wings to aid it. The other ponies cheered even harder when they saw this.

Once the splash happened, the cheering was accompanied with applause. When Fluttershy popped out of the water and took a gasp of air before her ears picked up the cheers of her friends. This time, she had a smile on her face the whole time and even held her front hooves in the air like she just won some competition. This solicited amused laughs from both the ponies on the land and in the lake with Fluttershy even joining in.

Applejack was the first pony to stop laughing as she looked over to Rainbow Dash. The southern mare quietly thought to herself for a moment. Even when she looked from Rainbow Dash to Firefly, she was still deep in thought. She thought harder and harder until she made a decision.

"Would you excuse me for a moment, Firefly?" Applejack asked.

"Of course, Applejack," Firefly said pleasantly. "Go ahead and do your thing."

Applejack smiled and tipped her hat in gratitude before walking over to Rainbow Dash. The blue pegasus caught sight of her Earth pony friend and happily greeted her with a smile and a hoof bump.

"S'up, AJ?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Hey, Rainbow," Applejack said as she sat down next to her friend. "Can we talk?"

"Of course we can," Rainbow Dash said. "You know I always got time to talk to my buddy about anything." Suddenly Rainbow Dash's whole mood changed as she looked to Firefly, having realized Applejack had been sitting next to her and talking for a while. "Is this about her?"

Rainbow Dash's voice had been full of contempt as she pointed to her mom. Applejack just rolled her eyes in frustration.

"You know what, Rainbow Dash, yes!" Applejack said forcefully. "Yes, this is very much about her! I want to talk with you about your ma!"

"Well, if it's about us making up, forget it!" Rainbow Dash spat as she crossed her forelegs.

"Look, Rainbow Dash, I understand you're having problems with Firefly," Applejack said. "But is it really worth holding onto a grudge against her this long?"

"This long?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief. "We've only been on this island for a few days now."

"Yeah, but you've been angry with your ma for much longer, haven't ya?" Applejack demanded. "You've felt this way about her long before we got here! Why you've probably felt this way since as long as you were old enough to!"

"Climb off my back, Applejack!" Rainbow Dash demanded angrily. "This has nothing to do with you! This is between me and my mom! So I would appreciate it if you'd see your way out of my family business and mind your own!"

"Well, you know what, your family business is getting in the way of our team's unity!" Applejack said. "So I'm making it my business! Look, I know things are shaky between you and your ma-"

"That's putting it lightly!" Rainbow Dash scoffed. "You don't know everything that happened between her and me. That's why I don't expect you to understand how I feel _._ Just back off, Applejack!"

"I'm well aware of everything, Rainbow Dash," Applejack said. "Firefly told me everything that happened; why she left, everything."

"Then how can you be so cool with her?" Rainbow Dash demanded. "And how could you expect me to be fine with her, too?!"

"Because it sounds to me like she was doing what she thought was right, what she thought was best," Applejack said. "You've gotta admit, Rainbow Dash, it was a really complicated situation. Heck, in a lot of ways, it still kinda is."

"No, it isn't!" Rainbow Dash said. "She decided to abandon me so she could go run and hide to protect herself!"

"Now, you know that's not how it was!" Applejack said. "If that were so, it wouldn't matter to Firefly if you were here right now like you are. She'd treat you like any other so and so, maybe even worse. She was just doing what she thought was the right thing. Granted, there may have been other ways to deal with the situation, but Firefly has owned up to that both with us and you!

"But she's here now trying to apologize, trying to fix things, trying to make things right, trying to reconnect with you and you won't even give her a sniff! That's just wrong, Rainbow Dash! Don't you feel even the bare bits of wanting to maybe even try to reconcile with your ma?"

"Heck, no!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Not even a little bit?" Applejack asked. Rainbow Dash simply shook her head. "What about you agreeing to letting Firefly come with us then? Why even talk to her or acknowledge her at all? Ya can't tell me it's just to make her feel bad with your words.

You're starting to get better at saying nice things to her, too. And what about those little flight competitions you got into with Firefly? You can't tell me you weren't enjoying yourself just a little bit. Otherwise you wouldn't have gotten into them with her."

"I only got into it with her because she basically challenged me with those smiles of hers," Rainbow Dash said. "Whenever I tried to do something, she'd try to do it better than me or do an even better trick."

"You don't think she was just enjoying the playful competition with her daughter?" Applejack asked.

"No!" Rainbow Dash said. "Well... maybe- I mean... Look, I only agreed to let her come because you all seem to like her so much. You all seem happy to have her around for some reason, so I decided not to mess with that."

"So that's it?" Applejack asked.

"Yep," Rainbow Dash said.

"You don't enjoy the attention she gives you?" Applejack asked. "You don't even kind of like how nice she tries to be to you? It doesn't make you feel good inside that she's doing her absolute best to try and make that mother and daughter connection with you? I know she desperately wants it and I'm sure deep down, you want it, too?"

There was a moment of silence where Rainbow Dash just had her back turned to Applejack. Her forelegs were crossed and her eyes were shut. But then suddenly Rainbow Dash's eyes opened as she looked to her friend. While Applejack's expression was questioning, Rainbow Dash's conveyed deep, but uncertain thought. What someone else might think they saw was that for the first time Rainbow Dash was in a truly emotional conflict about how she felt.

Was she truly starting to warm up to Firefly? Did she really want to form a new mother and daughter connection with her if any connection at all? At that moment, nopony had the answers. not ever Rainbow Dash herself. Rainbow Dash continued to think about it as her eyes looked away, her mind still deep in thought.

"I see you got to think about it for a little bit," Applejack finally said. "Well, I won't act like I can't understand that at least. I'll admit, it's still a fragile situation. I'm just a friend on the outside looking in, trying my best to help anyway I can. Honestly, I really think the best way to help is to try and steer you into making up with your ma.

"All of us think so; you and Firefly are both fine ponies that we're happy to be friends with. To see you both become a family again, it would... why, it would make us all feel just great. But I know it won't compare to how great you would feel if it happened. I hope you can get passed this old grudge you have with your ma and be a family with her again. Sure she may have made an impulsive decision and acted only on emotion, but you've got to admit, that kinda reminds you of a certain pony.

"Perhaps a certain pony who had a run-in with a... _Mysterious Mare-Do-Well_?"

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Just food for thought is all," Applejack said. "Look, basically what I'm saying is, I want you to be happy with your ma and I hope it happens soon... Because you don't know what ya got... until it's _really_ gone. Trust me, I know."

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as she realized what Applejack meant. When she turned to her friend, the orange coated Earth pony was already walking away. Rather than go after her or try to call her back, Rainbow Dash just watched as Applejack took her place back by Firefly's side. Then the highly conflicted Rainbow Dash was left alone with her own thoughts as she tried to figure out how she felt going forward.

"Thank you for trying, Applejack," Firefly said.

"It was my pleasure, Firefly," Applejack said sincerely.

"Probably didn't do much good, though," Firefly said. "No matter what I do, I can't get her to get over the past and love me the way I love her."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Applejack said. "I think we might be finally getting through to her."

"You really think so?" Firefly asked, her eyes wide with both surprise and a light tint of hope.

"Well, sure, I mean, just look at her," Applejack said as she pointed a hoof.

Firefly saw that Rainbow Dash was turned away with her head hung low.

"I just assumed that was more of her angst towards me," Firefly said. "Not that I blame her, mind you. I was just saying."

"No, I actually agree with Applejack," Rarity said. "Rainbow Dash is deep in thought right now. That's her usual posture when she's thinking very hard about something, especially if it's something emotional."

"I don't know," Firefly said.

"We do," Rarity and Applejack said together.

"Don't give up on her just yet, Firefly," Rarity said. "Though she may be stubborn, among other things, Rainbow Dash in generally a good pony."

"Oh, I know that," Firefly said. "Even if she never forgives me, I'll always know that. I see so many of her father's good qualities in her... and maybe even some of his... _lesser_ ones, too."

"I also see a lot of the same from her ma in her, too," Applejack said with a wink.

"As do, I," Rarity said. "That's part of how I know that Rainbow Dash is a good enough pony that she'll eventually forgive you, Firefly. She's just a little stubborn is all. That's something I admit I know about."

"So do I," Applejack said.

"Me, too," Firefly said. "Thank you both. Rainbow Dash truly has the best of friends."

"Well, now, so do you, darling," Rarity said.

The three mares embraced at the same time Twilight and Muse were making their way over. Both of them had decided they finally had enough of the water and needed a rest. They were both certainly wet enough that was for sure. The two alicorns were laughing and smiling the whole time they walked, though. Though they were both tired, they had a wonderful time overall.

Twilight Sparkle and Muse sat down and watched as Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy climbed on top of TJ like he were a tree. All three of them laughed with the two mares letting out short screams as TJ started walking around. He still managed to hold them both up before they all eventually went tumbling into the water. When they came out again, all three ponies were thankfully unharmed. The sight of all that happening amused the two alicorns a great deal.

"That brother of yours is quite the strong, playful kind, isn't he?" Twilight Sparkle said.

"He's pretty smart, too, ya gotta admit," Muse said. "Coming to the lake today was a great idea."

"Oh, I know; such a great idea!" Twilight Sparkle strongly agreed. "We got to have so much fun."

"It felt like nearly all of our troubles were washed away," Muse said. "We needed a distraction... Even if we still have to-"

"No, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said. "Right now is all about fun."

"Yeah, I know," Muse said. "But you still gotta keep it in the back of your head, right?"

"I'm sure everypony is, especially the village ponies back in Willowbrook," Twilight Sparkle said. "But today is the last day before we actually start getting stuff done. We can worry about everything else tomorrow when that starts. Right now, it's all about fun."

"Then I'm gonna have some fun with you," Muse said with a devious smile on her face.

"What do you mean?" Twilight Sparkle said, her voice showing concern by Muse's tone and facial expression.

"Oh, I'll tell you what I mean," Muse said. "I got a question for you, Twilight, and I want you to be totally straight with me this time. Everypony's asked you in one way or another, by now I want a definitive answer. Do you dig my brother?"

"Huh?!" Twilight Sparkle said with alarm.

"Do you like Thunder Jack?" Muse asked. "And I don't mean like as in friends. I mean, do you _like_ -like him... Well, Twilight, how about it?"

"Uh..." was all Twilight Sparkle could stutter out at first.

She kept trying to find the right words to say, but her mind was drawing blanks. The look on her face would convey this if it weren't expressing the extreme nervousness that choked her up and made her stutter more than speak. Nervous twitches were running through Twilight's whole body before she tensed up like crazy. She always knew there was a chance this would be put in front of her in the most blunt of ways, but she also knew she'd never be ready for it.

"It's... a bit more complicated than that," Twilight Sparkle said.

"No, it isn't," Muse insisted. "Either you dig my brother or you don't. I know that's how he feels about you."

Twilight Sparkle's eyes twitched to Muse, gazing with a new light.

"He does?!" Twilight Sparkle asked. "How do you know that?!"

"I've seen the way he looks at you," Muse said. "A sister can tell these things. I've seen the way you look at him, too. I'm pretty sure you have feelings for him, but I want to hear it from you, Twilight. So what is it?"

"Well... I..." This time, Twilight's initial body numbing nerves were gone. However, it was still easy to tell she was uncomfortable talking about this. "I'm honestly not sure," Twilight Sparkle finally said.

"Why not?" Muse asked.

"Because... well, we haven't really known each other that long," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'm afraid to say I really feel that way about him. I mean, what if it isn't a real emotional connection and it's only... a physical attraction?"

"Ah," Muse sang out. "So you do feel something for TJ? Get a good look at that stallion bod and it sends you all to pieces, does it?"

"Alright, he's cute," Twilight Sparkle finally said with an embarrassed smile. "But relationships need to be built from more than just something like that. There needs to be... an emotional attachment, you know?"

"Well, you're already friends, aren't you?" Muse asked.

"Oh, no doubt about it," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Then clearly there's a connection somewhere," Muse said.

"Being friends is different, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said. "Anypony can be a friend, but a pony you want... _that_ sort of relationship with that can possibly turn into... a long term deal is very different."

"I guess I can understand that," Muse said.

"I won't act like I haven't thought about it, though... not anymore," Twilight Sparkle said.

Muse's face lit up like a Hearth's Warming tree.

"Then there's hope?" Muse asked.

"Well... maybe," Twilight Sparkle said as she looked out to the lake. "I just want to make sure the way we feel about each other is real. I've known for a while now, the way TJ feels about me and I'm pretty sure he knows the way I feel about him. He hasn't rushed the situation yet, which I'm both thankful for... and a little scared of."

"Why be scared?" Muse asked.

"Well, because if neither of us are trying to rush it, does that mean our feelings aren't real?" Twilight Sparkle said. "Other ponies always try to rush into things with these kinds of situations and-"

"But how often do those last?" Muse asked.

Twilight Sparkle silently thought about it before finally saying, "Good point."

"You're both smart ponies," Muse said. "You're both just trying to make sure you're not fools rushing in, which is really respectable. If anything, it's the rest of us who are trying to rush you guys. We honestly feel like you both would be the perfect power couple in our circle."

"You... guys really think so?" Twilight Sparkle asked with a blushing smile.

"Absolutely," Muse said. "You're both very talented, very kind, very loving, and overall good ponies. You can talk to each other in ways the rest of us can't even talk to you guys. Even though you're both very different, you're able to get pass the differences and enjoy what you have in common and even some things you don't. The point is, all of us think you two would be really good together; great even."

The pair of alicorns looked on and watched happily as TJ continued playing around with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

"He really is a good guy, isn't he?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Darn right he is," Muse said. "And I can say that without a doubt, because well, sister and all."

"Right," Twilight Sparkle said. She then stood up and called out, "Hey, everypony!"

All eyes were on the princess.

"What's up, Twilight?" Pinkie Pie called out.

"I think we should head back now," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'm beat."

"Yeah, me, too," TJ agreed. "It's probably a good idea of we head out and get back home."

Everypony agreed that they were pretty tired and wanted to head home as well.

"But do you think we could go over the plans you and Moon Bright made together sometime before the day's done?" Applejack asked.

A thought filled look was on Twilight Sparkle's face.

"Does everypony else feel the same way?" the violet alicorn asked.

Some of the ponies agreed right on the spot while others took longer to decide. In the end, though, everypony agreed it was best to go over the plans as soon as possible.

"The sooner we discuss the plans, the sooner we can use them!" Firefly said.

"Yeah, then we can show these minotaurs who's the boss around these parts!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Firefly and several other ponies looked to the rainbow maned pony in surprise, to which she replied with a neutral expression.

"Well, okay, then," Twilight Sparkle said. "After we get back to Willowbrook and have a chance to gather ourselves, let's say we meet at TJ and Muse's hut, then?"

"Yes," everypony agreed.

"Then let's get going," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I officially declare this lake party over!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She then stopped for a moment. "Oh, wait! Wait a minute! Wait just a second, everypony!"

The pink pony then pulled out her trademark party canon, seemingly out of nowhere, (which is another Pinkie Pie trademark). Pinkie Pie then fired off a large blast of confetti and streamers into the air, which then seemed to spontaneously disappear.

"Now it's over!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

* * *

 **Just want to take the time to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I promise you all after this chapter and starting with the next... we're gonna kick 2017 off with a bang and finally start getting down to the nitty gritty. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	21. Chapter 21: Playtime is Over

The group of ponies had gathered together whatever small items they had brought with them before heading for home. They then made their way across the field that would take them back to the forest where Willowbrook stood. Along the way, they came across the spot where they had left a sleeping Anguirus and Godzilla. When they got there, they found both of their giant friends were still sleeping and so decided to leave them be. They knew the two kaiju would be able to find their way back home whether the ponies were with them or not.

Even without the two kaiju accompanying them, pretty much everypony was having a good time. They were talking, laughing, and carrying on like friends do. Occasionally someone would do or say something to further amuse the others and add to the good time. Despite all the fun they had, though, everyone was still very serious about getting back on track and focusing on fighting the minotaurs again. But for the time being, that was in the back of the ponies' minds and thus they kept on having a good time despite being very tired.

They were still happily carrying on when they moved passed the edge of the forest and deeper into the tree infested terrain. As the group walked along, it seemed like they would have no trouble at all. That is, until Firefly slowed her steps and a troubled expression crossed her face.

"Wait," Firefly said as she looked around.

The other ponies looked to her in confusion and concern.

"What is it, Firefly?" Fluttershy asked.

"Something's wrong," Firefly answered.

That was when, all of a sudden, not one, but _three minotaurs_ came jumping down from one of the lower hanging branches of a giant old growth. Two of them held the ends of a net made completely out of steel chain while the one in the middle held a large battle axe. All three crashed down on Firefly, slamming her into the ground before wrapping the heavy chain over her body. The two minotaurs holding the net had draped themselves over the fallen Firefly. The third with the axe stood above them, howling and laughing like a maniac as he held his axe above his head.

This all happened in a blink of an eye and only a blink later did something else happen that kept the other ponies from reacting properly. Four minotaurs sprung up out of the ground on either side of the ring of ponies. One ran up and swung a wooden club across TJ's face, instantly knocking him to the ground. Another came up and swung his fists across Pinkie Pie's face before eventually taking her down with an uppercut. A third minotaur got behind Rainbow Dash and took her down with a German suplex while the fourth swung a blackjack into Applejack's stomach and then down on her head.

Fluttershy and Muse both screamed out before a puff of smoke suddenly appeared in front of the scene. Those still standing looked to see Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning both standing with three minotaurs at their sides. The two evil unicorns had wicked smiles on their faces.

"Oh, look, Dark Lightning, some old friends of ours!" Khaos Fury exclaimed.

"What do you say, we play with them, Khaos?!" Dark Lightning yelled.

"Sure thing!" Khaos Fury said. "Here's my favorite game!"

They fired blasts of their attack magic at anypony still standing. Fluttershy and Muse went down instantly whereas it took more to knock Twilight Sparkle off her hooves. Rarity actually managed to stay standing and even teleported out of harm's way. The twin unicorns and their minotaur aids looked around for wherever the white pony may reappear. When she finally did show up again, it was actually in the only place they didn't look... right behind them.

"Surprise!" Rarity called out as she fired off several large bursts of attack magic from her horn.

Two of the minotaurs fell instantly while the third stood long enough to raise his spartan-like shield to protect himself. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning didn't fall, but they were clearly having a tough time fighting against the pain of the blasts and staying on their hooves. What was also clear, though, was that Rarity had no intentions of making it easier for them.

"You will all pay for hurting my friends!" Rarity screamed.

She ceased fire and ran at her opponents before jumping into and corkscrewing through the air. As she spun, the resourceful unicorn kicked her back hooves across the evil ponies' faces. This instantly took them off their feet, leaving Rarity to land safely on the ground and face the still standing minotaur with the shield. The first thing Rarity took notice of was that this was the biggest minotaur she had seen yet. He was much taller and more muscular than the others.

He wore dirty brown pants and had chains wrapped around him that were held together by a ring in the middle of his chest. He had heavy metal gauntlets on his wrists and had brown eyes that almost seemed to glow with hatred. He looked very beastly, like he had every intention to rip something or _someone_ apart. In terms of regular ground forces, this minotaur may have been the most imposing sight yet. This did not deter Rarity, who, despite her immense fear, refused to back down.

Instead, she fired several shots of her attack magic at the bull.

"You don't scare me!" Rarity lied.

The minotaur raised his shield to protect himself and even charged forth at his foe. When he felt he was close enough, this minotaur swung his shield at Rarity like he was throwing a right hook. The swift unicorn managed to jump back and avoid the blow, as well a second, more backhand-like shield strike. This seemed to anger the minotaur to the point where he charged forth, his shield held out in front of him. Before Rarity even knew what was happening, she felt the shield slam into her body and lift her off the ground.

Rarity screamed out in pain and terror as she flew over the minotaur's head before crashing into the ground behind him. The hurting unicorn groaned as she rocked back and forth on the ground for a moment. She stopped as soon as she spotted four hooves standing in front of her. Rarity's eyes looked up to see Khaos Fury glaring down at her in anger and hatred.

"You just made a _big mistake_ , little hero," Khaos Fury said.

"Now we'll have to teach you a lesson!" another voice exclaimed.

Rarity looked to see that the voice belonged to Dark Lightning, who was standing close behind her.

" _Prepare to die!_ " Khaos Fury let out just as she and her brother shot large beams of attack magic down upon Rarity.

The helpless unicorn screamed out in absolute agony as she felt the beams burning into her very being. Both unicorn twins had sadistic smiles on their faces as they gazed gleefully at their fallen opponent's pain. Their good time was interrupted, however, when several large blasts of attack magic struck them, instantly forcing them to cease fire. When the two looked in the direction the blasts came from, they spotted an enraged Twilight Sparkle flying at them. Twilight Sparkle landed next to Rarity and swung her aura covered horn at Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning both.

After sparks flew from where the ponies' were struck, Twilight bucked her back hooves into Dark Lightning's face, knocking him away. The violet alicorn then swung her horn up at Khaos Fury's chest before blasting her away with her horn's attack magic. Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight spotted the large minotaur with the shield running at her as he growled like an animal. Twilight swung her still glowing horn up and across the minotaur's shield, instantly cutting it in half. The minotaur held the pieces of his shield and gazed at them in shock for only a moment before tossing them aside.

" _Surelious, break her in half!_ " Khaos Fury demanded as she tried to get up.

"Just try it, chump!" Twilight Sparkle retorted.

Before the giant bull could step forward, though, a small stream of attack magic _not_ fired by Twilight hit Surelious right in the chest. The shocked alicorn looked to see that Muse had gotten back to her hooves, as had Fluttershy. It was clear Muse was the one that had shot the giant minotaur known as Surelious. Twilight Sparkle nodded approvingly as Rarity got up to her hooves.

" _Rarity, are you alright?!_ " Twilight Sparkle asked in concern.

"Not as alright as I want to be," Rarity said. "But I can't worry about that now! Right now we just need to show these ruffians not to mess with us or our friends!"

" _Darn right!_ " Twilight Sparkle agreed.

The two nodded to each other and then went on the attack. Rarity began bucking her back hooves into Surelious' body while Twilight and Khaos exchanged swings of their glowing horns. Dark Lightning ran up and tried to catch Twilight by surprise with a blast of his attack magic. The violet alicorn managed to catch sight of it and fly out of the way, though. When Twilight Sparkle landed again, she swung her horn violently at both Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning, who dodged out of the way before running at their foe.

"You'll regret the day you ever set foot on this island, alicorn!" Dark Lightning hissed.

" _You'll regret the moment you met me even more!_ " Khaos Fury screamed.

"Too late," Twilight Sparkle said. "I already regret meeting two ponies with as black and ugly souls as you two!"

"Oh, you're breaking our hearts!" Dark Lightning mocked.

"I can't break what you two never had!" Twilight Sparkle said.

"Quit trying to hurt us with words and stand still so we can hurt you with _pain!_ " Khaos Fury demanded as the fight went on.

At the same time this was happening, the minotaur who wielded the large wooden club was swinging it down at the fallen TJ.

"You might as well stop struggling, pony!" the minotaur demanded. "Give up and make it easy on yourself! Paradise awaits you on the other side. Besides, I'm too much for you to handle anyways."

The minotaur prepared a final swing of his club. TJ, however, managed to roll safely to the side and even get back on his hooves, albeit part way. TJ then bucked his back hooves into the minotaur's side, making him scream out in pain. The tan furred stallion quickly followed up by kicking his back hooves up into the minotaur's face. The blow was so hard that it caused the bull to drop his weapon.

"You'd better be sure about that!" TJ said defiantly.

He then saw the fallen weapon moved swiftly, grabbing the club's handle in his mouth. The stallion swung the thick, wooden club across the minotaur's face, instantly knocking him to the ground. TJ looked at him for only a moment before turning to the rest of the fight going on around him. One of the many horrible sights he saw was Pinkie Pie down on the ground and getting punched on. TJ gritted his teeth around the club's handle as he ran to assist his fallen friend.

He was halted rather quickly, though, when he saw Pinkie raise her tail to one of the minotaur's incoming fists. This was because as soon as his fist hit that pony's big fluffy tail, a loud ' _clang_ ' sound echoed through the air as the minotaur pulled back his fist and howled in pain. The minotaur only held and rubbed his throbbing hand for a moment before Pinkie Pie swung her tail across his face. A ' _clang_ ' sound similar to the first rang through the air as the minotaur was knocked out cold to the ground. As Pinkie Pie got up, she spotted TJ looking at her in confusion, to which she responded by pulling a large anvil out of her tail.

This only seemed to make TJ more confused. Pinkie Pie saw this in his facial features and merely shrugged in reply. In doing this, she unknowingly let go of the anvil, accidentally making it drop on the fallen minotaur's chest. The sound of the collision made TJ and Pinkie Pie both jump before they looked to see what happened. Upon seeing the anvil resting on the aching minotaur's chest, the two Earth ponies looked to each other before eventually shrugging it off.

TJ and Pinkie Pie then ran off to assist their friends with the rest of the fight. They quickly spotted Firefly still wrapped in the chain net and still held down by the two minotaurs. The third minotaur was still standing above them as he held his battle axe. TJ and Pinkie Pie ran at top speed when it looked like he was about ready to finally use it. When they were close enough, TJ swung his club into the axe carrying minotaur's side.

This instantly caused the angry beast to turn and snarl at the two Earth ponies. He swung his axe out wildly, completely missing his intended targets. Pinkie Pie scooped up some dirt in her hoof and tried tossing it into the minotaur's eyes, but she didn't even come close. TJ swung his club again, but the minotaur used his axe to block the blow. This allowed Pinkie Pie a chance to come in and buck her back hooves into the minotaur's side.

While this did cause the minotaur pain, he did not fall. Instead, he swung his axe around wildly, not seeming to care who he hit as long as he hit someone. As dumb as this tactic sounded, it did cause TJ and Pinkie Pie both to cautiously back away in alarm.

" _Die, you stupid equines!_ " the large minotaur shouted crazily.

The Earth ponies looked to each other with questioning expressions.

"I don't suppose you have an idea, do you, Pinkie?" TJ asked, his voice muffled by the piece of wood in his mouth.

"Give me a moment, I'll think of something, TJ," Pinkie Pie said. She had to duck down right away to avoid another swing of the axe. "Whoa! Okay, maybe I'll need another moment and a half!"

Meanwhile, the minotaur who had taken Applejack down with his blackjack kept swinging it at her. Sometimes he would hit the flailing Earth pony and other times he would miss. It was clear to see by the possessed look he had the whole time that the minotaur was intent on bashing Applejack to a pulp.

"Hold still, you little pest!" the minotaur demanded.

Help for the downed pony ended up coming from a surprising source, though. Fluttershy had suddenly jumped on the minotaur's back and tried wrapping her hooves around his neck as tight as she could. It took Applejack a moment to realize she was no longer being assaulted and stop flailing around. When she finally did, she was absolutely shocked to see Fluttershy on the minotaur's back, trying to choke him out.

"Flu... Fluttershy?" Applejack gasped out.

The Earth pony was horrified at this sight she saw, because she could tell Fluttershy was clearly out of her comfort zone and even worse, out of her skill set. The minotaur looked more annoyed than anything else, having only tried to shake Fluttershy off for a second or two. He stood there for a few seconds more before he reached up, grabbed Fluttershy by a front hoof, and swung her down next to Applejack. Fluttershy screamed before slamming to the ground, the breath being knocked out of her instantly. She groaned in agony as tears fell from her eyes.

Her sobbing was halted, however, when she looked to see Applejack's head laying next to her back hooves. She then noticed her own head was next to Applejack's back hooves.

"Howdy, Fluttershy," Applejack groaned out weakly and painfully.

"Howdy, Applejack," Fluttershy let out in a similar manner.

"How's it going?" Applejack managed to say.

"Oh... it's fine... I guess," Fluttershy said. "I just thought I'd drop in."

Their attention was taken by the war cry of the minotaur above them.

"I shall truly enjoy tearing you both to pieces!" the angry bull exclaimed.

He raised his blackjack into the air, making Fluttershy scream as she looked away. Suddenly, a stream of attack magic was blasted right into the minotaur's chest. Muse had been standing by and was watching this all happen. At first she was panicked and didn't know what to do. But the sight of her friends in peril eventually forced her to get control of herself and made her think clearer about how she could help.

That was what led to her shooting her magic at the ragging bull. Sparks flew from where the minotaur was hit as he screamed out and grabbed at the burning wound. Applejack glared intensely before kicking her back hooves into the minotaur's kneecaps. Pain shot through the bull's legs, making him tense up as he tried to fight back against it. This allowed Applejack the chance to kick her back hooves into the minotaur's _tender_ area between his legs.

Instantly, the hurting minotaur hunched over as he dropped his blackjack and cried out in agony. This left him open to Applejack kicking her back hooves up into the his face, causing him more pain. Then Fluttershy did something that was just as surprising as what she'd done before. She grabbed the blackjack in her mouth. then flew up to swing it across the minotaur's face. Applejack was so stunned, she almost missed the blackjack when Fluttershy tossed it to her.

She snapped out of it, though, and managed to grab the blackjack in her mouth. Applejack then jumped up and swung the blackjack down so hard on the minotaur's head that it actually broke the weapon in two. Applejack spat out what was left of the blackjack as Fluttershy landed next to her. They stood and stared as the minotaur teetered back and forth before finally falling down on his back. Fluttershy and Applejack looked to each other with concern.

"Are you alright, Fluttershy?" Applejack asked.

"I'll be fine," Fluttershy. "That scared me more than it hurt me. But what scared me most was what happened to you, Applejack."

"Ah, don't worry about me," Applejack said. "I've actually been through worse. I'm just glad to see you're okay."

"And I'm glad you're... not as hurt as I thought you were," Fluttershy said.

Upon seeing that each other was okay, the two smiled in satisfaction and embraced. They then turned to Muse, who was smiling just as much as they were. They both nodded approvingly to the alicorn.

"Way to go, Muse!" Applejack said gratefully.

"You did great," Fluttershy said. "Thanks for your help."

Muse responded with a small, slightly playful salute as she said, "Happy to help."

Applejack gave a tip of her hat before she, Fluttershy, and Muse turned to the rest of the fight going on around them. Among that fight was the struggle going on with Rainbow Dash and a minotaur armed with two pairs of brass knuckles on his fists. The minotaur had taken the light blue pegasus mare down before and was preparing to charge at her like an angry bull and finish her off. While he had every intention of trampling all over Rainbow Dash, little did he know that the resourceful pegasus was conscious enough to realize this. She was just waiting for the right time when he was close enough for her to make her move.

The minotaur scraped his hoof against the ground and let out a snort before finally running forth as he let out a bull call. Rainbow Dash's gaze followed the minotaur's entire run as she kept herself laid out across the ground. She waited for the right moment, not even flinching until the minotaur was right up on her. That was when Rainbow Dash kicked her back hooves up into the minotaur's chest and miraculously managed to send him through the air. The minotaur screamed out as he sailed forward and then found himself crashing back first into the ground with a loud, painful thud.

Though Rainbow Dash had pulled off a great counter, she wasn't able to get back up right away. She was still aching from the suplex and the punches she'd taken from the minotaur before. The pain nearly kept her from even attempting to get back up again. Rainbow Dash, however, was no quitter and refused to start then and there. She forced herself to roll onto her stomach and push her way back up onto her hooves, albeit very slowly.

While Rainbow Dash didn't know exactly how long it took her to get up, it felt way too long to her. When she was standing again, Rainbow Dash spotted the minotaur she was fighting trying to get back up on his own hooves. The sight of this particular bull warrior caused an angry snarl to slowly cross Rainbow Dash's face. She growled through gritted teeth as she flew up to the minotaur that angered and hurt her so. When she was close enough, Rainbow Dash wrapped her fore legs around the minotaur's waist like she was going to German suplex him as he had done to her.

Instead, though, Rainbow Dash pulled off an even more impressive feat, both in strength and flying ability. She flapped her wings extremely hard, lifting her up into the air as she carried the minotaur with her, never letting go. That is, until she reached forty feet straight up into the air. After that, she looped backwards, releasing her waist lock on the minotaur as she did so. The minotaur screamed as loud as he ever had as the ground came up to him faster than he could've imagined.

As soon as the bull hit the ground, a loud crashing sound rang out through the air. Rainbow Dash hovered in place and inspected the body of the minotaur she had just dropped. He laid face down in the dirt and just barely lifted an arm up before it dropped back to the ground. After a few more seconds, Rainbow Dash turned away as she inspected the rest of the battlefield. Now that her grudge was handled, Rainbow Dash wanted to devote the rest of her time to aiding her friends.

Rainbow Dash saw that Twilight Sparkle was holding her own against Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning pretty okay and that Rarity was doing the same with Surelious. She then spotted Applejack, TJ, and Pinkie Pie all trying to get a move in against the minotaur with the axe. He was holding them back, however, by swinging the dangerous weapon at them like a lumberjack from Tartarus. Rainbow Dash also noticed that the axe wielding minotaur was standing in front of the two that were still holding Firefly down and wrapped in a chain net. For some reason Rainbow Dash could not yet understand, this sight infuriated her more than she'd ever been in her life.

She knew that this was the part of the fight she was needed to be in the most. Her burning rage was telling her so, though she didn't completely understand why. As Rainbow Dash flew down to strike, another pony made her move as well. Standing a safe distance behind the minotaur with the axe, Muse shot a stream of her attack magic just as the minotaur raised said axe. Instantly, the tiny beam burned through the bladed section of the axe, separating it from the rest.

The minotaur saw his axe drop to the ground before pulling the steaming handle down to his eyes, gazing at it with child-like sadness. As the minotaur cried in sorrow, Rainbow Dash flew in and used her mouth to grab an end of the chain net that held Firefly hostage. She continued to fly forward, pulling the end of the net in her jaw's grip as fast and as hard as she could. Amazingly, Rainbow Dash managed to both pull the net off her mother and then pull it over the minotaurs that had held her down and the one that used to have an axe. Rainbow Dash pulled the net for a moment before releasing the end of it from her mouth.

After witnessing Rainbow Dash's impressive feat, TJ, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie ran forth. All three Earth ponies pounced on the minotaurs who struggled within the confines of the metal net. TJ swung his wooden club down upon the netted bulls while Pinkie Pie and Applejack pounded their front hooves down on them. They all made extensive use of the natural strength they had as Earth ponies to knockout those particular minotaurs. It was only after TJ swung his club down so hard that he broke it that the trio of netted minotaurs stopped struggling, having been knocked unconscious.

Rainbow Dash looked beyond this scene to see Firefly on her back knees, apparently in some kind of shock. Rainbow Dash flew over as fast as she could before gently landing to her mother's side to examine her. From up close, it was clearer to see that Firefly had a sort of blank, somewhat dazed expression.

"Hey, Firefly, are you okay?" Rainbow Dash asked. Firefly didn't answer, instead continuing to gaze seemingly into open space. "Firefly, did you hear me? Are you alright? Firefly?!"

Rainbow Dash couldn't get an answer, not even when she shook her lightly. The light blue pegasus was about to start panicking. But then she caught herself, calmed down, took a deep breath, and looked to her biological mother with a face of genuine concern and care.

"Mom?" Rainbow Dash asked calmly. It was as if a light was turned on inside Firefly. Upon hearing her daughter's voice say that, she lightly jolted as her eyes began to look less shocked and more emotional as she stared at her offspring. "Mom?"

"Rainbow Dash?" Firefly asked in a shaky voice.

"Are you okay?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I... I am now," Firefly managed to say.

Before Rainbow Dash knew what was happening, Firefly flew off at swift speed, making the blue pegasus nearly jump out of her skin. She looked to see that Firefly was flying around and beating down several minotaurs that had been knocked down before and were trying to get back up again. Rainbow Dash's eyes were the only ones that could keep up with Firefly's amazing velocity and follow her as she plowed through the minotaurs. It appeared they were just too stubborn to stay down, because even after Firefly smacked them back down, they'd get up again. Thus Firefly flew around for a second round of beatings for those minotaurs, which they did not get back up from right away.

When Firefly was finally finished flying around and beating on the minotaurs around, she stopped right next to a stunned Rainbow Dash.

"Whoa!" Rainbow Dash said, her expression saying the same. "You took those guys out... just like I would've."

"But of course," Firefly said with a confident smile.

It wasn't long before a similar smile crossed Rainbow Dash's face and the two pegasi nodded to each other. Their smiles were soon replaced by stares of intense determination as they looked around for the next fight. Also looking for her next part in the fight was Muse, who looked around with swift eyes. She scanned the area until her eyes settled on the sight of Twilight Sparkle fighting against the combined forces of Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning. It looked to Muse like things weren't going so good for Twilight against the evil unicorn duo.

The violet alicorn was struggling more to keep up with the two, being unable to even try and take a shot in at them anymore. She was mostly just trying to dodge and block their attacks as best she could. Muse knew that being fresh off her training she was still no match for Khaos and Dark, but she still felt like she had to do something. She figured out what that something was when she spotted the two minotaurs Rarity had blasted down before getting back up again. Muse knew if they aided the evil unicorns in their fight with Twilight Sparkle in the condition she was in that the alicorn princess wouldn't stand a chance.

Muse decided what she had to do as she watched the minotaurs turn their gazes to the battle between Twilight and the unicorn. Before they could move in to assist their unicorn leaders, though, Muse fired a stream of her magic. The tiny beam hit one of the minotaur's directly in the chest, causing a small burst of sparks to ignite. The minotaur screamed loudly as he flew backwards and crashed into the ground. The second minotaur looked to his fellow soldier and then fearfully turned to Muse just as she fired a second shot.

This beam actually hit the minotaur in the face, causing sparks to fly as the screaming minotaur fell to the ground. Muse then looked upward as she fired a third beam, this one cutting through a particularly long, thick tree branch. It fell down right on top of the minotaurs, knocking them out seemingly for good this time. Despite what she had done, Muse was still concerned for Twilight Sparkle. Though her situation had not worsened, it had not improved either.

Muse decided not to wait for it to go either way, despite her better judgement. Muse waited as patiently as possible to pick her spot when she would move against one or both unicorns. She actually ended up even surprising herself when she fired a small beam of her attack magic. The tiny stream hit and burned Khaos Fury directly on the back of her flank, causing her to scream out as she jump forward and onto her back. Twilight Sparkle didn't have time to see what happened, for she was still fighting off Dark Lightning's vicious blows.

The other ponies, however, got a big laugh out of what they saw, their howls of amusement getting Muse to look over at them. She saw her brother among several mares of the Mane Six busting a gut while also giving Muse props.

"I guess you could say I really burn her up," Muse quipped as she smiled.

Taking her eyes off the evil unicorn ended up being a huge mistake for Muse. When she turned back, Khaos Fury was standing on her hooves again and it was not a pretty sight. Her whole body shook like it a river of adrenaline was running through her as she snarled angrily, her face looking like something out of a nightmare. At that moment, that's what it felt like to Muse, for she was very afraid. Her friends standing off to the side were equally afraid, more so for Muse than they were for themselves.

" _Why, you little brat!_ " Khaos growled out through nearly clenched teeth. " _I hope that laugh you got was worth it... Because now you're gonna cry in agony from I'm going to do to you._ "

" _Get out of there, Muse!_ " TJ shouted.

It was too late, for Khaos Fury let forth a giant blast of magic from her horn that flew directly at Muse. The helpless alicorn let out a scream of terror right before the bulb of energy collided with her body. The resulting burst of explosive power sent Muse flying up into the air before she crashed back down again.

" _You dirt bag!_ " TJ screamed in anger as he and Applejack ran at Khaos Fury.

Khaos Fury saw the two Earth ponies coming, but merely smirked before firing off two shots from her horn. The first bolt of magic hit TJ dead on, knocking him off his hooves, whereas Applejack jumped over the blast meant for her. The jump took her face-to-face with Khaos Fury, who Applejack started jabbing at with her front hooves. The unicorn easily dodged the punches thrown at her and even ducked and rolled to avoid when Applejack tried to use her back legs to buck her. When Khaos Fury rolled up to her hooves, she was once again face-to-face with Applejack, who she fired a blast of magic at.

The single bolt of magic hit Applejack dead on, causing sparks to fly from where she was hit as the Earth pony screamed out in pain. Khaos Fury then rushed forth and swung her glowing horn down across Applejack's body. More sparks flew as Applejack fell to the ground. Before Khaos Fury could do anything else, Pinkie Pie's screams filled the air. The gray unicorn looked to see the pink pony herself jumping through the air directly at her.

Khaos Fury easily dodged to the side and even extended the aura of magic surrounding her horn before swinging it at Pinkie Pie. The helpless Earth pony mare cried out as the burning aura struck her and she crashed into the ground. Khaos Fury cackled as she looked around at all the bodies she was leaving draped across the forest floor. The mare's wicked laughter was picked up by the ears of the alicorn princess, Twilight Sparkle. She was caught in the middle of a struggle with Dark Lightning where their glowing horns were being pressed together.

The two had been pushing against each other to try and force the other back. But Twilight was now more concerned about what was happening elsewhere. She looked out of the corner of her eye and saw the results of her friends going against Khaos Fury. The sight was so shocking and heart wrenching that it almost broke Twilight's concentration on her struggle with Dark Lightning. Luckily, she was able to turn her attention back before he could gain an advantage.

But now her mind was practically forcing itself to think about of her friends and the situation they were in. Desperately, Twilight Sparkle tried to think of how she could get out of her predicament so she could go help her friends. She revealed her solution when the violet pony shut her eyes and the glow of her horn's aura increased to blinding proportions. While it got the attention of those still standing nearby, it burned Dark Lightning's eyes to the point where he was screaming at the top of his lungs. Without even thinking, the unicorn stallion pulled away and reached his front hooves to his hurting eyes.

This gave Twilight Sparkle the opening to stab her horn into Dark Lightning's chest. Sparks flew as Dark Lightning screamed in agony before he was knocked off his hooves by multiple blasts of magic from Twilight Sparkle.

" _How could you let her get you like that, you idiot?!_ " Khaos Fury screamed in frustration.

Before anyone could do anything else, Twilight Sparkle disappeared from sight. Khaos Fury looked around like a jaguar looking for prey as she tensed up and waited for Twilight to reappear. What she wasn't expecting was a hail of magic blasts to come down on her from above. With Khaos Fury reeling from the blasts she took, Twilight Sparkle ceased fire and flew down at top speed. She shifted her body and kicked her back hooves into Khaos' face, sending her stumbling right into a judo toss from TJ.

"Hey!" Dark Lightning shouted when she saw what happened to his sister, his eye sight having just started to return to him.

Before he could do anything, however, Firefly and Rainbow Dash flew up and each grabbed a front leg before lifting Dark into the air. When they felt they got high enough, the two pegasi spun backwards, releasing Dark Lightning and letting him crash into the ground below. While Dark Lightning laid in pain, Rainbow Dash got so caught up in the moment that she accepted a high hoof extended to her by her mom without even thinking.

"Looks like we finally got the advantage," TJ said.

"Maybe, but we can't let up!" Twilight Sparkle replied.

TJ turned his eyes to his sister, who was still laying on the ground with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie by her side, tending to her.

"Muse," TJ let out in despair.

"Don't worry about her, she's with Fluttershy and Pinkie," Twilight Sparkle said. "They both know what they're doing. They can take care of Muse. We need you doing something else right now."

That was when the screams of Rarity rang through the air. TJ and Twilight looked to see what was happening to her. This whole time everypony was off fighting someone else, Rarity had been doing her absolute best to hold off the giant Surelious. Unfortunately, nothing she had done slowed the minotaur down. The few magic attacks she managed to pull off he either dodged or shrugged off.

None of Rarity's physical melee really seemed to do anything to slow him down either, whether he dodged an attack or it hit him. All the wasted work Rarity put into her assault had taken its toll on her, for she was now exhausted and wasn't moving nearly as fast as before. It had gotten to the point where Surelious nearly hit her with one of his own mighty blows. After dodging a particularly wide punch, Rarity tried to buck her back hooves into Surelious' chest. Unfortunately, Surelious not only blocked her attack, but also grabbed a hold of Rarity's back legs, hence her screaming.

"I see what you mean, Twilight" TJ said.

The two then heard Khaos Fury moaning and looked to see her pushing herself up.

"I'll take Khaos, you help Rarity with the big ox!" Twilight Sparkle barked.

The two ponies took off to handle their given objectives. TJ was surprised, though, when a pink blur rushed passed him at a speed he didn't think was possible for a ground pony.

" _Hold on, Rarity, I'm coming!_ " Pinkie Pie screamed out.

Upon hearing her, Surelious looked to the pink pony and snorted with contempt before shoving Rarity away by her back legs. The force of the shove sent Rarity rolling forward and across the dirt. The mighty bull then turned his sights on the incoming Pinkie Pie, who's angry snarl didn't worry him in the least. In fact, when Pinkie was close enough, Surelious, with barely any effort at all, grabbed her, spun her around, and tossed her through the air.

" _Pinkie!_ " TJ cried in despair. Surelious looked to the incoming stallion. " _You're gonna pay for that, chump!_ "

Surelious quickly lifted his hoof up and kicked it directly in TJ's face, instantly knocking him off his hooves. Before Surelious could follow up, he felt something hit his side that caused a familiar pain. He looked to see a barely able to stand Rarity had been the one to shoot a bolt from her horn that struck the vicious bull. The angry Surelious slowly and methodically approached the injured unicorn undeterred, despite her shooting multiple blasts of her attack magic at him. When Rarity felt Surelious got too close, she tried to swing her right front hoof at him.

He easily caught the hoof in his hand, though, and even twisted it to the side, causing Rarity to let out a moan of pain. She desperately tried punching her left hoof into Surelious' stomach and even jumped up to swing it into his face a few times. None of this had any effect on the minotaur, who merely smiled before wrapping his free hand around Rarity's throat. Rarity never felt more vulnerable than she did as that moment as Surelious displayed his immense strength and lifted her off the ground. He tightened his grip around Rarity's throat, causing her to choke and gag even more as he held her above his head.

He gazed up at her for a moment, titling his head to one side before slowly tilting it to the other. Slowly a cruel smile crossed the minotaur's face before thrusting Rarity backwards, slamming her back first into the side of a tree. He released his hold on Rarity's throat and let her fall to the ground before his attention was turned elsewhere. He spotted TJ trying to get up and slowly made his way over to the reeling stallion. Along the way, he spotted Pinkie Pie getting up out of the corner of his eye and slammed his fist up into her stomach.

The pink furred mare collapsed to the ground, gagging and holding her hooves at her stomach all the while. Surelious, meanwhile, got to TJ just as he had steadied himself on his hooves. Before the Earth pony knew what was happening, Surelious scooped TJ up in his arms and then slammed him back down across his knee. Surelious stood up straight, turned away from TJ, and kicked a hoof down into Pinkie Pie's face just as she was starting to stir.

" _Pinkie Pie, no!_ "

Surelious looked to see Fluttershy standing within arms reach, still holding a fallen Muse at her side. Apparently at some point, the fight had moved closer to the two mares. For Fluttershy it was far too close, for several of her closest friends laid sprawled out around her. Even worse was that Surelious was looking down at her like a lion looks at a piece of meat. He reached his left hand out, wrapped it around Fluttershy's throat, and then tossed her through the air.

Before the fragile pegasus could even think about using her wings, she crashed into the ground. She ended up landing right next to Rainbow Dash just as she bucked her front hooves into the face of a minotaur, dropping him to the ground. The rainbow maned mare had gotten together with Applejack and Firefly to fight off Dark Lightning and any minotaurs that tried getting up to rejoin the fight. But the sight of Fluttershy and the state she was in instantly took Rainbow Dash's attention away.

" _Oh, my gosh, Fluttershy!_ " Rainbow Dash cried as she knelt down next to her friend. She gently got a hoof under Fluttershy's head and just as gently cradled it up off the ground. "What did they do to you, Flutters?"

Fluttershy groaned in pain as she looked up to Rainbow Dash, who was rubbing the back of her left front hoof softly over the side of Fluttershy's face. Fluttershy shakily lifted a hoof and pointed it in the direction she had been thrown from.

"They need help," Fluttershy said in a pained voice.

Rainbow Dash looked to see the wrecking ball known as Surelious standing over the fallen forms of her friends. She wanted to scowl in anger, but that was overtaken by a look of horror at what had happened to some of the ponies Rainbow Dash cared about most. Rainbow Dash looked away both so she wouldn't see her friends in the state they were and to warn Applejack and Firefly.

" _That big dude's taken down our_ friends!" Rainbow Dash yelled urgently. "T _hey need our help, now!_ "

Firefly and Applejack turned and immediately saw what Rainbow Dash was referring to.

" _You two go help them out!_ " Applejack barked. " _I'll keep the rest of these guys busy!_ "

"Are you sure?!" Firefly asked.

" _With the state these yaboos are in, I can handle them easily!_ " Applejack barked in reply.

" _You'd better be more sure about that, ya country bumpkin!_ " Dark Lightning said before he fired a shot of his magic from his horn.

With what seemed like no effort at all, Applejack jumped over the beam, letting it zip passed her.

" _Go now!_ " Applejack demanded before she ran off to face Dark Lightning and the minotaurs at his sides.

Firefly thought hard for a good moment before finally deciding to do as Applejack ordered.

"Rainbow Dash, let's go!" Firefly ordered as she looked to her daughter.

"Right!" Rainbow Dash said just as she finished helping Fluttershy sit up. She then looked to Fluttershy as she asked, "You gonna be okay, Flutters?"

"Don't worry about me," Fluttershy said. "I'll be fine. For right now, help them."

Fluttershy pointed in the direction their friends' prone bodies laid, which, unfortunately, was also where Surelious still was. A determined glare crossed Rainbow Dash's face before she nodded to Fluttershy. She then looked to Firefly and nodded her head in the direction of Surelious. With that, the two pegasi flew at the hulking minotaur as fast as they could. Along the way, Rainbow Dash grabbed a thick tree branch that had snapped off its foundation and fell to the ground.

Surelious was looking around and trying to decide which fallen pony he would resume hurting. That was when he spotted the pegasi coming at him out of the corner of his eye. The bull took his stance and tensed up his body to prepare for his two new opponents. Rainbow Dash ended up getting to him first and swung her branch at Surelious' head. Surelious quickly brought up his left arm and blocked the blow before letting out a bull snort.

Rainbow Dash began swinging both sides of the branch at Surelious at a rapid pace. Shockingly, the bull was able to keep up with Rainbow Dash and block every blow to his head with the gauntlets on his arms. When she went for the body, Surelious tensed himself up even more to block out the pain he felt, keeping his hands up all the while. After an uncountable number of branch swings from Rainbow Dash, Surelious decided he had enough and grabbed the tree branch in his mighty hands. Rainbow Dash tried to pull her makeshift weapon away, but instead she ended up getting lifted off the ground when Surelious raised the branch above his head.

The two combatants were now face-to-face. Rainbow Dash looked on with both shock and even fear on her face. Surelious, however, smiled just as evilly as the times before.

"Nice try," Surelious rasped out in a vicious sounding whisper.

Surelious then slammed his head into Rainbow Dash's, the resulting pain forcing her to let go of the branch, thus making her fall to the ground. The bull then slammed the tree branch down across his knee, instantly splitting it in two. The raging minotaur tossed the pieces aside and gazed down at the fallen Rainbow Dash with sadistic joy. He didn't have a chance to satisfy any sick fantasies he may have had, for Firefly flew in back hooves first, kicking her right hoof into Surelious' chest. The pink coated pegasus quickly spun around, kicking her back left hoof across Surelious' face.

Firefly followed up with several rapid fire punches aimed at Surelious' face and lower torso. Surelious blocked every single blow thrown at him before wrapping his hands around Firefly's throat and lifting her up into the air. Before Firefly could try to get herself free or even gasp for breath, Surelious slammed her back first against a tree before letting her drop to the ground. Surelious didn't get to follow up before feeling something smack into the side of his leg. Surelious looked down to see Rainbow Dash had tried unsuccessfully to sweep kick his legs out from under him.

When her sweep didn't work, Rainbow Dash looked up in horror, only to see that Surelious was looking down at her like a predator. She quickly twirled back up to her hooves, only to find Surelious' hand waiting to grab her throat. Surelious then quickly lifted Rainbow Dash up over his head in a military press. Right afterwards, he threw Rainbow Dash against the side of the same tree he had thrown Rarity and Firefly against previously. Surelious practically roared out as he brought up his fists and flexed his muscles.

He looked to see Firefly flying very clumsily in the air, trying desperately to get up and mount an offense. Firefly ended up having to go on the defense instead, however, when Surelious swung his fist outward. Firefly managed to duck under the wild backhand swing, but when she tried charging at Surelious, she didn't see his fist coming back at her. Because of this, Surelious landed a devastating blow on Firefly's face so strong, it caused her to spin through the air in a three-sixty. Firefly crashed into the ground with a loud thud before Surelious let out a loud battle cry while he stood over her fallen, motionless form.

Surelious was cut off, however, when a particularly painful blast of attack magic hit him in his shoulder. Before the bulky bull could respond, several more shots of magic hit him all over his body. The pain caused by all these blasts nearly dropped Surelious to a knee, though he managed not to fall. When the firing ceased, Surelious looked to see who had been the one shooting at him. What he saw instead was Khaos Fury's unconscious form flying at him through the air.

The beaten unicorn fell before Surelious' hooves. He looked down at Khaos Fury for only a moment before looking to see Twilight Sparkle walking towards him. Despite being a pony, the look on the alicorn princess's face would probably strike fear in most others. Surelious just stared back with a look of defiance and fury. Twilight Sparkle stopped twelve yards away from Surelious and stood tall as she glared on.

"Your boss couldn't cut it with me," Twilight Sparkle said. She lowered herself into a battle stance as her glare intensified. "You think you can? You think you got what it takes, big boy?"

The two potential opponents held their ground, glaring intensely at each other all the while. Surelious even let out a bull snort, his anger having reached a boiling point. How dare this pony challenge him, especially after seeing the havoc he had already caused? Did she think she was actually a match for him? This thought upset Surelious even further to the point where he was determined to prove otherwise.

That moment never came, for as Twilight and Surelious prepared to do battle, a massive, howling roar filled the air. It was so loud that everyone thought their eardrums were about to burst. It wasn't made any easier when a second, similar roar broke through the air. Several more roars were let out as the ground began to shake repeatedly. The delay between shakes was too long to be an earthquake, though.

But everyone there didn't need that fact to know the rumbling was almost certainly the footsteps of the beast that made those howling roars. The cracking and snapping of tree branches among other sounds soon filled the air. The silhouette of a giant monster was clear for everyone to see. Even before the kaiju came into view, everyone could tell it was the spiky shelled quadruped called Anguirus. The sight of the giant animal was a welcomed one to Twilight and all her friends, but one that instilled shock, alarm, and even fear in their rivals.

Khaos Fury had just regained consciousness and was barely starting to push herself back onto her hooves. At first she was frustrated that Surelious didn't offer her any assistance, but found out why when Anguirus roared out yet again. She instantly spun around to see the imposing kaiju everyone else had been staring at. She nearly fell back to the ground from moving too fast while in pain and also having just reawakened to see the sight of the giant monster that opposed her side.

"I thought the scouts were suppose to alert us when those things woke up," Khaos Fury said in a shaky voice.

"That doesn't matter anymore," Surelious said. "What does matter is that thing is here now! We must pull back! We have to order a retreat!"

" _No!_ " Khaos Fury said " _We worked too hard to get to this moment! We nearly had them! If Isarem finds out I planned a strike without his approval that failed-_ "

Khaos Fury was interrupted by another of Anguirus' mighty roars that blocked out nearly all other sound. Everyone, even some of the ponies on Anguirus' side flinched at the unexpected burst of volume. Some of the minotaurs even fell off the hooves and slipped to the ground.

" _You didn't tell me Isarem didn't know about this maneuver!_ " Surelious let out in anger.

" _Well he doesn't!_ " Khaos Fury said.

" _That means we can't call our own kaiju to aid us, doesn't it?!_ " Surelious demanded.

" _No!_ " Khaos Fury screeched at who was suppose to be her ally. " _No we can't call them!_ "

" _You fool!_ " Surelious shouted. " _That means we have no choice but to retreat!_ "

The argument was cut off when a second monstrous call that rang through the air. It was even more intimidating than Anguirus' roar had been, with a deep, growling bellow to it. Yet at the same time, it almost sounded like the ringing of an extra loud church bell echoing in the air. Everyone knew right away who this roar belonged to, which brought even bigger smiles to the pony side and instilled more fear in the minotaur side.

" _Great, now the big one's coming!_ " Khaos Fury shouted.

"So what's it gonna be, Khaos?" Twilight Sparkle asked in a smug tone with a smirk to match. "We were already kicking your butts before. You gonna give up and run away?... Or are ya thirsty for more?"

Khaos Fury growled in aggravation as she scowled at Twilight Sparkle with deep hatred. It was quickly replaced by a look of fear when a second bellowing roar rang through the air, this one sounding even closer.

"You guys better hurry up and decide," TJ said as he slumped next to Twilight. "More accurately, you better scram... Godzilla's on his way right now."

"And I'm sure he's not gonna be happy when he sees what you did to his friends," Muse said confidently as she limped to her brother's side. "Anguirus is upset enough as it is."

Khaos Fury and several of her cohorts looked up at the four legged monster that towered over them. For a moment it almost felt like he towered over all of creation. Anguirus' angered expression and imposing appearance installed more fear in the squad of evil beings with each passing second they saw him. It wasn't made any better when he ceased his stationary stance and slowly, almost methodically began moving closer to those so much smaller than himself. Any minotaur who had not already regrouped with the rest of their squad now moved twice as fast as they had been moving before to rejoin the others.

It wasn't easy since all who had been involved in the ambush were now suffering from immensely painful injuries. Some could barely even limp over to the rest of their comrades while others required being straight up dragged by any who volunteered, which wasn't many. The pony side had also suffered with nearly all of them being greatly injured in one way or another. It was still better for them, though since they all had friends willing to help get them to the safety of the group, plus they had Anguirus watching over them. The ponies even tried to situate themselves right under Anguirus for better protection.

Khaos Fury and her team watched in anger as Anguirus stopped and looked to the ponies directly below him. It was almost as if he were assuring them they were safe. Not only did it disgust Khaos Fury, but it made her anger boil even greater, not helped by the smug look she got from some of the good ponies. But suddenly, Khaos Fury's angry face melted into a small smile as she looked up directly at Anguirus.

"Congrats to ya, you treacherous armadillo," Khaos Fury said. "You finally came in handy for something besides being a punching bag for our monsters."

Most of the others on Khaos Fury's team managed to let out mocking chuckles, though they were very weak. The gray furred unicorn mare turned her gaze to Twilight and her group.

"See you around... princess," Khaos Fury said, nearly spitting out her last word.

" _This isn't the end of this!_ " Dark Lightning exclaimed.

That was when the footsteps everyone had heard were as close as could be. This was also when Godzilla's imposing form broke through the forest terrain and made its way closer to everyone. Just as Godzilla turned to where his glaring eyes could clearly see what was happening, the team led by Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning disappeared in a puff of smoke. Godzilla waited until the smoke dissipated before he raised his head above even the tallest of trees to let out a massive roar of anger. He then set his sights on all of his pony friends who stood on the ground beneath Anguirus' head.

Once their enemies were gone, everypony looked to one another. They had all seen most of what had happened to each other during the fight. While the ponies may have all dealt serious damage to Khaos, Dark, and their minotaurs, it was clear their side had suffered in the conflict as well. Some ponies even seemed like their were close to losing consciousness. The others did their best to make sure that didn't happen and looked over their friends' injuries when they weren't being looked over themselves.

Godzilla and Anguirus both looked on like the ponies were their children and they were a pair of worried parents or guardians of some kind. Among the ponies trying to care for each other, Rainbow Dash had found herself checking over Firefly. Just as soon as she and Applejack were done checking on each other, the blue coated pegasus trotted over to her mother.

"You okay... Mom?" Rainbow Dash asked in a voice that was shaky both from pain and emotional hesitance.

Firefly groaned in near agony as she tried to force her eyes to open and clear up completely. When her vision did finally stabilize, the first thing she saw was Rainbow Dash's concerned face. This made the pink pony's eyes tremble with emotion as she touched a hoof to her daughter's cheek.

"I will be, thanks to you... my little Dashie," Firefly said with a small smile.

Rainbow Dash slowly brought a hoof of her own to touch the one Firefly had on the side of her face. For a moment it seemed like she would even lean her head deeper into her mom's hoof. But, like a light going off, Rainbow Dash's facial expression changed as she gently lowered her mom's hoof from her face. Though it disappointed Firefly deeply, her face also conveyed a sense of understanding. In the end, she was just happy Rainbow Dash and her had gotten that far.

Elsewhere, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity had just finished checking up on each other. They then moved over to Twilight Sparkle, TJ, Muse, and Fluttershy, who were all trying to check on each other.

"So... did we win?" Muse asked in a shaky voice.

"I think so," TJ said.

"Then why doesn't it feel like it?" Fluttershy asked.

"Because this was a massive wake up call," Twilight Sparkle said. As everypony turned their gaze to Twilight Sparkle, she looked around to them. "Thank you all for doing the best you could to protect yourselves and each other. But I need to know, are you all doing okay? Are you hurt very badly?"

"We all feel like pounded hay, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said. "But I can tell we're all gonna be able to get pass this and be our old selves again, no problem."

"Good, then we need to get back to Willowbrook as fast as we can," Twilight Sparkle said. "I hope you all enjoyed our little day off, because it was our last. We were just hit with a major reality check. Playtime's over and we need to get back on track to putting a stop to these minotaurs once and for all."

* * *

 **So after having so much fun and taking so much time to handle other affairs, the Mane Six and the ponies of Willowbrook were reminded the hard way that the minotaur forces are still very much a threat. It was only because of Anguirus and Godzilla showing up that they made it out as good as they did. But what if this isn't always the case? The enemy has monsters of their own? Will the ponies' kaiju be enough to stop them? Will Godzilla and Anguirus always be there to help their pony friends no matter what? Will it even matter. Found out in the next thrilling chapter of "The Curse of Pony Tale Island"!**

 **Please remember to leave a review after reading. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	22. Chapter 22: Wounds Mending and Bending

" _I don't freaking believe it!_ " Moon Bright exclaimed loudly. Fear and distress were plastered all over her face as she looked around at everypony. " _How could this have happened to you?!_ "

"To be blunt, we got careless," Rainbow Dash said.

"We... _may not_ have been looking out for minotaurs as much as we should've when we were out there," Pinkie Pie said.

"I hate to say it, but the truth of the matter is we weren't worrying about the minotaur threat as a whole," Applejack said. "We blew 'em off and acted like they weren't as big of a threat as they actually are. We underestimated them and it cost us. Rainbow Dash was right, we were careless."

"It's true, we were," Twilight Sparkle said. "All I wanted was one last day for everyone to have fun and feel relaxed. I wanted today to feel like it had at least some sort of normalcy. Guess it came at a big cost. I mean, just look at us and where we ended up."

The Mane Six, TJ, Muse, Firefly, and Moon Bright were all at one of the medical huts. They were surrounded by several other ponies, doctors, patients, and visitors alike. It was one of the few huts that was actually located on the ground. This made it possible for whoever built it to make it more spacious, especially when compared to the huts in the trees which have more limited space. Because of its bigger size, that hut was chosen to be one of the medical centers so it could accommodate more patients.

Moon Bright rushed over to the medical center as soon as she learned that the Mane Six, Firefly, TJ, and Muse were there. When she saw the physical state they were all in, Moon Bright nearly jumped out of her skin. She was especially stressed to see two of her kids were sitting on hospital beds all bruised and beaten up. When Twilight felt that Moon Bright was calm enough, she explained everything that had happened. From going to the lake to the fight with the minotaurs to Godzilla and Anguirus saving them, Twilight left out no details.

She also explained that after it was over, Godzilla and Anguirus carried them back to Willowbrook. Almost all the ponies had suffered multiple injuries during the fight and were were exhausted as could be in addition to the pain they received. Clearly they weren't in a position to drag themselves home after what they experienced. Even the ponies who got out better than others accepted the ride from the kaiju so they could look after those that had been less fortunate. The whole time, Moon Bright's internal body and emotions felt like they were being twisted around, even after Twilight finished telling her what happened.

It was like somehow Moon Bright could feel all the trauma everypony had suffered in the fight and it was manifesting within her very being. Her body trembled from the moment she learned everypony was in the hospital and showed no signs of stopping. Her psyche just couldn't seem to be able to take what happened to her friends and her children. Put that on top of what she had already been dealing with as the lone leader of a village under attack and it tore away at her mental state even more. Besides her position of authority, it was a wonder that a pony Moon Bright's age under so much stress wasn't seeking some sort of aid herself.

"I... I don't know what to say," a still trembling Moon Bright said in a shaky voice. She tried unsuccessfully to fight back tears in her eyes. "I don't know what to even do anymore."

Everypony stood by and looked on with pity and sympathy for the unicorn mare. Even the doctors working on the Mane Six and their friends looked on in sadness, as did some of the other patients close by. It made them all feel horrible to see the village chief in the state she was in. For Muse and TJ it wretched at their hearts to see their mother break down in cry whether it was in public or not. Seeing their mom was so close to her emotional breaking point, TJ and Muse rushed to their mom's side to try and comfort her.

The two ponies ignored the doctors and their assistance that had been working on them and were trying to keep them in their beds. Once the siblings reach their mother's side, they both put a hoof around her. TJ used his other hoof to rub his mom's side while Muse rubbed her back. The two siblings felt their mom's body continue to tremble and thus let themselves be pulled in close by Moon Bright's embrace.

"Please don't cry, Mom," Muse said. "We're okay."

"Yeah," TJ tried to assure his mom. "Things are gonna get better. They just... kinda... suck... but only for right now."

"They always seem to suck for us," Moon Bright said in between sobbing. "It was bad enough I lost my husband. It's bad enough that everypony I'm suppose to be responsible for as chief, including my best friend, has to put up with these monsters with horns that walk on two hooves. But... now... my babies... my children... my kids... Look what they did to you."

"But we're still here, Mom," TJ said.

"That's right," Muse said. "Plus, considering the things they've done to other ponies that didn't have the help we did, I'd say things turned out way better for us than they could've."

"Yeah, you've seen me after some of the fights I've had with those pea brains, Crescent," Firefly said. "I've looked much worse than any of us do now."

"Mom, I was fighting the minotaurs long before any of what happened today," TJ said. "We've all needed to do our parts in the past to fight them before. Today was no different... in my case at least."

"I... guess so," Moon Bright said.

"Moon Bright, your love and devotion to your kids and the ponies of this village are beyond admirable," Twilight Sparkle said. "What happened today wasn't on you, it was on me. I take full responsibility since it was my idea to go out and do something away from the village. If we had stayed, we all would've been safe."

"Oh, quit beating yourself up, Twilight," Firefly said. "You're starting to sound like Moon Bright."

"What?" Moon Bright asked as she looked to her friend.

Firefly responded with a wink and a devious smile.

"Stuff like this happens to us all the time, whether we're in the village or not," Firefly went on. "If it wasn't in the forest, it may very well have been somewhere else. We risk an attack everyday just by staying here when we could find a way to get off the island and leave this all behind. But we've taken up the duty of standing against the minotaurs. That territory comes with the kind of danger we faced today, we've faced many days before, and probably will continue to face into the near future."

"I suppose you're right," Moon Bright said, sounding less than convinced.

"Everypony here has made valid points," Fluttershy said. "I'll be the first pony to admit that I don't like fighting the minotaurs myself. Like Firefly said, though, we're going to have to keep doing it for as long as it takes. And I honestly think we can, especially if we have those plans Twilight and Moon Bright came up with."

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Twilight and Moon Bright said at the same time.

The two mares then let out a quick chuckle, as did several other ponies.

"I had forgotten all about our plans because of... well, this," Moon Bright said as she moved a hoof around to everypony.

"So did I," Twilight Sparkle said. "We had all agreed that we wanted to go over the plans when we got back... But I don't know... Does everypony still want to do that?"

Twilight Sparkle looked and listened around for everypony's answer. Despite some hesitance, they all agreed they wanted to go on with the strategy meeting.

"We really need to get back on track with this in a bad way," Applejack said.

"The tyranny of those bulls has reigned supreme long enough," Rarity said. "We must begin taking direct action as soon as possible."

"You ponies can't go anywhere right now," an aqua marine unicorn stallion said. He was one of the doctors looking over the ponies that were attacked in the forest, more specifically, Fluttershy. "You all look like ya just came out of Tartarus. You need to let us fix you up a little bit longer at least."

"How long will that be?" Muse asked.

"I honestly think you should give us at least another two hours," the unicorn doctor said.

"Two hours?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "That might as well be two months or two years!"

"Rainbow Dash, calm down," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Seriously, girl, take a chill pill," Pinkie Pie said.

Rainbow Dash stared at the pink Earth pony in silence for a few moments.

"Coming from you, the irony is..." Rainbow Dash began, though she struggled to finish her sentence. "I can't even."

"I think the doctor's right, guys," Moon Bright said.

Both TJ and Muse looked to their mother in disbelief.

"Whoa, you usually never follow a doctor's advice, Mom," Muse said.

"That's because it's usually advice about me," Moon Bright said. "You already know that I don't care what happens to me. But right now, I'm very much concerned for all of you. So I think it's best that we delay the meeting a little longer so you all can get yourselves taking care of."

It was clear several of the ponies on the medical beds didn't want to go with this idea. But it was also clear they knew Moon Bright was right and would have to go with her plan anyways.

"Okay, Moon Bright, we'll do it your way," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Thank you, Twilight," Moon Bright said. "Besides, this gives me time to recuperate myself and then gather the other ponies we'll need for the meeting."

"Oh boy, our house is gonna get really crowded, isn't it?" TJ said.

"So what else is new?" Firefly said. "You already take up the room of a pony and a half."

"You trying to say I'm oversized?" TJ demanded.

"Nope, just that you're too big," Firefly said playfully.

TJ looked like he was about to say something, but words never came. Instead, his mouth hung open as he looked to Firefly in confusion. The silliness of the situation caused all the other ponies to laugh.

"See, Mom, things are already starting to go back to their normal routine," Muse said. "I only wish I could head home to prepare something for all our guests."

"You just let me worry about the guests while you worry about getting better," Moon Bright said. "I know you would feed the world if you could, Muse. For now, though, just worry about yourself."

"You're doing enough worrying for the both of us, Mom," Muse said.

"Well, that's because _I am_ your mom and I'll always be worried for you," Moon Bright said. "I'll always be looking out for you, wanting the best for you... You're a part of the shining light in my life right now, Muse."

"Aw, Mom," Muse said.

"Just look what they did to you," Moon Bright said. She ever so slightly rubbed her hooves against the sides of her daughter's face. "My poor baby, they smacked you around and treated you like less than an animal."

"I'm gonna be fine, Mom, it's okay," Muse said. "They've always treated other ponies like that anyways. In some respects, it's almost like this was bound to happen to me."

"Was it really, though?" Moon Bright said.

"You could make the argument," Muse replied. "But I would rather we shift gears to putting plans into action."

"Right," Moon Bright said before kissing Muse on the head. The mother and daughter then shared a quick embrace before Moon Bright stood back and looked to everypony. "Alright, guys, I'm heading out now. I'll gather the ponies I need to, bring them to my hut, and we'll meet you all there when the doctors are finished fixing you up. I hope you'll be in the best health you can when I see you all later."

"We'll do what we can, chief," one of the doctors standing by said.

"Don't worry, Mom," TJ said. "No matter what my condition is, I'm going to be there for that meeting. I'll play whatever part I must in the plans you and Twilight made."

"That goes double for me," Applejack said.

"And me," Firefly said.

"Double, double for me!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Just try and stop us," Rainbow Dash said.

"We're all going to play our parts," Twilight Sparkle said.

"No matter what," Rarity and Fluttershy said together.

"Bless you all," Moon Bright said as she choked back a sob.

TJ, Muse, and Firefly all walked up to Moon Bright and shared a group hug with the village chief before she walked out of the hut. After that, everypony was left to their medical examinations. Several doctors tried hurrying Firefly, TJ, and Muse back to their beds. While the other ponies complied and let the medical checks continue, TJ looked to his sister and trotted over to her side instead.

"Hey, sis," TJ said.

"Hiya, TJ," Muse said.

"How ya doing?" TJ asked.

"Oh, about as good as I can do right now, I guess," Muse said, her voice shaking just a little bit. "So... that's what it feels like to get involved. _This_ is what it feels like."

"Unfortunately, it can get like this sometimes," Twilight Sparkle said from one bed over.

"Sometimes it can be even worse," TJ said.

"How you feel now, Muse, is exactly how I felt after my first time... _getting involved_ with something," Twilight Sparkle said. "Or at least, it is emotionally. I've got to admit, I don't always go through something quite as... _physical_ as we went through today. I'm sorry that you had it this rough for your first time, Muse."

"It's never easy, not even after you've had a few good go-arounds," TJ said.

"I can vouch for that," Firefly said.

"I don't know," Rainbow Dash said. "It's always different for me. Sometimes it does feel easier, sometimes it doesn't. It's confusing."

"I'll say," Pinkie Pie said. "Even I'm confused."

"I mean, it's never easy, but... uh..."

"It's cool, Rainbow Dash, I totally get what you're trying to say," TJ said. The Earth pony looked to his little sister and saw that while her expression was soft, it was filled with emotion. "It's true situations like these can feel different, but it usually leaves you with some sort of unfriendly reminder. All that aside, I gotta tell you, Muse, as far as first timers go... you did great today."

Muse looked to her brother with a bit of surprise.

"Really?" Muse asked.

"Absolutely," TJ said. "You could've just as easily stayed on the sidelines and watched. You and Fluttershy both could've."

"Huh?" Fluttershy let out as she looked to TJ.

The stallion first responded with a wink and smile.

"Instead of keeping yourselves safe," TJ went on, "the two of you got involved and helped us when we needed you the most. In truth, most of us probably would've preferred if you two stayed out of harm's way. Overall, though, we still appreciate you helping us all the same. I'm so very proud of you, Muse. I'm as proud as a brother could be.

"We're all proud of you and Fluttershy both, I can tell."

Muse and Fluttershy looked around to see the supportive smiles of everypony else watching them.

"You both did the best you could and we appreciate it dearly," Rarity said.

"I brought you up, Fluttershy, because I know you prefer to avoid violence as much as possible," TJ explained. "But you and Muse both set an example of bravery that most ponies could never match."

"Th- Thank you, TJ," Fluttershy said.

"No, Fluttershy, thank you," TJ said. "And thank you, too, Muse."

"Thanks to all of you for doing the best you can to protect yourselves and each other," Twilight Sparkle said.

"That's what you're suppose to do," Rainbow Dash said.

"Especially when you're as tight knit as we are," Applejack said.

"I just wish it wasn't always so painful to do it," Pinkie Pie said. "Seriously, painful bad."

"We've all had to suffer in one way or another," Firefly said. "You won't find a better example than what you see in this hut. Most of these poor ponies here are victims who've suffered in one way or the other because of those minotaurs. Some of them are still here from as far back as a month ago."

"Don't think she's kidding," one of the doctor ponies said. "These poor guys have been pouring their hearts into trying to defeat the minotaurs so we can have a safe and secure future. That's why we gladly offer our services, even when it seems like these ponies go out of these hospitals just to come back in."

"Words can't describe how truly admirable and appreciated these ponies' efforts are," Twilight Sparkle said.

"It's because you've been at this for so long that we agreed to step in," Rainbow Dash said.

"Plus there's that whole fate of the world factor," Rarity said.

"You really think they're planning something that has to do with the whole planet?" one of the other patients from close by asked.

The Mane Six all agreed at the same time that they were certain that was the case.

"Even if they weren't," Twilight Sparkle said, "the muscle they've flexed so far tells me if they wanted to get off this island and take their conflict global, they could."

"Muscle that includes the whole having giant monsters that can easily squash a pony into putty thing," Pinkie Pie said.

"So we have to keep fighting on and deal with the minotaurs," Twilight Sparkle said. "That's why I'm grateful that you're letting us go probably faster than you should, doctor."

"Admittedly, I'd prefer it if you stayed overnight," the doctor working on Twilight said. "But I know that you feel you can't wait that long and that you won't. Still I completely understand why, so I'm agreeing to let you go. I just need you all to do me one favor."

Everypony listened closely to what the doctor had to say.

"On behalf of the whole village, everypony on the island, and even the whole world, I'm asking you... please put those minotaurs down for good. They've ruled us like masters over slaves for too long. Who knows what they'll do if they go off the island with all the power they have right now. That's why I'm saying if you're gonna hit them, hit them so hard that they won't get up again."

"We're certainly gonna try," Applejack said.

"Then I guess that's all we can ask," the doctor said. "We have faith in you all, though. Know that because of how brave you are and what you've done for us already, you have the support of everypony in Willowbrook."

The Mane Six, TJ, Muse, and Firefly all looked around to see nearly every other pony there smiling at them reassuringly. Seeing this made them all smile back in appreciation.

"Thank you all," Twilight Sparkle said. "We'll do our best not to let you down."

"The heck with that, we won't let you down, _period!_ " Rainbow Dash exclaimed loudly. "We're just that awesome!"

"Ssh," several ponies hushed.

Rainbow Dash's wide eyes looked around at everypony shushing her. She quickly spotted a nurse pony coming up to her.

"We appreciate you guys and all," the nurse pony said, "but they're still some patients who are trying to sleep or have massive headaches."

"Oh," Rainbow Dash said, a sheepish smile on her face. She then let out a short chuckle before saying, "Sorry."

As the nurse pony walked away, Rainbow Dash let out a sigh both from embarrassment and great exhaustion.

"Pss, hey, Rainbow Dash," Firefly whispered from one bed down.

Rainbow Dash looked to her mother as she said, "Yeah, what is it?"

"I was just wondering if you were alright," Firefly said.

"I guess so," Rainbow Dash said. "As long as nopony touches me where I got hurt, which is practically everywhere, I should be fine. I'm mostly tired right now." Rainbow Dash stretched her front hooves above her head and let out a yawn before saying, "Yep, I really need a nap."

"Good... I guess," Firefly said.

"Why, what's on your mind... Mom?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Sorry, still getting used to that."

"It's all good," Firefly said. "Anyways, I was just wondering... well, where do we go from here?"

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked in confusion.

"What I mean is,you and I right now, where do we stand?" Firefly asked. "What are things gonna be like for us going forward?"

"Oh," Rainbow Dash said. "Well... to be perfectly honest... I've kinda been wondering that myself."

"So you're not completely sure how you feel about me right now?" Firefly asked.

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment about how to answer the question.

"Well... I can't say I'm not still mad," Rainbow Dash said. She saw a slightly sad look cross her mom's face. "But... I think I'm at least ready to stop hating you."

"You hated me?" Firefly asked.

"You had to know I did," Rainbow Dash said.

"Yeah... I guess I did," Firefly said with a sigh.

"Hey, I changed my mind, didn't I?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes, you did," Firefly said with a smile. "Why is that?"

"Honestly... Applejack made me realize I probably would've done something just as extreme in that situation," Rainbow Dash said.

"Really, you would runaway, too?" Firefly asked.

"I actually think I would go extreme in the other direction," Rainbow Dash said.

"Say what?" Firefly said in confusion.

"I would've tried to track down all those crooked ponies and nail their hooves to the wall," Rainbow Dash said.

The two pegasi shared a laugh with each other.

"Wow, that is extreme," Firefly said.

"Yeah, it is," Rainbow Dash said. "But it could've gone really bad, not just for me, but for the family. In other words, there's a chance I could've messed up even worse than you did. That's why I always keep at least one other pony with me, to keep myself in check."

"That's what I do now, too, for the most part," Firefly said.

"Heh, at least we have some really good ponies to rein us in," Rainbow Dash said.

"We sure do," Firefly replied. The pegasus mares looked around to their friends in admiration. "Maybe... we could do that for each other some of the time? One of us who isn't as caught up in the moment can reel the other back in?"

"Yeah... maybe," Rainbow Dash said, obviously feeling awkward.

"Are we ever gonna be how I want us to be, Rainbow Dash?" Firefly asked.

"I... I can't say for sure," Rainbow Dash said. "I guess I'll just need some time to... evaluate things or whatever. You know what I mean."

"I do," Firefly said. "You're saying there might be hope."

At first Rainbow Dash felt Firefly was being too pushy and was about to tell her off. She saw the look on her mother's face, however, and realized she wasn't really trying to be pushy. Firefly was just being a hopeful mother. Upon realizing this, Rainbow Dash let out a short chuckle as a small smile crossed her face.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Rainbow Dash said.

Firefly's face lit up so brightly it could've probably illuminated all of Fillydelphia. Seeing her mother so happy made Rainbow Dash want to smile, too. She let out a few chuckles as she started to feel a swell of happiness not dissimilar to that of her mother's.

"Thanks for saving my life out there, Rainbow Dash," Firefly said.

"Well, you would've done the same for me," Rainbow Dash said. "Heck, you already have even though I was..."

"Unpleasant?" Firefly supplied.

"I was gonna say a jerk," Rainbow Dash said. "Anyways, despite our differences, you're still a pony... But even more than that... you're my mom."

Firefly beamed even brighter now seeming more like she could light up all of Equestria. Surprisingly, to Rainbow Dash at least, seeing her mom so happy continued to make her feel good, too. Rainbow Dash turned away for only a split second before her eyes caught sight of a smiling Applejack looking right at her. The blue pegasus returned the smile with her own to which Applejack nodded her approval. The orange Earth pony then looked to Firefly and gave her a wink of approval, the pink mare responding in kind.

Meanwhile, TJ still refused to return to his bed. Instead he stood in between his sister's and Twilight's medical beds. His insistence on staying where he was forced one of the nurses to do part of his physical treatment where he stood. That's how she made it look at least, but when the nurse was done, she seemed to be smiling rather brightly, as was TJ. The two continued to look at each other until the nurse walked away to assist with some of the other patients.

Even after the nurse could no longer see him, however, TJ was still watching her go by. When he finally did turn away, he found the smirking face of his sister looking at him. TJ tried looking away from his sister only to find Twilight Sparkle's smirking face waiting for him. The pony stallion shrugged his shoulders as he smiled sheepishly while both alicorn mares stared at him. Neither TJ nor the nurse really did anything overly inappropriate, but it was clear there was a physical attraction, possibly more so on the nurse's part.

Still, TJ's shame began to slowly fade away as his mind conjured up a way to entertain himself at Twilight Sparkle's expense.

"You know, that nurse, she's uh, _pretty_ easy on the eyes," TJ said.

A slightly surprised, yet playful expression crossed Twilight Sparkle's face before she lightly punched a hoof into TJ's shoulder. That was when Pinkie Pie, who had been watching from her bed, came over and started whispering in Twilight's ear. Muse leaned in to listen as the pink Earth pony whispered on. When she was done, all three mares lightly giggled before nodding their heads in agreement. A light from Twilight Sparkle's horn floated down to her throat, lighting it up.

Then Twilight Sparkle let out a loud catcall whistle before exclaiming loudly, " _Hello, nurse!_ "

TJ's face turned red as could be as he looked to the nurse that had been flirting with him before. The voice that had come out of Twilight's mouth was not her own, but TJ's. As the nurse turned to TJ in surprise, almost everypony amongst the stallion's posse was busting a gut. Even some other ponies around them laughed, though others were shushing TJ as they had done to Rainbow Dash earlier. The nurse pony stared at TJ for several uncomfortable seconds before turning away and resuming her rounds with the patients.

TJ turned to see everypony in his group beaming at him in amusement. For several moments, he could only look on sheepishly as giggles and snickers continued to emulate from his friends.

"Okay, I... guess I deserved that," TJ said.

"You're darn right you did," Muse said.

"Okay, okay, I did," TJ said. "I was just having a little fun is all. It's not often a mare who's actually interested in me comes along."

"Well, then, if it's such a big deal, why don't you go do something about it?" Twilight said, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Because while that nurse may be interested and cute to boot, I've already got my eyes on a much better mare," TJ said.

His eyes were fixated directly on Twilight Sparkle the entire time he spoke. His clear implications made the princess react with a small smile and a blush as her eyes looked away.

"Well I suggest you get your priorities together and let that mare know she's the important one, not some floozy in a nurse skirt," Muse said.

"You know what, Muse, you're dead right," TJ said. "Thanks for getting my head out of the clouds and back on track to where it should be focused."

"Eh, you're my brother," Muse said. "And you did help me when I needed to learn the many stages of how to be an alicorn. Who knew it would be so complicated? Makes sense, I guess. Anyways, the least I could do is give you a reality check when you're being a dunder head and fishing around instead of looking at the prize right in front of you."

"Can't argue with that, little sis," TJ said as his eyes gazed deep into Twilight's. "When you're right, you're right. I should appreciate the wonderful, truly incredible, and rather beautiful option I already have."

"Oh... TJ," Twilight Sparkle said in a stunned, almost bashful tone.

"But you know something, sis, that makes twice you've helped me today," TJ said as he looked to Muse. "The shots you got in during that fight went a long way in helping us. I wasn't kidding when I said I thought you were great or when I said I was really proud of you. You did great for your first time, especially for it coming so unexpectedly."

"I couldn't agree more, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'm very proud of you, too, Muse."

"Yeah, despite everything, it's great we've at least gotten this far," TJ said. "But having said all that, Muse, I think that from here on out, you-"

"I know, TJ, I know," Muse said. "I should minimize the role I play in the situation going forward. Don't worry, after today, I have every intention to not get directly involved in the future. I'll admit I might have been pigheaded. Honestly, I thought you were the ones being stubborn when you said I wasn't ready.

"Turns out you guys were right all along. But today's experience still leaves me with one question. How do you ever really become ready for something like... what happened today? Facing danger head on and picking yourself up even when you're at your threshold of pain. Going on even though you're in agony and all the odds are stacked against you.

"How could anypony ever truly be ready for that?"

Everypony looked on in silence as they thought about how to answer Muse's questions.

"Well, the truth is, Muse, nopony ever really is," Applejack said.

"Yeah, it's more something you fall into like we've all had to," Rainbow Dash said.

"You just end up adapting at... some point down the line," Rarity said. "I don't know if you ever fully slip into your role. But depending on how strong your will is and how good you are at adapting, you'll fit just well enough to do what you need to."

"If you keep up the way you have been, I'm betting you will be ready for this stuff one day," Pinkie Pie said.

"It's just not today, is it?" Muse asked.

"Nope," Pinkie Pie said. "But there's always..." At this point, Pinkie Pie randomly began to sing. " _Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya! Tomorrow, you're only a day away!_ "

For a moment, nopony said anything and instead looked on in very uncomfortable dismay. Even the patients and doctors who were shushing the group before looked on in shock.

"Don't," Rainbow Dash started.

"Ever," Rarity continued.

"Ever," Applejack supplied next.

"Do," TJ said.

"That," Firefly said.

" _Again?!_ " Pinkie Pie asked in her high pitched voice.

Everypony let out a round of laughter both of amusement and slight awkwardness. Then most of them went back to talking amongst themselves, mostly giving Muse more kudos and encouragement. Twilight Sparkle and TJ just looked on at their friends and family before eventually turning back to each other.

"These are some friends we have, huh?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Sure, but has science been able to figure out exactly what kind yet?" TJ asked.

The two shared a laugh before Twilight said, "No, TJ, no. Not yet unfortunately."

"That's okay, because I already know what kind of friends they are," TJ said. Twilight Sparkle waited patiently for what the stallion would say next. "They're the best kind, you included."

"Aw, TJ, that's so sweet," Twilight Sparkle said. "You're one of my best friends, too."

"Only a friend?" TJ asked. "Is that all we are?"

Twilight Sparkle didn't answer right away. It almost seemed like she couldn't, the question having stunned her so.

"We'll have to wait and see," Twilight Sparkle answered when she finally snapped out of it. "Right now the main thing to think about is the minotaurs. Everything else comes afterwards... But finding the answer to that question will definitely be number one on the after list."

"I can respect that," TJ said. "Yeah, that sounds right. I mean, you girls did come all the way from Equestria to solve this problem because we were badgering ya."

"There was no badgering to it, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "You needed help, the world needs help, and that's all there is to it. Now there's just the matter of actually doing it."

"Do you have doubts that we can?" TJ asked concernedly.

"No," Twilight Sparkle said. "Well... Actually, a pony shouldn't assume things either way. You should be just as ready to accept defeat as you are to accept victory. Unfortunately, and I've fallen into this trap many times myself, you want things to go the way of the latter so much that you barely even consider the possibilities of the former."

"Oh, I see," TJ said. "Well, be that as it may, right now my faith is blinding me. It's making me say that I'm sure the plans you and my mom came up with are gonna be the ticket to us winning this thing."

"Your blind faith in your mom?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Not just her, but my faith in you, too... _princess_ ," TJ said.

He emphasized his last word in a way that almost seemed like it was meant to be seductive. This was aided by the expression on his face. His eyes and his smile seemed confident, genuine, and caring.

"Oh, TJ," was all Twilight Sparkle could say at first. "You say the nicest things. Thanks for sticking by me when you could've easily let us do all the work for you."

"I could never do that to you guys," TJ said. "You all mean a lot to me, especially you, Twilight."

Instead of replying with words, Twilight Sparkle sat up straighter in her bed and leaned in close to TJ. When she was close enough, the violet alicorn's lips pressed against the side of TJ's cheek, instantly making him freeze up. It was only a quick kiss, but nearly everypony else in the group got to see it happen.

" _Ooh!_ " the other mares of the Mane Six, Firefly, and Muse all exclaimed together.

This caught the attention of several other ponies who had just enough time to see Twilight pull back from her kiss. Even after several seconds had gone by, TJ was still frozen in place. He didn't move until he slowly started to tip over to his side. Luckily, two medical ponies were fast enough to come by with a gurney and catch TJ. Seeing that their friend was alright allowed the other ponies to laugh at the situation.

Despite feeling somewhat embarrassed herself, Twilight laughed along with all her friends.

"Ah, great, Twilight, you broke him!" Rainbow Dash said in between laughs.

"I think that one's gonna need to be examined again, doc!" Pinkie Pie said. "I think his heart skipped a beat or two! To the emergency room, stat!"

"That was _so_ adorable!" Rarity squeed.

The group of friends and even several ponies around them continued to laugh on and smile.

* * *

" _Ow!_ " Khaos Fury screamed out angrily. " _Watch it, you idiots! Focus on your work! Can't you even do that right?! You're suppose to be medical aids, not demolition workers!_

" _So either do it right or get out of my sight!_ "

Some of the minotaurs on the medical staff assigned to Khaos Fury shuddered in fear. Others, however, just grumbled and seemed more annoyed by her, having felt the wrath of the mare's tantrums before.

Dark Lightning was mostly groaning in pain as his own team of doctors and physical therapists worked on him. The twin unicorns were sitting in their own personal chamber. Since returning to the lair of the minotaurs, both ponies had been trying to get relief from the pain they suffered in their previous battle not long before. They had sat around for several hours as the medically trained minotaurs did their best to properly care for them. Clearly the results were mixed at best with Khaos Fury severely questioning the training of the doctors around her.

Instead of helping to make her feel better, it felt more like they were trying to break her in half.

 _I always knew these minotaurs were ignorant savages,_ Khaos Fury thought to herself. _I just didn't know they would hire horn heads clearly unqualified for a specific position._ Khaos Fury was already at her boiling point when a minotaur tried to set her hoof in a cast the wrong way. The pain that shot through her whole foreleg ended up pushing her over the edge. She screamed at the top of her lungs as lightning shot out of her horn in several different directions.

" _That's it!_ " Khaos Fury screamed out. All of the medical aids and even Dark Lightning tried to duck and avoid the magical bolts that resulted from the mare's burst of anger. " _I've had it with you incompetent morons! Get out of my sight, all of you! Leave me and my brother alone to tend to ourselves!_

" _Did you hear me? Leave our quarters now!_ "

Every single minotaur made for the door as fast as they could, leaving Khaos and Dark to sit in their cave of a room that was only barely lit by a small lantern.

"You know, you didn't have to scare _all_ of them off," Dark Lightning said. "I would've preferred it if the guys working on my injuries had stayed so they could finish fixing me up."

"Stuff it, Dark Lightning," Khaos Fury spat at her brother. "I'm not in the mood for your whining and complaining. Besides, in case it wasn't clear with my situation, they would've only made you feel worse."

"My whining and complaining?!" Dark Lightning said in disbelief. He let out a very light chuckle, more so of annoyance than anything else, before going on. "Okay, where do I begin with you? Every time we've failed, you've always thrown a hissy fit just like a school filly."

"You know how Isarem gets when we fail," Khaos Fury said. "Besides, you get just as upset as anyone when we don't achieve our goals."

"Yeah, but I don't throw a tantrum like you do," Dark Lightning said. "You act more wild than half the horn heads here when you lose your temper."

"Oh, shut up," Khaos Fury said.

"There you are again," Dark Lightning said. "Well, you know something, no, I won't shut up. I still got a bone to pick with you. Even after you planned an attack independent from the rest of our resources that was doomed to fail, ya still went off like a firecracker. Seriously, Khaos, what were you expecting when it was just you, me, Surelious, and some goofs?

"You knew it was only suppose to be a reconnaissance mission overlooking the area. But you just couldn't help yourself, could ya? Ever since you first saw that purple alicorn, you've been obsessing over her like she stole your lunch money in school or something."

"She's violet," Khaos Fury spat back.

"See what I mean?" Dark Lightning said, his aggravation having increased. "What do you have to prove to her? Is it because she's an all big and powerful alicorn? She's this all powerful princess and you have to prove you're bigger, badder, and more powerful even though you're a unicorn?"

"Dark Lightning, I told you to drop it!" Khaos Fury exclaimed as she got out of her bed and started pacing around.

"I wish I could," Dark Lightning said. "But you're bungling and going off mission to satisfy yourself not only got our flanks handed to us, we were also forced to run off like scared ducklings by their monsters. No, the minute one of our scouts saw those ponies out in the open together, you just couldn't let it go! You had to try to satisfy your own needs instead of sticking to the plan. The second you knew that alicorn was there, it was all, 'oh, boy, time to feed my addiction I have for some reason'.

"Surelious had every right to be mad at you."

"Surelious is a fool!" Khaos Fury shouted in anger as her pacing increased in speed.

"You're only saying that because that's what Surelious called you!" Dark Lightning said. "Wanna know something else, I'm starting to wonder if maybe he wasn't right!"

Khaos Fury froze in her tracks, a stunned and dejected look crossing her face as she stared at her brother. For several silent seconds she kept looking at Dark Lightning with that expression before it softened almost into a sadder-looking frown. She was trying to fight back the true anger she felt. Yet it was also clear she was also trying to hold back that hint of sadness, too.

"So... that's the way it is, huh?" Khaos Fury said, trying to choke back her true emotions. "I make one screw up and you're ready to treat me like Isarem does? I thought we were suppose to be a team you and I. We agreed we didn't give a flying feather what these two hoofed roid ragers were fighting for. We were only doing this so we could stick close to each other and have fun making other living things miserable.

"Now you're willing to throw that all away?"

"Of course not, Khaos," Dark Lightning said. "I never once believed in the minotaurs' cause and I still don't conform to it now. No, Khaos, I still very much believe in why we got into this junky minotaur business in the first place. But this isn't you're only screw up. It isn't _our_ only screw up.

"Time and time again, we've failed Isarem in his eyes. This particular failure may be jut the sort of thing that makes Isarem decide to go over the edge. You've already felt tiny bits of his wrath in the past, we both have. Who knows what he'll do to us this time around."

Khaos Fury stood in silence for several seconds, seemingly mulling over Dark Lightning's words.

"Well... does it really matter?" Khaos Fury asked.

Dark Lightning looked at his sister like she had just pulled a skeleton out from under her bed.

"What did you just say?" the unicorn stallion said in disbelief.

"Think about it for a moment, would you?" Khaos Fury said. "We're both very powerful unicorns. We've proven that several times, including when we were able to make that princess break more than a sweat. We've proven in training that we can take on a bunch of these minotaurs at a time. That's why most of them fear us the way they do...

"Besides being Isarem's top generals, I mean. So why should we have to fear Isarem the way we do? Why can't we takeover this operation?"

"Khaos, do you even know what you're saying?!" Dark Lightning asked in astonishment. "I get what you mean, I really do. You've got to remember something, though. While we may be powerful, we aren't powerful enough even together to take on _all_ the minotaurs Isarem has at his disposal. Plus, you know what kind of minotaur he is by himself."

"But if he was by himself-" Khaos Fury began.

Dark Lightning was quick to shush his sister.

"Could you keep it down with that kind of talk?" Dark Lightning whispered. "In fact, don't even talk like that at all."

"Why the heck not?" Khaos Fury demanded.

"Because we're smack dab in the middle of Isarem's territory!" Dark Lightning insisted. "It may be our room, but it's Isarem's lair. For all we know, he could have eyes and ears all around, even where we can't see them."

"Dark Lightning, that's ridiculous," Khaos Fury said in annoyance. "He's just a minotaur."

Not more than a second later did both ponies hear their door being opened loudly from the outside. Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury turned to see who had entered their quarters. It sounded like there were multiple sets of steps, meaning more than one person was coming.

"See what I mean?" Dark Lightning whispered. "Way to go, Khaos, now you've really gone and done it. We're probably gonna get it for sure."

"Would you shut up?" Khaos Fury whispered back. It was at that moment they heard a loud howl that echoed through their room, sending chills up their spines. "Timberwolves?... Why the heck are they bringing timberwolves?"

It didn't take much longer for the twin unicorns to find out exactly who had come into their room and how many there were. Surelious led a group of at least nineteen other minotaurs into the room. Some of them were helping to hold back not one, but two very vicious, very hungry looking timberwolves. Their threatening eyes were fixed on the ponies as they emitted low, threatening growls. While the room was big, it still felt very cramped and, in a way, even threatening to have so many stuffed into the cave all at once.

"Surelious," Dark Lightning said in surprise.

Khaos Fury shushed her brother before looking to the bull at the head of the pack.

"What do you think you're doing bringing all these troops and those two fleabags into our space?!" Khaos Fury exclaimed. "Have you forgotten we out rank all of you horn heads?!"

"Lord Isarem demands your presence in his chambers... _now!_ " Surelious said, his shouting of the last word causing an echo.

Khaos Fury was surprised and, though she'd hate to admit it, even a bit intimidated. Surelious always spoke to her in a confident tone, but this time seemed different. He seemed more confident like not only was he not afraid of Khaos or Dark, but that for some reason they should now fear him. What made it worse was he was ordering them to go see Isarem of all people. Khaos Fury looked to her brother, only to see he was feeling and thinking the same as she was.

The unicorn mare turned to Surelious and his posse and tried to look as confident as she could.

"Well then, let's not keep the good master waiting," Khaos Fury said in a clearly shaky voice.

Surelious stepped to the side as his men parted to make a clear path for the ponies. They had a bit of trouble getting the timberwolves to move with them at first. All of them had come to expect this kind of trouble and actually became rather adept at working passed the uncooperative nature of the beasts. Their wildness certainly didn't do anything to settle the nerves Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning were feeling. Though Khaos Fury was trying to fight against it, she knew deep down she was just as nervous as she saw Dark Lightning was.

Neither one of them, however, were willing to defy Isarem's rule despite the big game Khaos Fury talked before. Dark Lightning slowly and cautiously got up from his bed and walked over to his sister's side. Khaos waited for a moment before she started walking towards the door, her brother following close behind her. The two equines felt very uneasy walking in between the parted group of minotaurs. It wasn't helped by the timberwolves hungrily barking and snapping at them.

Usually neither Khaos Fury nor Dark Lightning would be affected by any of this since they were among the top dogs in the organization. This time, however, they knew they were the dogs in the dog house after they bungled their mission, which was unsanctioned to begin with. They could feel the gaze of every minotaur staring a hole through them as if gazing into their souls with nothing but judgement. It wasn't helped by the timberwolves looking at the two ponies like they were lunch. Despite the hostility they felt from what was suppose to be their own forces, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning cooperated and trotted on without a struggle.

The two groups of minotaurs reconvened into a single unit once Khaos and Dark walked passed them. Surelious then pushed his way to the front of the group putting himself between them and the unicorn twins. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning had walked to Isarem's quarters many times before, so they weren't worried about the minotaurs giving them directions. They knew the minotaurs were there just to make sure they actually went to Isarem without any sort of detours. What the two of them didn't know was that the minotaur escorts were there for another reason as well.

Once they had actually exited the room and were walking down the corridor, Surelious looked to some of the troops closest to him. He both nodded his head and signaled with his hand to which the minotaurs nodded in reply before making their move. Four minotaurs rush forward and actually grabbed a hold of Khaos and Dark as tightly as they could to keep them in place. Both of the unicorns were incredibly alarmed by this, thus their reactions were that of violent surprise.

" _Hey!_ " Khaos Fury screamed.

" _What're you doing?!_ " Dark Lightning yelled.

Both ponies thrashed violently to get free, but their strength was no match for the physically superior minotaurs. Before they could use any of their magic, two more minotaurs ran up to them. In the blink of an eye, they pulled out what looked like metal collars and just as quickly locked them around the ponies' necks. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning both instantly felt the extra weight, slight cold, and even the roughness of the forming rust on both pieces of steel. The collars actually seemed to be a little too tight around their necks by just less than half a size to fit them properly.

The pair of ponies were released by the four minotaurs holding them in place, but they weren't the least bit relieved. In addition to the minotaurs ambushing them the way they did, it almost felt like the collars were starting to choke them. Lightning and Khaos Fury both quickly backed away from the minotaurs around them as they tried to use their magic to defend themselves and remove their collars. Unfortunately for them, in what was a horrifying surprise, the two unicorns found they couldn't use their magic. Their horns wouldn't even light up with the smallest of twinkles.

Only three seconds later did Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury realize why their magic wasn't working. They now knew why they felt tiny prickles of pain digging under their skin and into their neck.

" _These are the same collars we use to nullify the magic of our unicorn prisoners!_ " Dark Lightning shouted in trepidation.

" _What is the meaning of this?!_ " Khaos Fury shouted, her voice sounding more angry than fearful. " _We're among Isarem's top generals! You think he'd like to hear about you treating us like this?!_ "

"It was Lord Isarem himself that told us to put those collars on you," Surelious said in a disturbingly calm voice.

However, the expressions on Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning's faces were anything but calm.

" _What?!_ " the siblings asked together.

"He said he didn't want any _complications_ from either of you during your meeting with him," Surelious said while stifling back a snicker.

His troops, however, chose not to hide how they felt. All of them let out snickers meant to mock the two ponies who looked very concerned. They turned to each other, reading the stress, worry, and underlying fear each of them had on their faces. At first they were hoping to see whether either of them knew how to respond or react going forward in the situation. Both ponies clearly saw neither had that answer and were more so now looking to each other for brotherly and sisterly moral support, something they rarely ever did.

More and more the two of them were starting to truly realize how much trouble they had gotten themselves into. Before they could say anything, however, Surelious began to move in on them.

"Come on now, move," Surelious said. "You know how Isarem gets when those he's expecting are late."

Surelious marched up and tried to push the two ponies along their way. They trotted backwards, though, so as to keep the towering bull from touching them. Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury turned away from their minotaur escorts, looked to each other one more time, and finally resumed walking. The two of them didn't say another word the entire time they were being taken to their leader's domain. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning spent their trot to Isarem's quarters in near silence and mostly kept their eyes in the direction they were going.

Occasionally, however, they would look to each other or steal a glance at the scene around them. As short as the glances were, seeing all the enslaved ponies doing hard labor in metal collars and chains felt more personal to Khaos and Dark than it ever did before. Watching all the pained, suffering, tired, overworked, nearly starved ponies digging while under the watch of several violent minotaurs was all too real now. It wasn't helped by seeing it all play out in the dim, flickering lights of the lanterns hung all around the tunnels. None of this was enough to make either Khaos or Dark turn from their side, but they were still afraid of whether they would end up like the rest of the ponies around them or suffer even worse.

As the group walked passed the ponies working and the guards watching them, several members from both parties stopped to watch them go. The pony slaves were quick to get back to work, however, despite their shock at seeing Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning wearing the same collars they were. Everyone of the enslaved equines had seen those two unicorns walking alongside the minotaurs who oppressed them. They always seemed to have a brash air about them like they were above all other ponies around them. Obviously it was because not only were they not enslaved in chains, but seemed to have equal ranking amongst the minotaurs.

In fact if one of the slave ponies got out of line in some sort of way, they would feel wrath from Khaos and Dark like they would from a minotaur guard. The two unicorn twins had much authority amongst the masses and all of the ponies forced into hard labor within those caves had learned it very quickly. That was what made it so shocking for them to see Dark and Khaos being escorted by guards with metal collars on their necks and somber looks on their faces. In a way it almost seemed like the two siblings had been dragged down to the level the rest of the ponies had been forced down to. Despite how shocking this was to all the slave labors, none of them were willing to dwell on it.

All of them only took a quick second long glance before going back to their work. They all knew that even if Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning weren't in a position to belt them, the guards on duty would. It was that fear that was beaten into them by every minotaur as well as Khaos and Dark that kept all pony slaves in check. It almost seemed as though Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning were about to get a small taste of that feeling themselves. Neither felt any better when they left the mines behind and in fact felt their fear piercing even deeper into them when walking down the final corridor.

Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury were getting tenser by the moment. They both knew what was waiting for them at the end of the narrow tunnel and it chilled them to the core. Khaos Fury, Dark Lightning, and the minotaurs that were with them finished walking the rounded turn in the walkway that revealed the end of the path. The sight at the end of the tunnel lit by hanging lanterns was one all too familiar to the two unicorns and their escorts. There stood the metal door that would lead into Isarem's chambers guarded on either side by multiple armed minotaurs.

Seeing that door instantly made Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning stop in their tracks as they looked on. Dark Lightning gulped as he and Khaos Fury looked to each other yet again. Neither one of them looked confident despite Khaos trying and painfully failing to crack a reassuring smile for her brother.

"Alright, move it," one of the minotaur guards bellowed.

He shoved Dark Lightning forward while Surelious shoved Khaos Fury. Both ponies tried turning to their guides in protest, but were unable to due to being shoved forward several more times. It was hard for Dark and Khaos both to believe they had gotten to this point. They were both in seriously hot water, though neither pony knew how deep they were in, which scared them the most. What Tartarus-like horrors awaited them behind that door?

"These are the ones, Lord Isarem wanted," Surelious explained to the guards.

"Yes, he's been expecting you," one of the guards replied.

He then waved for them to go inside as another guard unlatched the lock of the door and then opened it. Everything seemed to slow down for Khaos and Dark; from the moment the guard unlocked the door to it opening up. The loud ' _clang_ ' of the latch being twisted and pulled out of its lock, the creaks of the door opening, and every other sound was like a foreboding premonition. Even the low rushes of air from the door seemed to signal dark things in Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning's futures. While the unicorns' fear made time seem to slow down at first, it compensate by making the time after speed by twice as fast.

Without even knowing how it happened or fully realizing that it happened at all, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning found themselves on the other side of the door. It was only when they looked back to see the door closing behind them that they completely grasped what had happened. It came as so much of a shock that the two practically cried out for the guards to wait and nearly ran for the door. Their path was blocked, however, by Surelious and four of the minotaurs that originally escorted Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning. Because of this, the two could only look passed the hulking bulls and watch helplessly as the door closed with a loud, booming ' _clang_ '.

Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning both heard the door being locked from the outside, which meant they were trapped in the one place in the world they really didn't want to be. In that moment, the two equines would've rather been anywhere else, maybe even in Tartarus. But there they were and they were already starting to feel intense chills running through their whole bodies. Both Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury knew those feelings signaled the presence of their leader. Looking up, both ponies saw the smiles on the faces of Surelious and his cohorts.

Their gleefully evil eyes first looked down at the ponies before looking to someone ahead of the lot. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning slowly turned to this person, though they didn't need to see him to know who it was. When they had fully turned, they saw exactly who they were expecting to see. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning saw what was truly their own personal living, breathing worst nightmare. Such a description was no more truer than when the twin unicorns faced Isarem while their magic was completely nullified.

Instead of being at his throne and desk, Isarem stood in the middle of the room where Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning usually stood during their meetings. While the change was small, it still seemed uncomfortably drastic to Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury both. This told them both that this was matter Isarem did not take lightly. Supporting that was the fact that Isarem stood up completely straight instead of trying to keep his head down so the hood of his cloak could hide his face. This allowed the unicorns, much to their distress, to see the aggressively apoplectic look on the head bull's face.

The real story, however, was told in Isarem's eyes, which seemed like burning daggers looking a hole straight through the ponies. It almost felt to Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning like they were prisoners at their death sentencing. What was more unsettling for Dark and Khaos was that this may very well have been the case. Both unicorns had seen Isarem's eyes convey anger many times before. But it seemed like his anger had reached its boiling point a long time before they'd entered his domain.

"Come to me," Isarem demanded in a cold, stern, menacing voice.

Both ponies hesitated to move despite their fear filled hooves telling them they should. They knew every ounce of fear they felt before was foreshadowing this moment. Still, nothing they felt before could truly prepare them for how it felt standing before Isarem in his current state. Their bone chilling terror was nearly a hundred times what it was before. The feeling of dread in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife just like Khaos and Dark were sure Isarem wanted to do to them.

Isarem looked upon Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning's hesitation with narrowing eyes, giving him an even more frightful appearance.

" _Come now_ ," Isarem ordered.

His voice had stayed within a normal range, but a growl was added to the stern, authoritative tone he had before. Because of Isarem's extra intimidating voice, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning were much more willing to comply. They took only a moment to look at each other and then slowly turned to the minotaurs behind them. The bulls who had escorted the two unicorns tried to keep straight faces, but it was easy to see they were all silently delighting in their fear. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning ignored them, having no choice, but to do so, and made their way over to Isarem.

Both ponies were slow about trotting over to the overlord of the minotaurs. It was both a fascinating, yet somewhat sad sight to see two beings that were usually so high and mighty be so humbled. Even before the meeting actually began, Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury both looked like whipped puppies. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning tried stopping about twenty feet away from Isarem, but the bull in charge wasn't having it. Isarem moved his finger in a 'come here' motion, ordering the two spooked equines to come closer.

Neither Khaos Fury or Dark Lightning wanted to, but they dared not defy Isarem anymore than they already had. They both walked an extra five feet towards Isarem, but even that didn't seem to be enough for the horned overlord. The bull let out an exasperated sigh before walking up to his pony minions, much to their chagrin. Both ponies were silent save for their heavy breathing as Isarem looked from one distressed looking equine to the other. Isarem sneered seemingly in disgust at Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning both.

"So... apparently things didn't go the way I had planned them to today," Isarem said. Though his voice was at a normal volume, it still conveyed the tense anger the minotaur felt inside. "More accurately, my plans for you today didn't go the way I wanted... did they? But then again, they didn't completely go the way you two wanted either... How is it that you get the idea to turn my scouting assignment into an isolated assault even when I ordered that nothing of the sort should happen under any circumstances, hmm?"

"M-my lord-"

"Silence yourself, Dark Lightning," Isarem ordered. "These questions are rhetorical, I don't expect an actual answer. Anything you could say, any excuse you could come up with, it wouldn't matter to me. What does matter to me is that in my years running this program, this mission from above, I've grown very unaccustomed to having my orders disobeyed."

"Isarem, sir, it was my-"

"I know, Khaos, I know," Isarem said. "I simply do not care. As far as I'm concerned, you're both equally responsible since you both knew it would go against my word and yet you did it anyways. You even got some of my most loyal troops to go in on it with you by not telling them I didn't allow it. It was one of those very same bulls that informed me of exactly what you did as soon as he found out you had tricked him."

"Me allegiance is to you and you alone, Isarem, my liege" Surelious called out as he placed an arm across his chest and bowed his head.

"Your loyalty is duly noted and most appreciated, Surelious, my faithful friend," Isarem said as he looked on with a smile. "It will also be handsomely rewarded." As Isarem looked back to Khaos and Dark, his previous expression and demeanor returned, only seeming more intense than before. "Even if he had not told me, I still would've found out. You think I wouldn't?

"I know you both think you're high and mighty because I gave you high rank and authority. I also know you both think you're the top dogs because of your unicorn magic. I even know that all of this has gone to your head to the point where you've believed you can overthrow me as the one in charge. Especially you, Khaos Fury!"

" _No!_ " both ponies blurted out in panic.

" _No, Isarem, it's not true!_ " Khaos Fury said.

" _If you would just listen-_ " Dark Lightning began.

" _Don't even try to use your rusted silver tongues to deceive me!_ " Isarem exclaimed in a bellowing mad voice that filled the whole room. Both ponies instantly silenced themselves as they trembled at Isarem's intimidating presence. "That's better. You two may be very powerful, which is why I chose you as my top generals in the first place. But you've got to remember a few things.

"I have eyes and ears all over this island. I have thousands of troops ready to do away with their mortal shells for me. I also have incredible power within my fingertips in the form of Solomon and Hedorah, two beasts more powerful than you two will ever be. Even more than that, I have a force greater than either my armies or even your magic. I have the forces above shinning their light on me, for my cause is their cause.

"That is how I know I will prevail, that I will conquer all in my righteous quest. That is why I do not fear either of you or your mighty unicorn magic... Then there's these gifts bestowed upon me from above."

Isarem rubbed a hand across the metal collar around Khaos Fury's neck nearly making her whimper. The bull in charge saw just how uncomfortable his gesture made Khaos and her brother, to which he just looked at them in disgust.

"So now do you both get it?" Isarem demanded. "Do you now understand that I am indisputably in control here? I am the face that runs the place. I am the master of all I see. _I rule this land of fleshy mortal bone bags!_

" _Until ascension I am the boss! Do I make myself clear?!_ "

Both Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning spoke at the same time as they rapidly tried to assure the master of minotaurs they had gotten his message. They even threw themselves down on the ground while they sung Isarem's praises as a leader. Though their panicky tones served to annoy Isarem, he did enjoy the unicorns' graveling overall.

"Good," Isarem finally said as he turned and began to walk away. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning glanced at one another before slowly pushing themselves up off the ground. "Oh, but just one more thing, though," Isarem said as his footsteps suddenly ceased. Then, at amazingly swift speeds, Isarem turned and ran up to the ponies before grabbing them both by the throat and lifting them up off the ground. "If you're going to disobey me, at least make sure you actually accomplish your goals.

"By disobeying me, you made me look weak. Suffering defeat the way you did made us all look weak."

"We- we- we almost had them, Isa-"

Isarem's grip on Khaos Fury's throat tightened, causing her to choke on the middle of her sentence. Both ponies gagged and coughed from lack of air, but there was no doubt Khaos Fury was suffering the most.

"No excuses," Isarem said sternly. "Forget what I said about if you're going to defy me and just don't disobey my orders at all! _Understand?!_ " Both ponies tried to let out a reply, but could only cough and gag. So Isarem pulled both ponies closer before once again saying, "Do you understand?"

"Yes," both ponies managed to rasp out.

"Good to know," Isarem said before releasing both ponies' throat, letting them drop to the floor.

Before they could get up, Isarem was on them both, swinging his fists into their faces like sledgehammers. That was exactly what it felt like with each punch feeling like it was shattering the inside of both ponies' skulls. A cut was even opened up on the side of Dark Lightning's face, Isarem's punch to his features was so hard. Both ponies would've surely hit the floor if they weren't already sprawled out over it. They may have received only one punch each, but coming from Isarem, one punch was the equivalent to ten from a regular minotaur.

Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning looked up fearfully at Isarem who hovered above them like he would strike them yet again. The two hoofed menace's eyes shifted from one pony to the other like he was trying to decide who he'd deal more punishment to next. He even raised a fist like he was about to resume beating on Dark and Khaos, making them both shudder with fear. Instead of hitting them both again, Isarem slowly lowered his fist and stood up straight as a smile crossed his face.

"You should both consider yourselves lucky I'm in a merciful mood right now," Isarem said. "Ordinarily I would be much harder on you. However, I haven't the time to properly punish you and what I would do would either permanently disable your current flesh shells or drive you to ascension. Neither one of you deserves the latter yet, no matter how painful the circumstances of how you got there would be. More than that, despite your treachery, I still have great need of your collective skills.

"I believe you both could still prove useful... Don't you dare make me regret my choice in keeping you around. And don't you ever go behind my back again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-y-y-yes, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning managed to stammer out.

"Good," Isarem said before letting his angry expression slowly melt into a smile. This only seemed to frighten the unicorn ponies even more. "Well then, shall we get down to business? I wish to go over details about the next plan of attack and I need you all here for it if you'd please."

Isarem turned away and started walking towards his desk. At the same time, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning spoke in agreement rapidly while they both helped each other off the ground.

"Of course, my lord, we have much to discuss," Surelious said as he bowed.

Both ponies watched Surelious as he walked towards them.

"What do you think you're doing, Surelious?" Khaos Fury asked in confusion.

"Yeah, you're not part of these meetings," Dark Lightning said. "We discuss strategies in private with Isarem, then we go over them with you."

"Not anymore," Surelious said smugly.

"Huh?" both unicorns said in irritated confusion.

"He's quite right," Isarem said. "You see, Surelious has been... promoted."

" _What?!_ " Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning said at the same time.

"He's my top general now," Isarem explained further.

" _What?!_ " both unicorns exclaimed even louder.

"But we're your top generals," Dark Lightning said, his voice coming out whinier than he meant it to.

"I'm afraid, Dark Lightning, that is no longer the case," Isarem said. "Since I can't punish you two the way I wanted to originally, I had to think of something else. That something else is that as of this moment, the two of you have been officially demoted. Meet your new boss, General Surelious."

" _No!_ " Khaos Fury screamed while Dark Lightning looked on in despair. " _You can't do this to us! We're-_ "

" _Would you prefer ascension act six hundred and sixty six?!_ " Isarem bellowed, his voice drowning out all other sounds. " _Those were my original plans for you!_ "

"I begged him to go along with it, but he was feeling... not quite up to it," Surelious said as he smiled mockingly at Khaos and Dark.

"So what's it going to be, my little ponies," Isarem sneered.

Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning looked to each other. Clearly neither one was happy with how the situation was turning out for them, but they didn't really have a choice in the matter. Either they put up with their current punishment or they suffer the final penalty, that being death. Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury both weren't nearly as ready to die as the others around them were. Thus all they could do was knuckle under and accept Isarem's decision no matter how much they didn't want to.

"That... will be fine... my lord," Khaos Fury muttered out begrudgingly.

"We're both... at your service... General Surelious," Dark Lightning let out in the same manner as his sister.

"Ah, very good then," Isarem said. "I think you both made a wise choice. Don't you think so, Surelious?"

"Yes, indeed, my lord," Surelious said. He didn't even bother trying to hide the disappointment in his voice. "I honestly didn't think a pony could be that smart."

Both ponies shot their new general a dirty look, but quickly wiped them away so Isarem wouldn't see.

"Now, now, general, we mustn't think ill of others," Isarem said. "True, they both messed up, but we have to believe they will learn from their mistakes. It's no different than with others."

"Yes, my lord," Surelious said.

Both minotaurs turned to walk to Isarem's desk.

"Uh, Lord Isarem?" Khaos Fury let out as she raised a hoof. The two minotaurs turned to face their pony comrades. "D-Does our demotion mean you don't want us sitting in on strategy meetings anymore?"

"Why of course not, my dear Khaos Fury," Isarem said. "Neither of you suffered a demotion that low. You're both still very much welcome around my desk during these meetings... Just don't make me regret it."

"Of course not, my lord," Khaos Fury said.

"Thank you for your continued trust," Dark Lightning said.

The two ponies walked up to the desk, reaching Isarem's side as he sat down in his throne. They looked to Surelious who stared at them contemptuously, which they responded to in kind.

"Uh, Isarem, sir, c- can we have these collars removed now?" Dark Lightning requested. "They're really tight on us and the needles are really uncomfortable under our skin."

"They have to be tight," Isarem said. "That way those uncomfortable needles will keep you ponies from doing your hocus pocus. As for removing them now... I would think not. I figured I'd leave those on you until the next time we need you in the field. Just gonna teach you a lesson and let the punishment go on as non-lethally as possible."

"Perhaps they think they're being treated unfairly, lord," Surelious suggested.

"Is that the case, my little ponies?" Isarem asked. "Do you both feel I'm being unjust with you right now?"

The two unicorns didn't even need to look to each other to come to a mutual decision.

"No," they both said.

Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning both knew better. They had just been given salvation and they weren't about to throw it away.

"Good, then let's finally proceed," Isarem demanded. "I can't wait forever to make the world a better place, so let's hurry up and do it!"

"Yes, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury, Dark Lightning, and Surelious said at the same time.

* * *

 **And so here it is at last. Sorry it took a bit, I've been busy. Anyways, I hope you all like it and if so be sure to tell me in a review. Also, be on the lookout for future chapters coming... well, in the future. LOL I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.**


	23. Chapter 23: When a Plan Comes Together

An Earth pony mare had entered Moon Bright's hut, being the last of many to arrive. She and everypony else there had come to the village chief's home for what was suppose to be a very important meeting. Everypony called to the hut served as leaders for several different groups within the village. Heads of strategy, police captains, defense force commanders, assault generals, and everything in between were all there. Then there was, of course, Moon Bright the village chief herself who had called the meeting.

She was accompanied by her children, Muse and TJ, her best friend, Firefly, and the Mane Six. Starting on Moon Bright's left were Twilight Sparkle, TJ, Muse, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Firefly, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity all stood to Moon Bright's right. This cluster of ponies stood around one end of the table while the other ponies took up the other end and stretched on almost to the hut's front entrance. Despite being somewhat crowded, everypony knew they were there for an important reason.

It had to be or else Moon Bright wouldn't have called such a particular group of ponies together all at once.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Moon Bright announced. "You all most likely recognize the faces here today. Some may look more familiar than others since many of you here have worked together several times before... Some of you, not so much." The village ponies looked to the Mane Six, knowing that Moon Bright was referring to them.

"Nonetheless, we all know that the ponies here today are our greatest assets, our closest allies... and our best friends. In other words, everypony here is our best bet in defeating... _the minotaurs_."

Several ponies seemed to shutter at the mere mention of that last phrase. Muse, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie all looked around and saw just how uncomfortable it made almost everypony else.

" _Ooh, it's so dramatic,_ " Pinkie Pie said, her eyes wide and her grin as goofy as ever.

"I know, the suspense is terrible," Fluttershy said.

"Uh-huh," Muse agreed.

"I hope it'll last," Pinkie Pie said as she looked on in anticipation.

Fluttershy and Muse both looked to Pinkie Pie in bewilderment as she lightly began to hum ' _Pure Imagination_ '. The two mares slowly looked away from their friend and turned their attention back to the meeting.

"Fillies and gentlecolts," Moon Bright said, "this bitter tooth and hoof war between us and the minotaurs has gone on as long as anypony can remember. In all that time, they've had the advantage of knowing where every single one of us is or has been. Even when we branched out and made this village our home. Even when one of us has ventured out alone. They seemed to have known all about it.

"You're all aware of this, just as you're aware that we, unfortunately, haven't been so lucky. Despite our best efforts in the past, we haven't been able to find out exactly where their main base of operations was. At first we thought they were hiding in plain sight, that their base was located in the town of Seaside Hoof. We sent several spies in to see if they could find it... Those that came back alive or at all weren't able to do this.

"They found what seemed like little huts for odd congregations, but nothing that could be considered a militaristic base of operations. We didn't fair any better when we went out into the forest to see if we could find any traces there. In fact it seemed even worse than before. As thin as the veil is in Seaside Hoof, out here in the wild it's completely lifted, meaning the minotaurs will do anything and everything they want to us. That includes sicking their giant demons upon us."

"I hope this isn't meant to be an inspirational speech," Rarity whispered, to which Applejack shushed her in reply.

"Of the many disadvantages we've had," Moon Bright said, "that has been one of the biggest... That is, until now." Several of the other ponies began to talk amongst themselves, questioning each other on what the village chief may mean. "Muse, if you would please."

Muse's horn lit up, as did a rolled up piece of paper on a shelf nearby. The alicorn used her levitation magic to bring the paper over, unroll it and then place it in the middle of the table for all to see. It took up the whole table space with the ends even slightly hanging off. The paper was revealed to be a large map of the entire island, marking it down to almost every detail.

"A lot of you already know this," Moon Bright said, "but to those of you who don't, not long ago, my friend Firefly took a late night flight into the Willowing Forest. It was during that flight that she came across a group of minotaurs on a late night patrol or scouting party of some kind. She played it cool and followed them as quietly and sneakily as possible... And I'm very pleased to tell you all it paid off in full! That's right, despite the danger, Firefly managed to follow the minotaurs directly to the entrance of their base!"

Almost everypony outside the main group went into a near frenzy as they all talked frantically at the same time.

" _Are you sure about this?!_ " one pony's voice managed to say over the others'.

"Yes, Stiff Kick, we're quite certain," Moon Bright said.

"That means the time for us to attack and take the fight to them has come at last!" Firefly exclaimed with acceleration.

" _Well then, for pony's sake, Moon Bright, where is it?!_ " another pony asked.

"The entrance to the base is... _here!_ " Moon Bright called out.

Upon saying her last word, she used her levitation magic to stick a pin down on the map. Everypony looked down to see the spot Moon Bright had marked. The ponies further back had a little more trouble seeing the mark, but once everypony saw it they gasped in amazement.

"I... I can't believe it," one pony from the crowd let out.

"It's impossible," another proclaimed.

"Your eyes aren't deceiving you, my little ponies," Moon Bright said. "It's in fact true that the minotaurs have been hiding their base this whole time inside the island's volcano. I'll admit, this was something I found impossible when my daughter first came to me with the idea. But it was true and she was right." Moon Bright beamed at Muse who responded in kind before everyone moved on.

"Firefly saw the entrance for herself that night she followed the minotaurs. They not only made a large hole in the side of the volcano, but apparently they also somehow made a space big enough to suit their evil needs."

"That just can't be!" one pony said. "How can anything live inside a volcano, much less run such a large secret operation from inside?! They'd either be destroyed by the heat of the lava or the lava itself!"

"Could they have found a way around that?" Rarity suggested. "I admit it's hard for me to believe myself, but all possibilities must be considered here."

"Firefly, are you sure what you saw that night?" a stallion asked.

"As sure as there's a sun in the sky, Hard Rock!" Firefly insisted. "I saw it with my own eyes and felt the consequences. When I headed back home, they sent their troops, their timberwolves, and even Solomon after me! Tell me, would they throw all that at me for something I imagined?"

"Firefly isn't the only pony who saw it, either," Fluttershy said in her soft voice.

Apparently it wasn't soft enough, for soon all eyes in the room were on her. The mousy mare squeaked in fright before putting a hoof to her mouth. Muse tried to comfort her friend as the meeting went on.

"Firefly took several of us ponies out there to see it, too," Applejack explained.

"Believe us, it's no trick or hallucination," TJ said. "The entrance is real and so is the base."

Several ponies in the crowd took a moment to quietly mull over and discuss the new huge piece of information they just received.

"Okay," the Earth pony identified as Hard Rock said, "so their whole fortress is not only a volcano, but a volcano under heavy guard. How are we suppose to proceed going forward with this information?"

"Funny you should mention that," Moon Bright said. "Part of this meeting was to disclose to you all where the minotaur base was. The second part was to go over plans both Princess Twilight Sparkle and myself drew out together."

"What kind of plans?" a pegasus mare asked.

"Plans of attack," Moon Bright explained. "Plans of incursion. Plans... to annihilate the minotaurs from the inside out, destroying their base and putting an end to their evil schemes forever! Princess Twilight, please."

Twilight stepped in closer to the table.

"As you can all see," Twilight Sparkle began, "from the pin on the map that the entrance is on the south east side of the volcano. The entrance itself is about sixty feet up if you were to make the direct vertical climb we did. However, that is not necessary since there's an actual path that goes around the side of the volcano and can take you directly to where the entrance is."

"Did you see where this path begins, Firefly?" a female unicorn asked.

"No, I didn't," Firefly said.

"I'm quite certain we can find it, though," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Even if we could, there's still scouts to worry about," a pegasus stallion said.

"Yeah, that's right, Firefly said she got chased by a patrol of theirs," another pegasus stallion said.

"We had to face a patrol when we went to investigate the entrance as well," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Then what are we suppose to do about getting pass defenses like that?" an Earth pony mare asked.

"Especially when they involve giant monsters?" a pegasus mare asked.

"Well, if you all would just shut up for a moment, she'd tell you!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Everypony looked to the rainbow maned mare, to which she responded with a defensive look. "What? We're not going to get anywhere if you all keep interrupting Twilight while she's trying to explain the plan!"

Eventually everypony looked away from Rainbow Dash and back to Twilight Sparkle as she went on.

"I was about to say the same thing, Dashie," Firefly whispered to her daughter.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but let a small smile cross her face.

"It's true they're probably watching out for enemy forces," Twilight Sparkle said. "In fact after they caught us when we went looking for the entrance, they probably doubled up their security forces... But a central part of this plan includes making most of those forces a non-factor, particularly their kaiju." The ponies all listened closer to what the alicorn princess had to say. "First we send in both Godzilla and Anguirus from the far east side of the volcano to create a distraction.

"This will be a tactic mostly to draw out the minotaurs' monsters and take them out of the equation. Or it would for our part at least. But this would also most likely make the minotaurs try to put their base on lock down asap. It'll be in all that confusion and panic that we'll make our move."

"What do you mean?" one of the mares from earlier asked.

"A small squad of us will sneak into the minotaurs base," Twilight Sparkle explained. "While the smaller squad does that, the rest of our forces will set up a perimeter around the side of the volcano the entrance is on. They'll do this, but stay just inside the edge of the forest so the brush can hide them and they''ll go undetected by the minotaurs' scouts. They'll also be aided by an invisibility spell, which I'll personally teach to all the unicorns going on the mission that don't already know it."

"Will that same spell be used to help the infiltrating squad get into the base?" a pony stallion inquired.

"No," Twilight answered, "it would look too suspicious if the door was to open with no one there to walk through it. No, instead the infiltration team will be assisted with a disguising spell that I will personally cast myself. It will make anyone who sees the team view them as minotaurs. Once inside, the team will scout the base as best they can without looking suspicious. Any place within the base that looks like it's essential will have one or more tiny explosives placed inside."

"These will be the same explosives Wolfhard has been working on," Moon Bright announced. "They're small enough to go unnoticed, but have enough kick in them to create a blast big enough and strong enough to exterminate more than a hundred minotaurs at a time. I guarantee they'll go through the base like bread through a goose."

"My explosives?!" a silver maned, sea green coated unicorn stallion exclaimed. "But chief, we can't use those bombs! They're still only in the research stage!"

"We have no choice, Wolfhard," Moon Bright said. "Those are the only things we have that are small enough yet powerful enough to pull off an inside job as big as this."

"Yeah, but-"

"Please hear me when I say it's really important," Moon Bright said. "Now I've seen the results of your bombs up close. They can do the job, I know. That's why I have so humbly beg you to please work with us on this project. It could determine the outcome, the very fate of many."

"But no pressure of nothing," Pinkie Pie said.

Several of the ponies in the crowd couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. Even Wolfhard cracked a small smile at the pink Earth pony's joke.

"Look, Wolfhard, we're out of options," Moon Bright said. "This is the only way, our last chance to defeat the minotaurs once and for all... Will you do it?... Do you think you can?"

Everypony looked to Wolfhard, seeing that he was thinking it over deeply. The unicorn was strongly conflicted over making a decision. He knew his bombs most likely weren't ready for use in the field. However, he had just been dealt a serious ultimatum, one which held vast implications that expanded far beyond the reaches of his tiny island home. Because he understood how important the situation was, Wolfhard looked to Moon Bright and nodded his head in agreement.

The emotional look on his face almost looked like that of a defeated pony, though he was agreeing nonetheless.

"Okay, chief," Wolfhard said. "If you think my experiments are the go-to thing in this mission, I'm with ya to the end."

"Thank you very much, Wolfhard," Moon Bright said with an appreciative smile. "I know the part you and your devices play in this mission will be a big factor. I have every faith in that."

"Thank you, Moon Bright," Wolfhard said.

When he looked away, though, the stallion looked down with a slightly stressed expression on his face. Clearly he was unsure if that big factor Moon Bright mentioned would be the success or the failure of his experimental bombs.

"Once the bombs are placed," Twilight said, "we'll set off one farther away from the rest as a distraction. We're hoping it will allow us to gather the ponies that have been enslaved in the base. After that the team will head for the exit as fast as possible. After that, regardless of the circumstances... I'll cast a spell that will set off the rest of the explosives at the same time. The force of the blasts should be enough to tear the base to pieces, completely wiping out the minotaurs' operation.

"After that we'll obviously have the ponies we rescued brought back here to receive proper medical treatment and care."

"So, fillies and gentlecolts, that's the plan," Moon Bright said. "Any thoughts?"

Moon Bright looked across the room at everypony else. Those outside of the Mane Six, TJ, Muse, and Firefly began muttering, whispering, and conversing amongst themselves. The main group of ponies just kept looking on as they waited patiently for the audience's response.

"Do you think they'll go for it, TJ?" Muse whispered.

"Sounds like a good plan to me, I'd go for it," TJ replied.

When the talking amongst the large group of ponies ceased, they turned back to Moon Bright and the others. The chief of Willowbrook was slightly discouraged when she saw the solemn looks on on her leaders' faces.

"To be perfectly honest, Chief Moon Bright, your plan reeks of desperation," Hard Rock said.

Moon Bright looked on at the stallion with surprise.

"What makes it so desperate?" TJ demanded.

"Well, for starters," Hard Rock said, "the fact that you're having us go into a base we don't have any sort of information on. We have no idea of what the interior of this base is like at all. You're asking us to go into a base with only a few spells to protect ourselves, map out the whole area and place explosives while doing so."

"Not to mention the bombs you want to use are experimental explosives the inventor isn't even sure of," another pony in the crowd let out.

"No, it cannot be done like this," Hard Rock said. "Taking out the likeliness of the explosives working or not, have you considered this from every possible angle? Have you considered the many different levels their might be to the base? Or maybe how deep into or around the volcano the base might be? Even if the entrance is on a certain side of the mountain, it doesn't mean the base within it is restricted to that one side."

It was plain to see that Moon Bright, Twilight Sparkle, and their friends were all rather annoyed by this opposition. However, it was not unexpected, so they knew how to react going forward.

"You make good points, but we have them all covered," Twilight Sparkle said. "We don't intend to set off any explosives until we're absolutely sure we've mapped out every essential part of the base."

"Or until we've made absolutely sure all the prisoners there are out of harm's way, no matter how long that takes," Moon Bright said.

"But wouldn't it make more sense to map out the place first then go back with the explosives later?" a unicorn mare asked.

"That might take too long," Moon Bright said. "We've taken too long with these minotaurs as it is. Every second of everyday they could be getting closer to their major goals. Now I shouldn't have to remind you that they've had nearly every advantage on us until the princess and her council came to our aid. We finally have something we can use and if we don't strike hard and fast with it now, it might be too late in the future.

"We have to do this now."

"But that still doesn't change the fact that these explosives you intend to use are not official issue," Hard Rock said.

"What, you doubt Wolfhard's work?" Moon Bright asked.

Hard Rock looked to Wolfhard who gazed at him questioningly.

"Well- no," Hard Rock said.

"All of his inventions have worked for us in the past, haven't they?" Moon Bright asked.

"I guess so, but-"

"So why should we doubt him now?" Moon Bright asked.

"It's not him I doubt," Hard Rock said.

"It's just his devices," Moon Bright said. "Look, I've been to test blasts he's done with these bombs. Everyone of those tests proved successful. I haven't been given any reason to believe that would be any different in the field."

"Some of you were there for a few of those tests yourself, weren't you?" Wolfhard demanded. "I invited you all along and you saw them work. It's like Moon Bright said, all my tests have been positive. While I admit I'm a bit nervous to use them so soon, I'm starting to think you all aren't giving me enough credit."

"Look, the bombs will work," Moon Bright said. "This whole plan will work, I know it. But it all depends on whether all of us are willing to commit to it together as a unit."

Hard Rock looked on for a moment before turning to the rest of the ponies to discuss the matter. A few seconds later, the stallion turned back to the chief and her posse.

"You've made some good points... but I still have further questions," Hard Rock said.

"Ask them then," Moon Bright said.

"Say we go ahead with this plan and it all goes as expected," Hard Rock said. "What do we do afterwards? How do we proceed? There's still the matter of the minotaurs down in Seaside Hoof."

"That's an easy one," Moon Bright said. "We just storm the town with Godzilla and Anguirus in tow."

Nearly everypony began to exclaim loudly in utter surprise. They all spoke at the same time, which made it impossible to understand what any of them were saying with how loud they were talking. It was when Twilight Sparkle saw this that her horn began to glow. A tiny speck of light fell from the tip of her horn before it floated down to her throat, which then lit up.

" _Quiet!_ " Twilight Sparkle's immensely amplified voice rang out.

Everypony was forced to obey as they placed their hooves over their ringing ears.

"Are you mad, Moon Bright?" Hard Rock demanded.

"No," Moon Bright said. "Well... yes, but not about this. Come on, think about it. With Godzilla and Anguirus at our side, those minotaurs couldn't hope to oppose us. We'd be the ones who are unstoppable for a change and they'd know it."

"Yes, but that's assuming they survive their encounter with the minotaurs' monsters," a unicorn stallion in the crowd said.

"That's right," one of the mares from earlier said. "What guarantee do we have that your monsters can defeat theirs?"

"Because one of them is _Godzilla!_ " Rainbow Dash chimed in.

"Hey!" Muse, Firefly, and TJ all said at the same time.

"Sorry, guys," Rainbow Dash said, "but you've said it yourself how much trouble Anguirus has had with the minotaurs' kaiju. It wasn't that long ago when Godzilla defeated eleven _monsters all by himself; eleven monsters!_ Plus he took out one of the minotaurs' monsters that went astray recently if you remember. So that technically makes twelve on Godzilla's kill count, including a rogue I'm sure you're all glad to be rid of."

The ponies on the opposite end of the table began muttering amongst themselves yet again.

"Uh, Rainbow Dash," Applejack said, "Godzilla fought most of those monsters one on one. The last two that he fought together he needed help with. Plus he also had trouble with Solomon, remember?"

"Now's not the place for your honesty, Applejack!" Rainbow Dash said bluntly to her southern friend.

"Look, that's all true," Twilight Sparkle said. "Godzilla has struggled with every monster he's fought. Even when he did receive assistance, he had a hard go with defeating his foes. But Godzilla still lives, he still breathes. Not far from here he stands undefeated with Anguirus by his side.

"And Anguirus... despite the shape he was in when we met him, he was almost always able to stand his ground. He may not have won, but he had the heart and the will of a winner. I mean, he's still here, isn't he? As far as I'm concerned, that combination is more than enough to take down Solomon and Hedorah both. True Solomon will be a tough opponent to take down, but Hedorah shouldn't be as big of a problem.

"He seems to have an abnormal weakness to Godzilla's heat ray. It turns his body into bubbling, boiling goo that eventually melts and steams into nothing. If they can take Hedorah out quick enough, I know that together Godzilla and Anguirus can take Solomon, too. Like Moon Bright said, this plan can work, we just need everyone to commit to it. Without all of us working together the way we should, it has no hope.

"But when I look at you all here, that's all I see is hope. All of you have been at this struggle so long, but you never stopped. You went on because you knew this fight was worth continuing. Determination and tenacity like that is what inspires hope and makes things work. Right now we need all that to make this plan work.

"So that's why I'm asking you all now to please support and help us with this plan. It may not seem like much on the surface, but with all of us working together, I know we can take nothing and turn it into a whole lot of something. So I'll ask you all again, will you help us?"

Nopony said anything, instead looking on at Twilight Sparkle like she had just revealed the secret of life to them. Eyes were wide and mouths hung open, all of which were in amazement. Slowly whispers and mutters began to emit from the ponies within the crowd and some ponies even began nodding their heads. Hard Rock didn't even need to look back or talk to his peers to know what the collective decision was. He seemed to stand even taller and prouder as he nodded his head in agreement.

"Then so it shall be that we will invade the minotaurs' headquarters," Hard Rock said. "We will sneak in, plant the explosives, blow up their base, rescue our ponies, destroy their monsters, _and take them out for good!_ "

Almost every other pony cheered in support. Their group moral seemed to be stronger than it ever was before. There were many beaming smiles some from excitement, some from confidence, and some that were a combination of both. The Mane Six, Moon Bright, TJ, Firefly, and Muse mostly wore smiles of relief, which came from the unanimous support of the ponies around them.

"So what's our next move?!" an Earth pony stallion from the crowd asked.

"We need to start preparations as soon as possible," Moon Bright said. "You all will gather your forces and inform them of the plan. You go over your own details with them and then myself, Twilight, and the rest of us will come over to discuss further details with all. Everypony will go through quick drills before the main operation, which will take place within the next week. I know that's a short time and it seems desperate... but now it's time to show these two hoofed punks what happens when you make a pony desperate!"

The group of ponies let out another chorus of cheers.

"If there are no more questions, you may all be dismissed," Moon Bright said.

The village leaders headed off on their way to carry out their given assignments in preparing for the forthcoming operation. Wolfhard lingered back for a moment and looked to the chief and her entourage. He was greeted with a sweet smile from the chief to try and reassure him she truly believed in his work. With that, Wolfhard headed out the door, which allowed the Mane Six and the others to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

"Dude, they had me worried," TJ said out loud.

"Dido" Fluttershy agreed.

"For a moment there, it didn't seem like they were gonna go with the plan," TJ went on. "It sounded pretty good to me. I don't see why they were trying to fight it as hard as they were."

"Come on now, TJ, no need to be like that," Moon Bright said.

"To tell you the truth, I thought they raised real concerns worth bringing up," Applejack said.

"I did, too," Twilight Sparkle said. "That's why I had no problem talking all about it with them."

"Well, even so, I agree with TJ," Muse said. "I think the plan is going go a lot better than they gave it credit for at the beginning."

"It will now," Pinkie Pie said. "Everypony's given it their full support."

"They were right, though, the plan does reek of desperation," Moon Bright said. "But It's like I said, those minotaurs have made us desperate. We've never had the advantages against them like we have now."

"Getting in shouldn't be a problem," Twilight Sparkle said. "The difficulty will be exploring the inside of the base and deciding which areas are essential enough to place explosives. Then there's also finding where the ponies the minotaurs captured are being held. Once all that is done and we've set off that decoy bomb, the plan should go the way it's suppose to. It won't be easy by any stretch of the imagination.

"There will probably be lots of opposition decoy or not. But I'm still confident this plan can work."

"Well, if you're certain, Twilight, then so am I," TJ said.

"Same," Rainbow Dash agreed.

Everypony spoke in agreement about their complete faith in Moon Bright and Twilight Sparkle's plan.

"Thank you, everypony, for your vote of confidence," Moon Bright said.

"So when do we start meeting with the other ponies to go over the details of the plan?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I figured we give the leaders today to go over it with their own forces," Moon Bright said. "While they're doing that, I figured we'd go more in depth right now."

"Sounds good to me," Rarity said. "But can we all sit down this time?"

"Yes, Rarity, we can," Moon Bright said with a laugh. "I only took the chairs away before because I knew there wouldn't be enough for everyone here. I was only being fair is all."

"Very understandable and actually quite admirable," Rarity said brightly.

"But it'll be nice to rest our rumps for a little bit," Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"If you ask me, we did enough of that in the hospital," Firefly said. "Now it's time to take action."

" _To the minotaurs' base!_ " Pinkie Pie exclaimed in a drill sergeant's voice.

"Not that kind of action!" Firefly said with alarm. "At least not this soon!"

As everypony else went on and Moon Bright brought the chairs back to the table, Twilight and TJ stood close to each other. Like so many times before, the two ponies smiled at each other. This time, however, seemed a little bit different to Twilight Sparkle. It seemed to the alicorn like while TJ was smiling sweetly as could be, his eyes were staring at her with strong intensity. It wasn't a threatening intensity, but more so like he was really enjoying looking at her and never wanted to stop.

This made Twilight Sparkle slightly uncomfortable, yet at the same time she couldn't get enough of it. To have a pony covet her in such a way and have it be a pony she already held similar interest in was accelerating. Still it did make Twilight slightly taken aback, thus she turned her head away. TJ saw this and looked at Twilight both in confusion and concern.

"You okay, Twilight?" TJ asked.

"Yeah... I- I'm fine," Twilight Sparkle said.

"You sure?" TJ asked.

"Oh, yeah," Twilight Sparkle said. "I was just uh... a little nervous during the meeting."

"Wow, you sure couldn't tell," TJ said. "I thought you handled yourself rather well all things considered."

"Yeah, I'm just used to having Spike around," Twilight Sparkle said. "Usually he would be there with cue cards, camera slides, or helping out in some way or another."

"Well, I can certainly see why you'd be nervous then," TJ said. "Nopony could ask for any better help then that little Spike guy. Still, you did a good job, so don't worry."

"Oh, I'm not," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's just..."

"You miss Spike, don't you?" TJ asked, a sympathetic look on his face.

"I really do," Twilight Sparkle confessed. "I also miss so many others, too. I miss Granny Smith, Starlight Glimmer, the princesses, my brother, the Crusaders, all of them and more. I miss them so much."

"We all do," Applejack chimed in. TJ and Twilight Sparkle looked to see the rest of their friends, who had picked up on their conversation. "I'll tell you straight up, I miss my whole family and the farm back at home. I've been missing them since we left, but now it seems to be getting worse. Every other second, I've been picturing all their smiling faces.

"I've been thinking about Granny's laugh, Apple Bloom running around with her friends, and Big Mac giving one of his eeyups."

"I've been thinking a lot about little Scoots, too," Rainbow Dash said. "Her hanging on almost every word I say, everything I do. She's always so enthusiastic every single time we hangout, no matter what we end up doing."

"I can totally understand why," Firefly said with a smile.

Rainbow Dash responded in kind before speaking on.

"I'm also missing Tank a lot, too," Rainbow Dash said. Firefly flashed her a questioning look, to which Dash explained, "My pet tortoise who I got a flying harness for so he could fly with me."

"Oh," Firefly said with surprise. "Well... that's certainly one way not to stay grounded."

"I've been missing Gummy, too," Pinkie Pie said.

"I've been missing all of my animals," Fluttershy said. "I really miss Discord, too."

"Heck, even _I'm_ starting to miss Discord," Rarity said.

"Really?" most of the other Mane Six asked.

"Only a little bit," Rarity clarified. "More so I'm missing Sweetie Belle and my poor little Opal wopal."

"Her sister and her cat," Rainbow Dash explained.

"Got it," Firefly said.

"I'm so sorry, girls, that we were forced to seek out your help," Moon Bright said. "It was never our intention to take you away from your lives the way we did. We just didn't no who to turn to. We looked for whatever help we could get."

"You didn't take us away from anything," Applejack said. "All our friends and family know everything we're doing here on this island is mighty important. If they had been in a position, they all probably would've come here to help themselves."

"Heck, some of them even tried regardless," Rainbow Dash said.

"I can't tell you all how many times I had to double check my bags because I always found Gummy hiding inside them," Pinkie Pie said.

"Sounds like one persistent colt," Muse said.

"Oh, Gummy's not a pony, he's an alligator," Pinkie Pie said.

The Willowbrook ponies all looked like they just saw a loaded gun pointed at them.

"An alligator?!" Firefly exclaimed.

"He's only a baby," Twilight Sparkle explained.

"And he doesn't have any teeth either," Fluttershy said. "That's how I found him before Pinkie adopted him from me."

"Oh," the Willowbrook ponies all said together.

"Look, we can't act like we don't have ties off this island," Twilight Sparkle said. "We all have friends and family we love and who love us just as much. But they also know we have important roles to play no matter where they take us or how dangerous the situation is. They've always supported us, helping us in anyway they could, including sometimes even getting directly involved. That's how I know, yes they miss us and we miss them, but that's exactly why we have to do what we do."

"That's why we're going to pull through this thing," Rainbow Dash said. "I certainly believe it, don't all of you?"

"Yeah!" everypony else exclaimed.

As everypony else spoke in agreement, Twilight Sparkle and TJ turned and looked to each other pleasantly once more. It almost made Twilight Sparkle miss the sight of Muse walking away. When she realized what was happening, she looked closer to see the alicorn heading for her room. TJ noticed this too and trotted after his sister with Twilight in tow.

"Hey, Muse, where you going?" TJ asked.

Everypony looked as TJ and Twilight Sparkle came up next to Muse.

"Oh, I was just gonna go lay down in my room," Muse explained.

"You don't want to stick around for the rest of the meeting?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"There really isn't any point for me to," Muse said.

"Why not?" TJ asked.

"Well, you told me you didn't want me directly involved with fighting the minotaurs," Muse said.

"Yeah, that's true," TJ said. "But when we said that, we meant the direct fight."

"Huh?" Muse asked in confusion.

"TJ's right, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said. "There's lots of ways you can help out without directly combating the minotaurs."

"Oh, I get what you mean," Muse said. "But what could I bring to this meeting?"

"Well, what about when we go out to debrief all our forces?" TJ suggested. "You could probably go with one or more of us when we go to discuss the more intricate details of the attack plan."

"Really, you mean it?!" Muse asked in astonishment.

"Absolutely," TJ and Twilight Sparkle said together.

The two ponies looked to each other with puzzlement before exchanging a laugh along with Muse.

"Muse, you could bring a lot to the table," Twilight Sparkle said. "You've already done so much for us in this day alone. I'm sure anyone here would love to have you accompany and assist them tomorrow."

"Hey, everypony, you want my sis to go with you tomorrow?!" TJ called to the table.

All at once everypony said in their own way that they wanted Muse. Some even got into a light, friendly dispute about who would have Muse go with them.

"Ponies, ponies, please settle down," Moon Bright called out. "We can all sort out which ponies will go where and with who tomorrow. But let's do it in a civilized way."

As everypony calmed themselves, Muse looked on in amazement. She was absolutely flabbergasted by what she just saw.

"You see, sis?" TJ asked. "You can still help and everypony here wants you to help. We just don't want you to fight is all."

"Fair enough trade off if this is how everypony feels about me!" Muse said with joy.

Twilight Sparkle and TJ both laughed before sharing a hug with Muse.

"I'm proud of you, Muse," TJ said after the hug ended.

"So am I," Twilight Sparkle said. "You've shown a resilient heart that a lot of ponies don't have. That determined spirit is what got you to where you are right now."

"As an alicorn?" Muse asked.

"As a pony," Twilight clarified. Muse's eyes trembled like a happy puppy's as her face lit up like a ray of sunshine. "Everypony here feels the same way and loves you just as much as TJ and I do."

"Yeah... except I love you more," TJ said.

This got a chuckle out of Twilight and Muse both before they made their way with TJ back to the table. The three were greeted as warmly as could be; something that was very typical by that point, but in the best of ways. Muse sat down in between Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, who both seemed elated to have her there.

"I would like it a lot if you would go with me tomorrow, Muse," Fluttershy whispered.

" _I'd like it if you'd come with me, too!_ " Pinkie Pie exclaimed with her special brand of Pinkie craziness.

Muse waited to reply until after the ear Pinkie Pie shouted into stopped ringing.

"I'd consider it an honor to go with either of you two or anypony else here," Muse said. "But like my mom said, let's wait to get to that part until after we talked about the serious stuff."

"Okay," Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie said to each other.

"Anypony would be lucky to have you by their side, Muse," Rainbow Dash said. "You're awesome."

"Just not as awesome as you?" Muse asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't say that," Rainbow Dash said defensively. There was a slight delay as everypony waited for what Dash would say or do next. "But... I'll admit it was a real strain not to."

The other ponies laughed, though Applejack and Firefly, the two closest to Rainbow Dash, both placed friendly hooves on her shoulder. When TJ saw how happy and natural Muse looked conversing with everypony and how well they accepted her, he couldn't help but be joyous. He turned to Twilight Sparkle, who sat right next to him and beamed buoyantly.

"Thank you so much, Twilight... for everything," TJ said.

Twilight Sparkle only smiled cutely at the Earth pony in reply, which was accompanied by equally adorable eyes that sent TJ's heart a flutter.

* * *

 **THE NEXT MORNING:**

Like she had done so many times in the past, even before coming to Pony Tale Island, Twilight Sparkle had awakened early. This time she seemed to have gotten up extra early, for the sun had not fully risen yet. However, when she went outside she could see the sun's bright rays rising from the east, slowly brightening up the entire area and far beyond. It was only a few minutes passed five when Twilight awoken, but something told her she should get up out of bed and start the day anyways. Whether it was the strategy debriefings she had that day or something else entirely, she wasn't sure.

All Twilight Sparkle did know for certain was that she felt like she should no longer be slumbering. What she didn't know was she was about to be very happy about her need to get up so early in the morning. As Twilight walked along the wooden bridge that connected her hut to the rest of the village's elevated system, she looked to see she was not alone. Twilight Sparkle had spotted TJ coming out of his family's own hut across the bridge. He stopped, stretched out his front legs, and let out a groan filled yawn before looking all around him.

It wasn't long before he saw Twilight Sparkle coming across the bridge in his direction. TJ smiled and waved and although Twilight Sparkle responded in kind, she had slowed her walk some. For some reason, she felt very nervous about TJ seeing her this early in the morning. As silly as it sounded, even to Twilight Sparkle herself, the scenario still bugged her. Why it did, she was uncertain.

Was her hair right or was it sticking up from bad bed hair? Was her breath right or should she have brushed better before coming outside? Did her face look awake or still half asleep as most faces look in the morning after waking up? All these worries and more floated around in Twilight Sparkle's mind. None of this was helped by TJ choosing to walk over so he could greet Twilight properly.

This seemed to put Twilight Sparkle on even higher alert, yet she still didn't quite know why. It kept becoming more apparent to her as she and TJ got closer to one another, smiles plastered on both their faces. When the two finally met on the middle of the bridge, Twilight was surprised to find her nerves were softly subsiding. Hints of them may have still lingered on, but something about seeing the friendly stallion so up close in front of her made the alicorn feel more relaxed, more at ease. While she didn't completely understand it, Twilight Sparkle was relieved to know a pony she cared for could do that for her.

It made her want TJ close to her all the time. Despite him being able to make her feel such polar opposite feelings, Twilight still felt comfort in being close to him. Or was it because he could make her feel so strongly either way that she wanted to be close to him? Twilight Sparkle couldn't think of an answer and looking at TJ in that moment, she didn't care either.

"Uh... hi," was all Twilight Sparkle could make herself say.

"Yeah, hi," TJ replied somewhat nervously. He took a quick breath, which seemed to help him talk normally. "Um... nice morning, huh?"

"Sure," Twilight Sparkle said. Both Twilight and TJ took their eyes off each other and looked at their environment around them. "It isn't very foggy and it's not raining or even that cloudy. There isn't any sort of wind, not even a light breeze. The birds aren't singing yet, it's too early.

"It's all just... calm."

"Yeah, just quiet, still, and calm," TJ said.

Both ponies wanted to look at each other more than they did anything else. But neither of them wanted to be caught looking too long or anything like that. So they continued to look around at everything else.

"It's peaceful at least," Twilight Sparkle said. "There's certainly worse things to wake up to in the morning."

"Oh, yeah, absolutely," TJ agreed. "I've waken up to a lot of them."

"Me, too," Twilight Sparkle said. Finally, Twilight found it within herself to look over at her friend. "But I'm guessing you mean some _specific_ _things_ , don't you?"

"Yep... unfortunately," TJ said. "But we've put up sentries since then. Day and night they're on guard so we can be at least a little ready for when it happens. They're all posted along the sides of the village."

"How often have the minotaurs tried to do early morning raids on Willowbrook?" Twilight asked.

"Not often actually," TJ said. "They usually try to stretch them out to catch us by surprise. They may seem like lunkheads up close, but clearly there's some pockets of intelligence leading them."

"There has to be," Twilight Sparkle said. "Granted when you catch one by himself, he seems too wild to be a direct threat. But when you get a group of them together, the formations, the strategies, and the tactics they use can't be ignored. They're much more organized as a unit than as individuals."

"Which makes them more of a threat," TJ said.

"True, but that still leaves another weakness we can exploit," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Can't argue with that," TJ said. "When we get them alone, they're like lost puppies. Lost puppies with rabies, but still. That's a weakness I've taken advantage of several times. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's what a lot of ponies have tried to do."

"There's something we could focus on," Twilight Sparkle said. "We could make it a group effort to separate as many minotaurs from a squad as possible."

"And pick them off one by one," TJ said somewhat excitedly.

"It can work!" Twilight Sparkle said almost as excitedly.

It was at that point that Twilight and TJ realized they had gotten up pretty close to each other. They were so close in fact that the ends of their noses were almost touching. They could clearly see everything in each others' eyes and could make out every detail in each others' facial features. They could even see down to the tiniest of skin or fur flaws if there were any. As far as TJ was concerned, though, there were no such flaws in Twilight's face.

To him it was perfect, as was everything else about her. TJ found himself getting lost in these thoughts about Twilight Sparkle and soon snapped back to reality. Both ponies had awkward looks on their faces as their eyes looked away and they slowly backed up a few steps. Twilight Sparkle had been in a similar situation where she was getting lost in looking at TJ. However, she had been the first to snap out of it, hence why TJ had awaken from his fantasy to Twilight's uncomfortable expression.

"So uh..." TJ began.

"Yeah," Twilight Sparkle said.

"That's definitely something worth bringing up to the others, don't you think?" TJ asked.

"You mean separating the minotaurs to fight them better or us looking at each other all goofy?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yes," TJ said as an amused smile crossed his face.

Twilight Sparkle looked at the stallion with puzzlement before she smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"You really want our friends to know about what we did?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"No, I was only kidding," TJ said. "I get enough crud from my mom and my sister as it is. Not to mention what Firefly's put me through. It was those three mares that made me get this haircut."

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, yeah, that's right, you did cut your hair, didn't you?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yeah, I did," TJ said. "They wanted me to do it because they thought it'd be more... appealing for mares to look at."

"Mares... or just one?" Twilight Sparkle asked as her eyes lowered. She took a moment to look at TJ's new hairdo. "You brushed it before you came out, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I always do," TJ said. "Guess that's the vanity in me."

"Funny, I never noticed before," Twilight Sparkle said. "It was so long, puffy, and wild, it was hard to tell."

"Hey!" TJ said, though he and Twilight shared a laugh together. "I was trying to look like a rock star."

"From what century?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Zing, you got me again," TJ said.

"Bazinga," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Huh?" TJ asked as his head slightly tilted.

"I don't know," Twilight Sparkle admitted.

"Oh," TJ said. "So... what do you think now?"

"Hmm... I think I like it," Twilight Sparkle said. She had a hoof to her chin as she closely inspected TJ's new hairstyle. "But don't you think it looks kind of like Firefly and Rainbow Dash's hair?"

A small frown crossed TJ's face before he said, "I was afraid you were gonna say that." Twilight Sparkle giggled while TJ let out a sigh. "Yeah, it was Firefly who cut it for me."

"I take it she cuts her own hair?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"It's literally the only style she knows how to cut," TJ said.

Twilight Sparkle giggled a little before saying, "Well, why didn't you get your mom or your sister to do it?"

"Mom's too busy with more important things," TJ said. "With the position she's in right now, I wouldn't want her to bother with something this small anyways. Muse... eh..."

"Nuff said," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah, she's good with dying hair, but I don't quite trust her with cutting yet," TJ said. "She is trying to learn, though. Gotta give her props on that at least."

"Well... I think you look just fine with this kind of hair," Twilight said.

She lightly rubbed her hoof atop TJ's mane.

"You really think so?" TJ asked somewhat nervously.

"Sure," Twilight Sparkle said. "All it needs is a few more trims in certain places to look more like a boy's haircut. Here, wait a second."

Twilight Sparkle's horn began to glow and only less than a second later did a pair of scissors, a comb, and a jar of styling gel appear floating in the air.

"Uh, Twilight..." TJ said nervously.

"Just trust me and... hold still," Twilight Sparkle said. With that she took the scissors to TJ's mane, using the comb and gel in spots where it was needed. "Just got to shorten the bangs up front... maybe take a little more off the sides. Oh, and maybe a light brush in the front to the right and... Ta-da!

"All done! What do you think?"

Twilight Sparkle made a small hoof mirror appear. She then levitated it up to TJ's face for him to see. TJ looked into the mirror with an amazed expression on his face.

"Wow... this is mighty fine work, Twilight Sparkle," TJ said before looking to the mare and smiling. "Was... this your first time cutting hair?"

"Well, yeah," Twilight Sparkle admitted.

"Hmm," TJ said as he looked into the mirror again and nodded his head. "Most impressive."

"Well... it was really only a small touch up," Twilight Sparkle said as all her hair cutting tools disappeared.

"Don't sell it sort, though," TJ said. "Ponies have to attend special schools to learn that kind of stuff. You did it without any sort of training, it turned out nice, and you did it to help me. Any help of any kind I can always appreciate, especially from a pony as special as you."

Twilight Sparkle looked as though she had just been struck by an unseen arrow. But inside she felt the exact opposite, like she had just been given the keys to a whole kingdom.

"Wow... thank you, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said.

"No, Twilight... thank you," TJ said.

"I..." Twilight Sparkle began to say, though she was unable to finish her sentence.

Neither pony had realized it yet, but the two of them were getting closer to each other again. Once more, they were gazing into each others eyes and getting lost in them. This time, though, they didn't seem to be finding the will to stop themselves. TJ and Twilight both felt like they were under a ton of pressure, only somehow it felt good to them. The two ponies let their feelings continue on as their eyes closed and they kept on getting closer.

At that moment nothing else mattered. All either pony could think of was how nice it felt getting so close to one another. Then they thought of how much better it would feel when they couldn't get any closer and they would finally have to... All of a sudden, Twilight Sparkle's eyes opened wide to see her lips were less than an inch from touching TJ's. In a panic, the alicorn pulled back as she took a few steps away.

"Wait!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

When TJ realized their was only open air on his lips, he opened his eyes. When he saw Twilight Sparkle had pulled away, a troubled look instantly crossed his face.

"What is it?" TJ asked in concern. "What's wrong?!"

"I..." was all Twilight Sparkle could say at first.

"Twilight, what's the matter?" TJ demanded a little more forcefully than he meant to.

"I... don't know," Twilight Sparkle said. "Well... I do know... Remember yesterday, I told you I needed some time to think on this. I said I wanted to wait until after we'd taken care of the minotaurs."

"Yeah, I remember you saying that," TJ said. "I just... It's just... You were letting it happen, too, so I thought it was okay... I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry," Twilight Sparkle said. "You're right, I did it, too... You just make it so hard because... you're hard to resist."

"Well, I can help it, baby," TJ said in a goofy tone with a smile to match. "I is the hotsy totsy I is. I'm a strong independent filly and I don't need no colt!"

TJ said his last sentence while also making exaggerated motions with his front hooves and head. As he began walking around in an intentionally funny manner, Twilight Sparkle began busting a gut laughing.

"Oh, TJ, you're too much," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Too much... or just enough," TJ said in another goofy voice.

Twilight Sparkle laughed again before saying, "I'm so glad you avoided turning this into something dramatic."

"Well, what help would that be?" TJ asked. "Sure, I'll admit I'm a bit disappointed, but I also understand where you're coming from. You can't rush these kind of things, you can't. Besides, making a bigger thing out of this will only lead to it going from awkward to... _bleh_. Usually it's a very angry, possibly aggressive bleh and a lot of it, too.

"So I'd rather respond to an awkward situation with humor, which admittedly has its own... _mixed results_."

"How so?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well, it goes like this," TJ said. "Either I get a pony to laugh like you did... or things get even more awkward. The pony I'm trying to amuse looks at me for a second or two before slowly stepping away until they figured they've gotten far enough to escape... Then they make a run for it."

"Oh, no," Twilight Sparkle said as she began to laugh again.

TJ began laughing along with her before saying, "Yeah, it's sad, but true."

"Well, I'm glad that's how you are in awkward situations like that," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Eh, most of the time," TJ said.

"Right, most of the time," Twilight Sparkle said.

After that both ponies took a pause from talking as they looked from each other to the sky above. They didn't seem to realize how quiet everything had become. Twilight Sparkle only seemed to notice when her eyes fell back on TJ and saw he had been staring at her. At some point his eyes had similarly fallen back on the princess as hers did to him. For how long he looked at her, Twilight didn't know.

Uh... TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's... getting awkward again."

"I got this!" TJ exclaimed.

Before Twilight could say or do anything, the Earth pony let out an almost rooster-like noise before rolling forward and sprawling out across the bridge. Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but bust out in laughter while also slowly backing away a bit. TJ pushed himself up into a sitting position and lightly tilted his head to the side. His face looked puzzled.

"Huh," TJ said.

"What?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"This is the first time a pony's both laughed at my goofiness and backed away from it," TJ said in a silly tone.

Twilight Sparkle began laughing even louder than before.

"Stop it!" Twilight Sparkle said as she helped TJ up. "You're going to make me wake up the whole village!"

"Maybe they should wake up!" TJ said. "You ever think about that? Maybe they should stop being so lazy and enjoy the day with us!"

"Yeah, you go and try to tell them that" Twilight Sparkle said.

"No thank you, ma'am," TJ said. "In fact, forget I said anything."

"Will do," Twilight Sparkle said.

"In that case, what _do we do_ until everypony else wakes up?" TJ asked.

"Well... is your mother up?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Wasn't when I left the house," TJ said. "Probably won't be for a while judging by how loud the snores from her room were. That's the main draw back of being an erratic sleeper. You never know when you'll be up or not when ponies need you."

"I see," Twilight Sparkle said. "Well, that's okay, I guess. There's one question I was going to ask her that I think you can answer."

"Sure, if you think I can," TJ said. "What's up?"

"Well, it's actually about... the Alpha Stone," Twilight Sparkle said.

"What about it?" TJ asked.

"Well, I was thinking," Twilight Sparkle said, "something with power like the stone has could come in handy in our mission against the minotaurs' base. I was wondering if you think Moon Bright would let us use it."

TJ was already shaking his head.

"Absolutely not," TJ said. "The stone is too important of an item to our village to take a chance at bringing it into enemy territory. Plus, it powers the lasers of the statues here. If something were to happen while we were at the base, Willowbrook would have one less defense to protect it."

"I guess I understand," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Plus, we all suspect that the minotaurs are trying to steal it from us," TJ said.

"You think so?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yes, very much," TJ said. "We all agree they've probably been trying to take it from us since the first time we used it against them. If they managed to somehow get it and let Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning use their magic to activate it, why we'd be helpless."

"That's true, I suppose," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's just a shame because I honestly think taking something like the Alpha Stone into the base with us could give us a big leg up while we're there. That's especially if we somehow get in a jam. But I get where you and the other village ponies are coming from.

"Too bad we couldn't find any of the other Alpha Stones to help us."

"It's not like we haven't tried," TJ said. "We've looked high and low throughout the village hoping to find them or at least some clues that could lead us to them. We even went back to the place where we found Muse and Anguirus together with the Alpha Stone the first time. We never found anything."

"Have you tried looking at other locations outside Willowbrook?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Several, but most of the time our search parties were met by random minotaur patrols," TJ said. "Eventually it got to the point where we had to stop sending out ponies. We figured it was a waste of resources and pony lives."

"That makes sense," Twilight Sparkle said. "Hmm, do you think there's a possibility the minotaurs might have any of the other Alpha Stones?"

"If they did, they would've used them by now, don't you think?" TJ responded.

"Fair point," Twilight Sparkle said. "They do seem the type to take direct action as soon as they get the right kind of tools and power. Well, maybe after this thing with the minotaurs is over, depending on how it turns out, we can-" a cough escaped from Twilight's throat "-do a search of some kind for the remaining Alpha Stones."

"Yeah, sure," TJ said before letting out a cough of his own. "Sounds like a-" TJ was forced to stop and let out a second cough "-good idea to me."

Both ponies took a moment to let out a series of coughs before moving on.

"You okay, TJ?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Sure," the Earth pony replied. "Are you okay, Twilight?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Twilight Sparkle said. "Just an itch building in the back of my throat is all."

"Good, good, me, too," TJ said. "You know, Twilight, I was thinking-" TJ stopped to cough again "-maybe after this is all over... Uh, that is, I was thinking... Well, I really seemed to like the part of Equestria I saw while I was there, especially Ponyville. Maybe when the minotaurs have been beaten, I could come with-"

TJ was forced to stop speaking when Twilight Sparkle unleashed a huge fit of coughs. As the seconds passed, they seem to get louder, and worse as time went on. This put TJ on high alert as he looked on at Twilight Sparkle with deep concern.

"Hey, Twilight, are you sure-?"

TJ wasn't able to finish his sentence, for he went into a coughing fit of his own. Neither pony was able to stop themselves. All they could do was keep on coughing. Both of them felt a strange and unsettling sensation going through them. It had started off as a tiny scratching feeling in the back of their throats that kept spreading more and more.

Now it had become more of a burning feeling that even spread down into their chests. Neither Twilight Sparkle nor TJ could catch a breath of fresh air. Both ponies knew it wouldn't be long before they couldn't breath at all if the feeling inside them kept spreading the way it did. What the two of them didn't know was exactly what that feeling was or why it was happening. Coming so close to death distracted TJ and Twilight Sparkle from almost everything else going on around them.

It almost even kept them from paying attention to a new sound their ears picked up. It started out as a distant noise, but it kept getting louder and was most likely getting closer as time went on. It almost sounded like an unnatural wind blowing by, having a strange artificial quality to it. Whatever the noise was and despite any irregularity it had, it got to the point where it sounded like the source was coming from high above TJ and Twilight. That was the same time that a large shadow from above fell across the two ponies and nearly everything else around them.

While TJ fell to his knees gagging and coughing, Twilight Sparkle managed to lean against the railing of the bridge to keep from falling over completely. She also managed to look upward at whatever had flown over the area. Twilight Sparkle had a hoof to her aching throat and her eyes almost seemed to want to force themselves shut. However, the alicorn refused to let that happen as she forced her eyes open so she could see exactly what was flying above. What Twilight wasn't expecting was the shock and the horror she felt from the sight she beheld in the skies over Willowbrook.

Twilight Sparkle knew instantly that this flying terror was the cause of hers and TJ's sudden illness. She could tell because she was looking up at a flying version of the sludge monster known as Hedorah.


	24. Chapter 24: Unfriendly Skies

What started as a pleasant early morning had turned into a rude awakening for Twilight Sparkle and TJ. The two ponies had begun the day with light conversation and were now gasping for dear life. Unfortunately, any air they breathed was contaminated with the same poisonous sensation that had put them in their coughing and gagging conditions. The air pollutant that caused this was being released from above by the flying creature made of pure sludge named Hedorah. Both Twilight Sparkle and TJ have had several encounters with the smog monster before where he took on different appearances.

This was the first time, however, either of them had come across Hedorah in a form that enabled him to fly. They had seen him as a giant tadpole and even a four legged almost amphibian-like form, but never had they seen Hedorah like this. He almost looked like a giant flying stingray or manta ray or something of the sort. This sixty meter long, thirty thousand plus ton sight was something much more terrifying than any earthly creature, though. It was, as Hedorah had been described several times before, pollution incarnated in a physical form, looking every bit as horrible as it sounded.

Twilight Sparkle had only been able to look up at the fear inducing sight of Hedorah flying above for a few seconds. Her nearly breathless state, however, made it feel much longer. It got to the point where Twilight Sparkle's eyes were burning and watering. They felt like they were bulging out of their sockets to the point where they could explode. The toxic levels in the air were only getting worse, too; Twilight Sparkle could feel it. She didn't need to see the blasts of misty toxic fumes spraying from Hedorah's sides to know that.

Her body told her so, having been forced to inhale so much toxic air it seemed like her heart would burst out of her chest any moment. Though it was hard to concentrate on nearly anything, Twilight Sparkle's eyes caught sight of something that horrified her even more than what Hedorah was doing to her. TJ was sprawled out on the wooden pallets of the bridge the two ponies stood on. Seeing a pony she cared so much for in such a state was a massive wake up call to Twilight, even more than the threat on her own well being. She knew she had to do something to save their lives, if only so they could try to do the same for several other ponies who would no doubt suffer similar fates to Hedorah's wrath.

Despite how difficult Hedorah's breath choking, life threatening polluting of the air made it to concentrate, Twilight Sparkle did her best to fight through it. She closed her eyes and focused all her attention on casting a spell with her horn's magic. While Twilight Sparkle wasn't able to do proper breathing techniques that help support casting a spell, she pushed on and miraculously managed to activate her horn. The actual casting of the spell itself was also hard, but Twilight just as amazingly managed to pull off. The spell felt like a godsend, for upon casting it, Twilight Sparkle could now, much to her relief, inhale a breath of fresh air.

The air filter spell didn't just save Twilight Sparkle's life, though, for she cast spell on TJ as well. Twilight Sparkle wanted to cast it farther, but she didn't know how long the spell would last stretching her magic like that. She didn't know how far she could even send the spell either. Twilight Sparkle could only hope the other ponies of Willowbrook would find a way to be safe in the meantime.

"TJ?" Twilight Sparkle said as she dropped down to check on the stallion. "TJ, are you okay? Come on, TJ, get up. You should be alright now."

Twilight Sparkle began to pull TJ back up to his hooves, a task not so easy since he was such a big pony. She still did her best to lift TJ back up and wake him back up. The violet alicorn had lifted TJ up in a sitting position when his eyes suddenly opened wide and he let out of desperate gasp for air. Following that, TJ let out several quick, but deep breaths of fresh air his lungs had been so desperate for previously. TJ had to stop to let out a few coughs, after which he tried getting a grip on the pace of his breathing.

"It's okay, TJ, relax," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'm here, I got you. Are you alright?"

"Ye- Yeah," TJ said in between slower, but heavier breaths. "Yeah, I think I'm alright."

"Good, I'm glad," Twilight Sparkle said. "Here, let me help you up."

With Twilight Sparkle's aid, TJ was soon back on his hooves again. He then looked around so he could see exactly what was going on. Before he could look up, the unnatural wailing of Hedorah filled the air. TJ and Twilight instantly turned their attention to the sky above. They both saw Hedorah hovering over Willowbrook like the world's deadliest storm cloud.

" _Hedorah!_ " TJ exclaimed.

Twilight Sparkle tried shushing TJ as best she could.

"TJ, calm down, please be quiet," Twilight Sparkle whispered.

"But he's..." TJ stopped speaking as he looked on in disbelief. "He's flying! I- I didn't know he even could fly!"

"I know, it's unbelievable," Twilight Sparkle said as TJ and her continued to gaze up at the smog monster.

TJ then noticed something alarming.

"What's that shooting out of its sides?" TJ asked.

"The same stuff that nearly made us bite it earlier," Twilight Sparkle replied. "We only survived because of my air filter spell."

"But, that's only temporary ain't it?" TJ asked.

"Depending on the circumstances, sometimes it can last longer than other times," Twilight Sparkle said.

"But the rest of the village is still exposed!" TJ said.

"Exactly!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. "Plus even without the stuff Hedorah's spraying, he's just as big of a threat! That's why we need to hurry up and alert everypony! Come on, TJ!"

Just as the two ponies were getting ready to move, Hedorah loudly wailed yet again. The sound of a loud horn rang through the air soon after. TJ and Twilight Sparkle looked away from Hedorah and towards the direction the horn bellow had originated from.

"The north sentry," TJ said. "There must be a unicorn there who knows the air filter spell."

"Either that or they got a tough set of lungs," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Either way," TJ said, "between his horn blowing and Hedorah's banshee calls, all of Willowbrook should be alerted by now."

"Let's not take that chance and assume things, though," Twilight Sparkle said.

Before either she or TJ could say anything else, several loud booms rang out through the air. The equines' heads instantly snapped in the direction the blasts had come from. Their eyes quickly picked up the sight of smoke flowing into the air.

"Canon fire from the south!" TJ exclaimed in horror.

Twilight Sparkle flapped her wings, carrying her slender frame off the highly elevated bridge. She flew out into open air before stopping a few seconds later. As she hovered, Twilight Sparkle's horn lit up as she cast a voice amplification spell.

" _Attention, everypony, attention, everypony!_ " Twilight Sparkle called out for all to hear. " _Attention, Willowbrook, this is not a drill! The village has fallen under attack from invading enemy forces! Hedorah is flying high above poisoning the air while forces on the ground are using canon fire!_ _I repeat, Willowbrook is under attack!_

"Please _find the proper personal to escort you to safety! Make sure there's a unicorn nearby who knows an air filter spell to protect you from the poison gas! This is not a drill! Repeat, this is not a drill!_ "

As Twilight went on with her emergency announcement, TJ kept his attention on the developing situation. It didn't look good at all, for the cannon fire was soon going off on every side of Willowbrook. Even worse than that, loads of minotaurs began to storm their way into the village interior. They ran out from the forest terrain around Willowbrook looking almost as wild as the animals that dwell there. The situation became more grim when it was revealed the minotaurs were not alone, having brought along their attack dogs.

Large timberwolves ran and bounded passed minotaur troops at voracious speeds looking just as vicious as could be. Along with their usual melee weapons and canons and so on, the minotaurs had brought in creatures feared by many across several lands. There was more than a few good reasons for this, for timberwolves had been terrorizing ponykind for centuries. They were much bigger than real wolves and their physical traits were increased a hundred fold. This included their running ability, leaping ability, their strength, and their teeth and claws, making them true terrors to be reckoned with for sure.

Village ponies were pouring out of their homes in pure, utter panic as they felt the growing feeling of dread overtake them. Pedestrians of all ages and gender screamed at the top of their lungs as they ran around seemingly in circles. Ponies who were able to get a grip on themselves, both official and civilian, tried to help rein in the situation. They tried to help organize the terrified citizens of Willowbrook and lead them to safety. This was much easier said than done, for there was danger on all sides, even above, and everypony was nearly half crazed with fear.

Meanwhile, self defense ponies were preparing for battle to protect the citizens of Willowbrook and fight back against the invading minotaurs. In addition to having to try and work around all the mass hysteria, the defense forces suffered opposition from the invaders themselves. While ponies were trying to setup their own cannons and get out their own melee weapons, the already prepared minotaurs went on the attack. Ponies were tackled to the ground, pounded on by the minotaurs, beaten by their weapons, blasted by their cannon fire and more. If anypony got close enough to see the hungry look in a timberwolf's eye, nine times out of ten, it was over for them.

Despite the odds being heavily stacked against them, the defenses of Willowbrook still pushed on. They did their absolute best to mount a proper retaliation against the raiding minotaur forces while also trying to escort their citizens as safely as possible. TJ watched the scenario play out as he waited for Twilight Sparkle to land beside him.

"What do we do now?!" a frantic TJ asked.

"We have to find the others!" Twilight Sparkle said. "Most importantly, we need to find Fluttershy and have her call Godzilla! Why the flying feather isn't he here already?!"

" _Twilight!_ " Rarity's frantic voice called out.

" _Yo, Twilight, TJ!_ " Rainbow Dash followed up.

The Earth pony stallion and the alicorn mare looked to see the other five ponies of the Mane Six running up to them. Rarity's horn was glowing, most likely because she was casting an air filter spell for her friends and herself.

" _The heck's going on?!_ " Applejack let out in a panic.

" _Obviously we're under attack!_ " Pinkie Pie shrieked. " _Didn't you hear Twilight's loudy loud message before?! If not you should be able to see it happening right in front of your very eyes!_ "

"C _ut the chatter!_ " Twilight Sparkle demanded. All eyes fell back on the alicorn princess. " _Now's not the time to let the pressure of the moment get to us! We need to keep our heads and deal with the situation!_ "

" _Yeah, but how?!_ " Applejack asked.

" _Guys!_ "

TJ and the Mane Six looked to see Firefly flying towards them. It looked like she might have just came from the hut of TJ's family. When she landed and joined the group, TJ quickly came up to her.

"Firefly, what's happening with my family!" TJ asked urgently.

Before she said anything, Firefly let out a breath.

"Your mom's freaking out, but Muse is trying to help her," Firefly said.

"I need to get over there!" TJ said.

"No, no!" Firefly said moving to block TJ's path. "No, TJ, we need you out here! I already have ponies on guard to look after your family. Right now we need to handle all this!"

Firefly pointed her hoof around at all the chaos going on.

"Yeah, come on, TJ!" Rainbow Dash said. "It will help a lot if you were out there with us!"

"It really would," Fluttershy said.

"We need you," Twilight Sparkle said.

TJ looked into the violet mare's desperate eyes before turning to gaze at the horror that was happening. He only looked for a moment because that was as long as he could stand. He lowered his gaze before nodding his head.

"Okay, so what do we do?" TJ asked.

"By now," Twilight Sparkle said, "the village's defense troops have probably setup perimeters. Applejack, I want you to go assist the troops on the west side of Willowbrook."

"Rodger that!" Applejack said.

"TJ, I want you on the east side," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Got it," TJ agreed.

"Rarity and Pinkie Pie, I want you both on the south side," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Understood," Rarity said.

"Rodger Dodger!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she saluted.

"Rainbow Dash, Firefly, you come with me," Twilight Sparkle said. "We're going to form an air assault team and hit 'em from the north side!"

"Can do!" Firefly said.

"Let's rock 'n' roll!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Rainbow Dash, wait!" Firefly said. "Before we do that, I got some things to pickup from Wolfhard. I think they'll go a long way in helping us with this fight! I want you to help me drop 'em!"

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened for only a moment before lowering into a glare.

"Let's do it!" Rainbow Dash said.

"What about me?" Fluttershy asked.

"I want you to help with escorting ponies to safety," Twilight Sparkle said. "But first... call Godzilla!"

"Seriously, why aren't he and Anguirus here yet?!" Rainbow Dash asked.

"It doesn't matter," Twilight Sparkle said. "What does matter is that they'll definitely be here now. The rest of you, find the heads of each defense squad and coordinate with them. Now move, move, move!"

"Break!" Pinkie Pie called out as she clapped her front hooves together while wearing a hoofball uniform.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Firefly, and Fluttershy all took to the air, flying as fast as they could. The rest of the ponies on the bridge took off to get to their posts and carry out their given duties. TJ hesitated only for a moment, stopping to look to his hut now surrounded by uniformed ponies. After that, TJ carried on with his given task. At the same time, Fluttershy broke off from the other fliers, turning away and hovering as she sang out to call her giant friend.

Now came the part where Fluttershy waited for Godzilla to arrive with Anguirus in tow. She hovered where she had a direct line of sight on the trees that hid Godzilla and Anguirus' den. Fluttershy had hoped they'd both show up right away, but seconds went by and it didn't seem that would happen. Feeling how desperately Willowbrook needed the kaiju's help, Fluttershy sang out again, hoping it would grab Godzilla's attention.

"Come on, Godzilla," Fluttershy whispered. "You too, Anguirus... Come on, guys... wherever you are. We need you."

Fluttershy only waited a few more moments before realizing she needed to move on and carry out her second set of orders. The pegasus pony reluctantly made her way towards the ground. It wasn't an easy task navigating through the mass anarchy going on around her. The sight of the massive battle made Fluttershy feel sick to her stomach with fear and sorrow. Fluttershy was already, by her own admission, a meek pony, but this just made her want to crawl up into a ball and hide in a cave somewhere faraway.

But Fluttershy would not let her fear overcome her, for she had come too far since becoming a member of the Mane Six. She had grown so much as a pony in the time that lapsed between then and coming to Pony Tale Island. Plus she knew what she was suppose was too important for her to let her fear get the best of her. It involved thousands of other ponies' lives and she would stop at nothing to try and help them. So despite how horrible the sight of the massive battle was, Fluttershy pushed on to do her task.

As instructed, she was on the lookout for any ponies that looked like stray civilians and any defense force led escorts as well. The large scale battle going on around Fluttershy made it extremely difficult to make out specific details in the crowd. Everything just seemed to blend together in a wave of steel, wood, flesh, blood, and fire that almost seemed like it was never going to end. All this violent activity and all the noise that came with it was putting severe stress on Fluttershy, tripling her usual levels. It was a true mystery how a pony like Fluttershy in the position she was in could last as long as she did.

Even through the high anxiety environment, though, with the mentally draining task she was given, Fluttershy found the strength to push on. Because Fluttershy was able to stick it out, she found it becoming easier to actually navigate through the battlefield that Willowbrook had become. She was even able to spot several different civilian escorts manned by several armor clad and uniformed ponies. They all seemed to be on courses that would intercept one another, all heading for the north east area of the village. It was in that section of Willowbrook where multiple emergency underground bunkers were located.

Much to Fluttershy's dismay, though, there were still several innocent ponies on the battlefield with absolutely no form of aid whatsoever. Families, groups of children led by adult ponies, and several lone ponies were spread out all across the war zone. Fluttershy knew she needed to fly down and gather those groups together and escort them to the bunker herself. The only problem was she didn't know where to start because there were so many civilians spread out all around the area. Some in worse circumstances than others, which made it harder for Fluttershy to decide.

As Fluttershy was trying to decide where to go first, her eyes fell on an elderly mare trying to lead a group of school foals through the relentless fight. They were being cornered by three particularly big, mean-looking minotaurs, all of whom seemed to have bad intentions on their minds. Even from above, Fluttershy saw the sick, twisted smiles of the minotaurs and the paralyzing terror of the ponies. Fluttershy knew she had to start there and act fast. She quickly flew down faster than she had ever flown before, landing directly in between the minotaurs and the school ponies.

" _Stay behind me!_ " Fluttershy instructed the ponies.

When she looked back to the minotaurs in front of her, any hopes of trying to look tough were instantly washed away. Shockingly the trio of horned fighters looked much bigger up close. It was also easier to see the spiked club and battle axes they carried with them. The two minotaurs on the sides wore their axes on their back while the middle bull held his club in his hand while looking very intent on using it.

 _Oh, who am I kidding?_ Fluttershy thought to herself. _I wouldn't even be able to give one of them a bad tickle, let alone fight them all off... Still, I have to try and do something._

Much to the frightened ponies' surprise, the minotaur with the club lowered his weapon. Neither of the minotaurs with the axes reached for their weapons either. Fluttershy's confusion was quickly turned into alarm when the minotaurs made their move. All three of them reached for their belts and each pulled out a single bola. Fluttershy only had time to gasp before the trio of bulls swung their weapons above their heads and quickly released them into the air.

All the children, the elderly mare, and Fluttershy screamed as the weight ended cords twirled at them. While the rest of the ponies were frozen with fear, Fluttershy was unable to keep herself from ducking to try and dodge the incoming projectiles. Something happened, though, that was very unexpected. Fluttershy got so much momentum that she ended up turning her duck into a roll. In a shocking turn of events, the end of Fluttershy's tail ended up catching the first bola.

She dragged it along as she completed her roll. A surprised look was plastered on Fluttershy's face as she flung back to her hooves. Her tail continued its forward momentum, however, and flung the bola it caught back in the direction it came. Both the ponies and the minotaurs watched in disbelief as the bola sailed at the other two. The flying projectiles eventually collided and dropped to the ground, having lost their momentum.

Instead of trying to pursue a followup to this turn of events, both sides looked on completely flabbergasted at Fluttershy's feat. None were more surprised by what happened than the pegasus mare herself. She could not recall any other time in her life when she pulled off something like what she did then and there. Before either the ponies or the minotaurs could fully recover from their shock, the trio of bulls were completely blindsided. Fluttershy and the other ponies screamed in surprise while the minotaurs screamed in pain as a volley of lasers flew at them.

Not a single bolt of burning energy missed their targets and it wasn't long before the three minotaurs were all on the ground. That was when Fluttershy spotted several armor clad unicorn stallions, an Earth pony, and a pegasus came running up to her and the school ponies. The unicorns' horns were still steaming from all the blasts they shot at the minotaurs.

" _Is everypony here okay?!_ " the Earth pony shouted over the sounds of battle.

" _Follow us and we'll take you to safety!_ " the pegasus stallion said.

" _How about you, miss, are you alright?!_ " the Earth pony asked when he spotted Fluttershy.

" _Just make sure the children are okay!_ " Fluttershy said.

" _What about you?!_ " the Earth pony said.

" _I need to go find other ponies who need help getting to the bunkers!_ " Fluttershy said. " _Just help these kids and find as many other ponies along the way as you can!_ "

" _Yes, ma'am!_ " the Earth pony said as he saluted. " _And might I add you did a good job with those bolas! You'd make a great buckball player!_ "

As the Earth pony turned away to carry out his orders, Fluttershy just stared questioningly. She quickly shook it off before going to find all the other ponies that needed her help. All of Fluttershy's friends were also doing their parts they were given to do in the battle. Applejack had managed to make her way down to one of the lower hanging bridges. Here she had a better look at the large free-for-all going on below, a sight she didn't care to see.

While the sights of war shook Applejack up emotionally, she wouldn't turn and run. Everypony else was doing their part and Applejack was not at all the type of pony to just stand by and not help. Instead of just jumping into the fray, Applejack examined the entire area around her. Her eyes looked in every direction they possibly could. They fell upon a particularly long tree branch hanging a few feet above the bridge she stood upon.

Applejack then looked down at the battle going on below, seeing a row of minotaur standing side-by-side. They were smashing their way through everything in front of them as they went after the ponies they intended to harm. The fighting bulls were almost in a position where Applejack could pull off the plan she was forming in her head. The southern mare decided she would take a chance and try her plan out. Applejack then used her mouth to grab the end of a rope she had brought along with her on her back.

Then Applejack began twirling the rope around before swinging it to the branch she picked out. Like she was hoping, the other end of the line wrapped around the low hanging tree limb. With that, Applejack jumped off the bridge as she swung down to the earth below. Only a few minotaurs managed to spot the swinging pony before her back hooves kicked across every single one of their faces. The ponies that had been trying to hold those minotaurs back all looked on in awe as the minotaurs fell and Applejack dropped to the ground.

Applejack pulled her rope down from the branch she had hooked it to before re-looping it around her neck and shoulders. She removed her hat, wiped away sweat from her brow, whipped her hair back behind her, and took a breath before putting her hat back on. When Applejack turned, she saw that all the ponies she had just helped were still looking at her in amazement.

"Now don't tell me none of you boys and girls haven't done that yourselves," Applejack said with a sly smile on her face. Everypony shook their heads, which made Applejack stare at them in surprise. "Y'all ain't never even seen another pony do that before?"

They all shook their heads again, causing Applejack to slightly tilt hers. They were interrupted, however, by the savage calls of timberwolves. As the other ponies gasped out in alarm, Applejack turned to see four of the magical hounds made of forest terrain charging at her. All of them skidded to a stop as they snarled hungrily and menacingly at the ponies. While initially alarmed like the other ponies were, a confident smile soon crossed Applejack's face.

"Howdy, critters," Applejack said. "Guess y'all are expecting me to be scared of ya, eh? Well, I'd love to burst your bubble and tell ya I've played this game with wolves much bigger back home. So how about we get with it so I can show ya varmints the way we play in Equestria?!"

The wolves all growled and barked angrily as they prepared to pounce upon the brave hearted mare.

" _Yee-haw!_ " Applejack yelled as she stood up on her hind hooves and kicked her front hooves in the air. " _Gitty up then, ya barkin' wood stools!_ "

The timberwolves all leaped at Applejack, who quickly rolled across the ground to evade them. The timberwolves, all in mid-jump, gazed as the Earth pony easily rolled passed them while they continued to sail away. They were so distracted, they didn't realize, until it was too late, they were on a collision course. All four of the wolves yelped as they crashed into each other and then hit the ground. Applejack stood up and turned to smirk mockingly at the whimpering timberwolves.

"You twig heads are even flatter in the brain than the mutts back home," Applejack mocked. "You gotta be able to do better than that."

One by one, the timberwolves stood and turned to the Earth pony, their animalistic snarls soon returning. All of them slowly began prowling towards Applejack as they growled in anger.

"That's more like it," Applejack said. "Let's go, kitty cats!"

Applejack took off as the four timberwolves ran after her. It wasn't an easy chase for Applejack who had to juke and jive, duck and dodge, slide and run. She did it not only to avoid the wolves chasing her, but to make her way through the furies of war going on around her. More than once did she have to abruptly change tactics and trajectories to either steer the wolves away from other ponies or avoid a minotaur that tried to take a swipe at her. The timberwolves just jumped over and even plowed through whatever they had to in order to get at Applejack.

They snapped their jaws several times, even when they weren't close enough to get a bite at Applejack. The pressure was on for the Earth pony as she tried to figure out a way to lose the unnatural hounds chasing her. That was when her eyes fell upon a catapult just being loaded by a group of ponies. In less than a second, the orange mare had a plan fully formed in her head. She changed course and began running for the catapult, the timberwolves all following her like heat seeking missiles.

They didn't come any closer to catching Applejack, though because she wasn't even close to being tired yet. All the years she spent doing such physically demanding jobs on her family's farm gave her strength, stamina, and endurance beyond belief. Because of that, she was not only able to easily outrun the timberwolves, but also reached the catapult in what seemed like no time at all. The ponies that had just finished loading an explosive into the basket of their catapult when they saw Applejack coming. But their eyes instantly fell on the trouble she was bringing with her.

" _Light the fuse!_ " Applejack yelled at the top of her lungs.

Nopony questioned her and instead carried out her order. One of the ponies pulled out a match and used it to light the fuse of the bomb. All of them looked on nervously as they waited for Applejack to reach them. They hoped she would get to the catapult before it was too late for her to do what she had in mind. It turned out there was more than enough time, for Applejack leaped into the air as soon as she saw the bomb was lit.

The ponies watched in awe as the southern mare sailed through the air. When Applejack finally landed, she dropped down hooves first on the lever of the catapult. She turned her smiling face to watch the basket holding the bomb fling up and send said bomb flying at the timberwolves. All four magical creatures' eyes widened as they yelped in fear. As soon as the bomb hit the timberwolves, it exploded in a fiery blast, sending the burning pieces of the wooden beasts flying all over the place.

" _Yee-haw!_ " Applejack whooped as she took her hat off and twirled it in the air. " _How's that for a rodeo, eh, boys?!_ "

The ponies at the catapult all cheered of the fact that Applejack's plan succeeded. They were cut off when several arrows came flying at them. Applejack and the other ponies looked on in alarm to see several minotaurs running at them while holding crossbows instead of the usual bows and arrows. Applejack and her group of ponies had intense looks on their faces as they prepared to meet these minotaurs in combat. Some of them started reloading the catapult while Applejack and the others were preparing for a brawl.

Elsewhere on the east side of Willowbrook, TJ was in quite the scrap himself. He and several other ponies were locked in hand-to-hoof combat with a multitude of minotaurs. Punches, kicks, swinging weapons, among other tactics were used by both opposing forces. The ponies had some advantage in wearing their armor, plus they had unicorns with them to blast the minotaurs with beams of attack magic. But they were met with greater resistance by the raging, battle hardened minotaurs.

They were physically superior specimens and just seemed more natural in the ways of war. This included mastery of weapons like swords, axes, spears, crossbows, throwing stars, and so on. The ponies had most of these things, too, but they just couldn't seem to wield them nearly as well as the minotaurs did. But as bad as that was, close quarters combat without weapons seemed to be even worse. All the punches, elbow strikes, kicks, and knee lifts the minotaurs could throw caused excruciating pain.

The ponies were also physically fit and able to throw pretty good punches and bucked out mighty kicks in their own right, but still seemed over matched. None of their advantages, even the thickness of their hooves, could compare with what the minotaurs brought to the table. Needless to say, the minotaurs were, for the most part, plowing through the pony forces. The ponies fought back with a valiant effort, but their resistance against the minotaurs was floundering. The only pony who seemed to be able to last more than a minute and a half with a minotaur was TJ, though it wasn't easy.

He'd bounce back and forth between a few different minotaurs, getting in three or four good shots each before he'd have to move on. The three minotaurs TJ was alternating between were getting wise to his ploy, however, and began to move in closer. TJ caught wind of the minotaurs trying to box him in between them and jumped away from them as high and as far as he could. While this proved successful in helping TJ escape the trio he was fighting, he found himself at the hooves of an even bigger minotaur. When the tan furred pony looked up at the massive bull, he saw the sick smile on his face and the cruel look in his eyes.

"Oh, can't a pony catch a break?!" TJ let out in aggravation.

"No breaks in war, boy!" the minotaur shouted before reaching down and grabbing TJ by his throat.

TJ coughed and gagged as the minotaur not only lifted him off the ground, but high above his head. TJ looked down to see the evil look on the minotaur's face intensify. Refusing to let it get to him or to let the minotaur be the one to take him out, TJ kicked his back hooves into the bull's face. After four kicks, the minotaur yelled as he dropped TJ and grabbed at his aching face. As soon as he was on his hooves again, TJ used his incredible Earth pony strength to scoop up the minotaur and slam him into the ground with a massive wrestling take down.

The minotaur's right shoulder and upper back hit the ground with a loud, sickening thud. Executing such a massive feat had taken TJ off his hooves. He quickly crawled away from the minotaur's body as he gasped for breath.

"How's it feel getting your own moves used on you?" TJ asked in between breaths.

Unfortunately, he was also reaching at his aching back as he spoke. Exerting his body to lift such a heavy opponent wrenched his back in an excruciating way. It was even worse for TJ, for as he was getting up, so was the minotaur he took down. As if things weren't bad enough, TJ saw the three minotaurs he had escaped earlier running at him.

" _Get that equine!_ " one of the minotaurs yelled as he pointed to TJ.

" _Oh for buck's sake!_ " TJ shouted before turning and running away.

TJ's troubles seemed to be getting worse and worse as time went on. In addition to having to runaway from four minotaurs, TJ's back was still killing him. He also had to run at full speed after exerting a great deal of physical energy to take down the biggest of his pursuers. It seemed bad for TJ, but luckily, he still had one advantage in that ponies were more naturally fit for running than minotaurs. Because of this, TJ was able to stay ahead of those chasing him despite what he'd gone through.

But even then, the situation was hard on TJ with seemingly more trouble coming when his ears picked up more steps following him. Concern was boiling in TJ when he also began to hear the calls of vicious animals behind him. He carefully looked around to see how many things were chasing him now. TJ nearly tripped over in alarm when he saw that there were now two minotaurs riding on the backs of timberwolves chasing him. The four minotaurs that had been pursuing TJ on hoof quickly climbed aboard with their comrades and let the timberwolves do the running for them.

 _Great, now what the heck am I suppose to do?!_ TJ thought as he desperately looked around for a way out of his current situation. A few short moments later, his eyes fell on a familiar marker with four unicorns standing close by. _That's it!_ TJ thought as he made his way for that marker and those unicorns. Despite the new development, the situation was still incredibly desperate for TJ. Timberwolves were even better runners than ponies, even when carrying several minotaurs on their backs.

TJ took another small look behind him, but quickly wished he hadn't. The two vicious animals made of forest looked to be catching up to him more and more as the seconds went by. Also, TJ's back was really beginning to bother him with the pain aching, burning, and throbbing more and more every moment. Still, TJ's resilience refused to let him quit and even forced him to try and run faster despite his increasing pain.

" _Hey!_ " TJ shouted to the unicorns ahead of him. " _Hey, you guys!_ "

The unicorns all turned to see TJ coming at them with a two timberwolves in tow. They also saw was the signal from the incoming Earth pony as he nodded his head. The four unicorns ceased firing at random foes and took their positions as they waited for the right time to strike. Though they were patient, the unicorns were also nervous as TJ ran pass them. They kept their eyes on the incoming timberwolves, who still carried six minotaurs with them.

The unicorns knew in order for this to work, they had to wait for the last possible second. As risky as that sounded, they knew the chance would be worth it if everything went the way it was planned. Still, the unicorns grew more nervous and the muscles in their bodies kept getting tenser as the two minotaur carrying wolves got closer. Just when it seemed like they were about to be eye-to-eye with the wolves, just when the unicorns could smell the beasts' breath, the ponies struck. Their horns glowed as they sent out a specific spell frequency.

Only half a second later did the ground the timberwolves stood on erupt into a blast of fire and smoke. Large amounts of dirt flew up in the air along with pieces of the timberwolves, the minotaurs' weapons, and the minotaurs themselves. TJ stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the explosion go off behind him. He turned to observe the damage that had been done. Slowly, the stallion walked up to the smoking crater surrounded by debris, both of which resulted from the explosion.

TJ only examined the scene for a moment before looking to the unicorns and smiling as he nodded his approval.

"Well done, boys, you got 'em!" TJ said. "I just hope everypony else can remember where the rest of these traps are. If they do, it would really go a long way in helping us."

The smiles came off all the ponies' faces when they were bombarded by arrows, rocks, and canon fire. They looked to see a whole squad of minotaurs charging at them. The unicorns all began firing blasts from their horns while TJ grabbed a club in his mouth and ran at the minotaurs. Unfortunately, he only got one swing in before the minotaur he chose as his opponent knocked TJ's weapon away. What came next was a series and right and left hooks from the minotaur. which ended with an uppercut that knocked TJ off his hooves.

While the ponies on the east side of Willowbrook were clearly having trouble, the ponies on the north side were about to get some major back up. Flying high above the ground, Twilight Sparkle led a group of sixteen pegasi in a flying V formation. To the alicorn's right, Rainbow Dash flew by her side while Firefly flew on her left. Everypony held a long rope in their front hooves, the ends of which had large metal containers tied to them. Concealed within the orb shaped structures was a mix of blasting powder, nitroglycerin, and dynamite sticks.

Twilight Sparkle led her flight squad above the line where the forest terrain ended and the clearing that led to Willowbrook began. Several minotaurs were still pouring from the confines of the bushes and trees to attack the pony village. The flying team were there to do everything they possibly could to halt their progress, starting with their bomb drop.

" _Now!_ " Twilight Sparkle shouted at the top of her lungs.

Immediately every single pony let go of their line, thus allowing their explosives to drop on the enemies below. The bombs fell fast and they all hit hard, the impacts of which instantly ignited huge explosions that swept away several minotaurs. Screams filled the air as did the flying and burning bodies of many bulls.

" _Yeah!_ " Rainbow Dash screamed as she looked down at the scene below. " _That's how a pony heats things up, ya dirty horn heads!_ "

" _You tell 'em, Rainbow Dash!_ " Firefly supported.

"I gotta hand it to you, Mom, those bombs were a great idea," Rainbow Dash said. "Hey, Twilight, what do you think is keeping Godzilla and Anguirus? I mean, shouldn't they have been here already? Their den is like, right next to the village for Celestia's sake."

"I know, Rainbow Dash," Twilight Sparkle said. "What I don't know yet is what's keeping them. I can only guess they were somehow led away by the minotaurs before they began their attack."

"L _ook out!_ " Firefly screamed as an arrow went whizzing by her.

The other ponies all let out yelps and screams as several more arrows filled the sky. Minotaurs that had yet to emerge from the forest were shooting their crossbows up at the flying team. Despite their best efforts to avoid the projectiles, several pegasi were hit by the arrows. From the wings to the legs and even the bodies, ponies were struck by the painfully flesh piercing projectiles from below. Some of the ponies managed to stay airborne long enough to return to ground level while others fell out of the sky instantly upon contact.

" _Twilight, what are we gonna do?!_ " Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Before the violet furred mare could say anything, the unearthly wails of a giant freak of nature filled the air. The shadow of said monstrosity fell over Twilight Sparkle and what was left o f her squad. The princess and the pegasi all looked up to see Hedorah flying down at them and fast.

" _Scatter!_ " Twilight Sparkle shouted.

She teleported herself and as many pegasi as she could out of harm's way. Others Twilight Sparkle couldn't get had to try and fly as fast as they could. A few succeeded while others who weren't so lucky were consumed by the kaiju's sludgy body. When Twilight, and the pegasi she teleported reappeared, they screamed in terror when they saw where Hedorah was heading next. Up to that point, Hedorah only flew high above the trees of the Willowing Forest.

Now it seemed like the smog monster was ready to really get into the action. Hedorah flew down into the forest brush and intentionally aimed itself to crash through several of the giant old growths the forest housed. Tragically, all the trees Hedorah smashed through were those that ponies' huts were built into. Along with these trees, many bridges and other structures were also destroyed. Those things Hedorah did not smash through were taken down by the falling debris caused by the monster's dive.

What was even more soul crushing to see was that there were several ponies still up in those trees and on those bridges. Those who could fly weren't able to do so in time to save themselves. Unicorns couldn't teleport themselves and their loved ones to safety. Those ponies and more along with several minotaurs who managed to get in the trees and bridges were crushed by them. Any who weren't would meet their demise once they crashed into the ground along with the tons of debris.

Several ponies, minotaurs, timberwolves, and other creatures on the ground would also be crushed by the destruction Hedorah had caused. The devastating sight took a large mental toll on Twilight Sparkle who could only hover and watch the carnage take place. It got to her so bad that her wings almost stopped flapping and Rainbow Dash along with Firefly had to hold her in the air. They could both feel her body shaking along with their own.

"No," was all Rainbow Dash could say.

Both her and Firefly felt just as horrified about the destruction as Twilight Sparkle did.

"I... I didn't think they would do anything to harm their own," Firefly managed to say. "But... they don't care... It's all just a means to an end with them... They don't care what happens to their own forces so long as they achieve their goal."

" _What is their goal?!_ " Twilight Sparkle screamed out. The three ponies looked up to see Hedorah returning to the airspace high above the forest. " _What's the matter with you stone heads?! Why are you doing this?! Doesn't it matter to you how many lives are being destroyed?!_

" _What's wrong with you?! There's women, children, families all being affected by this! And you just don't care?! How can you be so heartless?!_ "

Twilight Sparkle's whole body shook all the time she shouted down at the minotaurs below her. None of them took the time to even glance up at the teary eyed mare. Either they couldn't hear her or more likely were just ignoring her to do what they came to do. Rainbow Dash and Firefly looked at the emotionally wrenched expression on Twilight's tear soaked face and it tore them apart inside. They all felt the same way at that moment, the emotional toll was so bad.

Neither Rainbow Dash nor Firefly was used to that feeling. All they could do was hold Twilight Sparkle close and try to comfort her, as well as themselves.

* * *

From the edge of the forest on the west side of Willowbrook, Surelious looked on at the havoc he had created. He stood tall as he watched approvingly while Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning both laid to his right and watched begrudgingly. To the minotaur general's left sat a troop who held the controller that manipulated Hedorah. This group were only a few of several who had yet to join the massive attack on the surprised and unprepared Willowbrook. Many more minotaurs were spilling out from the brush of the Willowing Forest to join in the great purge.

"This is wonderful," Surelious said as he nodded his head approvingly with a smirk plastered on his face. "Yes, this is great. Everything's going according to plan."

"Have all our troops run around like brainless barbarians," Khaos Fury muttered.

"Some plan," Dark Lightning said sarcastically.

"Both of you shut up!" Surelious demanded as he glared down at them angrily. "You were there in Isarem's chambers for that strategy meeting, so you know there's method to this madness! We did this to throw the village ponies off balance! That was the first part of my plan."

"Exactly, it's _your_ plan," Khaos Fury said spitefully.

"That's why we have no faith in it," Dark Lightning said.

Surelious' glare intensified with each word spoken by the unicorns.

"You two had your chance," Surelious said. "In fact you had several chances and you failed every time. This time it's my turn, I'm in charge. So both of you just sit there and do your part like you're suppose to."

"I can't believe you have just us laying on the sidelines," Dark Lightning said.

"We're so much more valuable in the field!" Khaos Fury said. "We could be great assists if you'd just let us use our skills the proper-"

"If the two of you are so great, why am I in charge while you were both demoted?!" Surelious demanded. "Better yet, how come we haven't succeeded in our ultimate goal with this village?!" Neither pony replied, electing instead to just glare at Surelious with all the contempt they could muster. "Exactly what I thought. So you two just stay where you are and handle your part... if you can.

"Can you really maintain an air filter spell on all of our troops?"

"You ain't seen any of them coughing or rolling over and dying, have you?" Dark Lightning said.

"We can do that part just fine," Khaos Fury said. "I still think it's a waste of perfectly good resources like us."

"Just be glad I found a way to use you two," Surelious said. "Now Lord Isarem won't think that all the time you've been with us was a complete waste."

Dark Lightning merely glared at the head bull while Khaos Fury had her head turned away, doing her best not to grumble angrily.

"Fine," was all Khaos Fury allowed herself to say.

"Exactly what I thought," Surelious said. "Now I don't want to hear another peep out of either of you. Just do your jobs like you claim you can and protect our boys!"

"Yes... sir," both ponies hesitantly said.

Surelious looked away from them and back to the battle. His gaze slowly moved upward to the sky before falling on the minotaur to his left controlling Hedorah.

"What are you waiting for, you dope?!" Surelious berated the troop. He slapped his hand against the troop's shoulder to get his attention before pointing out at the battle. "Have that sludge head take out those statues before those ponies use that rock of theirs!"

"Yes, sir!" the troop said while hurriedly trying to punch in the commands on his controller.

* * *

" _Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!_ "

Since the battle had begun Moon Bright had been going in and out of several different kinds of emotional fits. They ranged from body shakes to intense sobbing to wide eyed rage filled screams and everything in between. Throughout it all, Moon Bright stood in almost the exact same spot since waking up to the madness. She had ran out to her living room and looked outside at all the anarchy that had ensued in such a sort amount of time. Since then, Firefly had come in to check on both Moon Bright and Muse before leaving them with a security detail.

Muse stayed by her mother's side the entire time trying to get her to calm down enough to be a village chief in times of crisis. More than that, though, she was genuinely worried about her well being. At the same time, she also worried about everyone else in such a terrible predicament such as the one they were experiencing. She looked out the window several times to check on the situation and every time it looked like nothing had improved, nor would it anytime soon. Minotaurs and timberwolves were still pouring into the village from the forest brush and thrashing the pony forces and civilian population.

The terrible sights were almost too much for Muse to take. She sobbed as her blood and adrenaline were rushing, and her heart felt like it was beating at ten beats a second. Still, Muse did her absolute best to keep herself under control, for her mother needed her and to an extension, so did Willowbrook. While she still stole glances out the window here and there, Muse focused mostly on trying to get her mother's high anxiety and emotional trauma under control.

"Mom, look at me!" Muse said like their lives depended on it. Still, Moon Bright's eyes were staring off thousands of miles away. "Mom, I need you to look at me. I need you- No, we _all_ need you to get a hold of yourself and be the best chief you can right now.

"You know, like you've managed to do in the past. You were able to pull through and get business taken care of! Come on, Mom, you can do this, I know you can!"

Muse held her front hooves to the sides of Moon Bright's face the entire time she tried to get through to her. In all that time, nearly all signs pointed to her mother being out of it, being basically done with her sanity.

"They're here," Moon Bright said in an emotionally shaky voice. "They came to get us, Muse! They came to get us, to attack us! They're here to destroy us all and burn our home to the ground! They're gonna kill us all and there's nothing I can do!

"I'm not a village chief! I never was! Without Strong being here, I'm even worse. I'm worth nothing! I let all the ponies of Willowbrook down!

"They should just get rid of me themselves and-"

" _Mom, shut up!_ " Muse yelled as loud as she could.

The sound of the young mare's loud voice seemed almost as effective as the sound of a gun going off. Moon Bright was instantly snapped out of her faraway stare as her eyes dialed in and looked directly at the unicorn's young daughter.

"Muse," Moon Bright said, her voice coming out as a shaky whisper.

"No, Mom, I need you to stop and look at me!" Muse said sternly as though she were the mother between the two. "Pay attention to what I'm saying! Now I know you've had mental health problems long before we came here and having to be a lone chief to a village under attack hasn't made it any easier. But you know what, you were always able to pull through when me, TJ, Firefly, the whole family, the whole village needed you the most.

"Right now's where we really need you to step up and do it again."

"No," Moon Bright barely managed to say as she shook her head and tears streamed from her eyes.

"Quitting is not an option right now, Mom!" Muse insisted. "Ponies are counting on you! We need you to step up and help protect the village and lead it like you did all those times before!"

"No, I can't, I quit," Moon Bright sobbed as she shook her head harder.

" _No, you don't!_ " Muse shouted angrily. " _Not when our lives are at stake! Not when everypony here in this village, on this island, and far beyond are counting on us to do our part! Mom, just look what's happening out there!_ "

Slowly Moon Bright stood up straight and basically lumbered to the closest window of her hut. She looked out at the horrible sights around her home, instantly wishing she didn't. Moon Bright saw exactly how bad the battle had gotten for the ponies under her care as chief of Willowbrook. Calling it a battle was sadly generous, for what the unicorn mare saw more so resembled a slaughter. There wasn't a single able pony that wasn't trying to fight back against the raging storm that was the invading minotaurs.

There hundreds, possibly thousands of horned warriors, most of which were armed to the teeth. Very few of them broke from the main group and any who did was sure to bring a multitude of comrades with them. It was almost like they knew ahead of time the exact pony they were going to attack. Once they picked a target, the fighting bulls hit them like a magnet on metal. They almost seemed to have the force of a category five, being as ruthless as ever.

There was the minotaur's sheer numbers, the added aid of more timberwolves than ever before, and a giant monster flying overhead. It felt like it was worse than any nightmare ever conceived. But despite everything going against them, the ponies all stood up to fought against the invaders. They put their absolute all into protecting their kin against the overwhelming opposition.

They used whatever resources they could to fight back against the minotaurs. The magic of unicorns, the flight of pegasi, the strength of Earth ponies, and secrets hidden within the village were all used to fight back. The ponies also used new body armor, swords, spears, and canons in their bout against the minotaur's more numerous forces as well. But it all, unfortunately, seemed to be for not. Although the ponies fought with all their might, despite the Willowbrook's best efforts, they were simply over matched.

This did absolutely nothing for Moon Bright's confidence or state of mind. She felt just as mentally and physically fragile as she did before. Their was one big difference, however, and that was the level of the unicorn mare's anger. It flowed through her like a hot wave that made her blood boil and her body shake. She saw all the ponies that she had become so close to not just as a chief, but as a fellow villager, a friend, and even as family.

Moon Bright saw them all suffering in one form or another at the heavily armed hands of the minotaurs. Said sight installed in Moon Bright an unimaginable fury. While her body was weak, Moon Bright felt angry enough to try and take on the whole minotaur army. She would do it, however, in a way that while unusual had proven highly effective in the past.

"Thank you, Muse," Moon Bright said. She then turned to see her daughter's intense expression matched her own. "Now it's time to play our part. Get the box!"

A puff of smoke appeared in front of Muse, soon replaced by a magically levitating box.

"It's right here," Muse said.

Moon Bright nodded her head before taking the lock box in her own levitation spell. The village chief then used her magic to unlock the box and opened it up. The Alpha Stone was revealed to the mares' eyes, as was its ever bright green glow. Moon Bright used her levitation magic to take the precious gem out of its holding box while placing said box off to the side. Moon Bright then looked to her daughter as seriously as she ever had.

"You ready to do this with me, Muse?" Moon Bright asked.

Muse nodded her head as she said, "Yes."

"Then let's make the magic happen and give our boys some big time backup!" Moon Bright said intensely.

"Right!" Muse shouted in agreement.

The two mares' horns lit up, both of them focusing all their magic into a single spell. When their horns' magics were at full peek, they each shot a single beam of energy into the floating Alpha Stone. The glow of the powerful gem intensified to the point where everything within the hut was blotted out by the green light. The guards outside the hut even had to look away and cover their eyes, the light was so bright. Despite being closer and more exposed to the light, Muse and Moon Bright were still able to see four bolts of energy emerge from the Alpha Stone.

As the glow of the stone subsided to its original state, Moon Bright and Muse watched as the four beams flew out the windows of their house. Each beam was instantly drawn to the four gigantic pony statues located on the edges of Willowbrook. Just like many times before, the beams were absorbed into the gems planted inside the massive stone structures where their eyes should be. The gems all lit up before several large bolts of lightning, that were somehow colored green, began to rain down upon the invading forces. Many, many charging minotaurs and prowling timberwolves were instantly vaporized by the magical currents of unnatural electricity striking down upon them.

* * *

Several minotaurs that had been running to join the raid of Willowbrook were instantly frozen in their tracks by the village's sudden show of strength. Many more instantly turned away and ran as fast as their hooves could take them. The same went for every timberwolf not already immersed in the battle in the village. All of them yelped at the sudden blasts of magic lightning and ran as fast as they could back to the cover of the forest. Most of the fleeing forces didn't make it back to the forest brush, for the lightning blasts began targeting at them.

Surelious watched as his forces were cut down like weeds by a lawnmower, glaring angrily all the while. He was beyond furious seeing his troops being picked off so easily. It wasn't his men he was worried about, however, since the religious teachings of their leader told them where they'd supposedly be going after death. What made his blood boil so strongly was that all his plan was falling apart. Even worse was that it was happening because of something he had already taken into account.

He already had a strategy in place to deal with the statues, but for some reason it wasn't being carried out. Surelious angrily looked to the minotaur at his left as he bumbled and fiddled with the controller in his hand like a child. The head bull briefly looked to his right to see Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning were both doing their best to stifle back laughs of mockery. But the delighted beams on their faces simply could not be masked. Seeing how much the ponies were enjoying themselves made Surelious' body convulse with anger.

" _What in all of creation is taking you so long, you idiot?!_ " Surelious screamed. " _Can't you figure out how to use a simple controller?! That's what you were designated to do from the start and now your bumbling is costing us!_ "

" _I'm trying, sir, I'm trying!_ " the minotaur said frantically, his desperation being plainly plastered on his face.

Surelious waited for only a few more boiling seconds before letting out an animal-like growl.

" _Give me that!_ " Surelious screamed as he snatched the controller out of his frightened soldier's hands. " _It's about time I showed you how to do this the right way!_ "

Surelious typed several commands into the remote that manipulated Hedorah's basic actions. He then pressed the button that would send the commands to a receiver planted somewhere deep inside Hedorah. Surelious, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning all looked to the flying smog monster and waited to see if he would respond to the new orders or not. Much to Surelious' relief and the ponies' anguish, Hedorah instantly flew down towards the village as he had done previously. The minotaur general's relief turned into delight as he watched Hedorah smash through several trees and bridges as he came up behind the unicorn statue.

Electric sparks flew from the giant pony sculpture's gem eyes, which zapped Hedorah for a good few seconds. Tragically, this wasn't enough to stop the flying smog monster from easily smashing through the statue. The smashed up chunks of stone crashed into the ground, crushing whatever or whoever was unfortunate enough to be in there. Despite many of those who fell victim to the falling debris being minotaurs, the invading forces cheered. Hedorah wailed as he flew on and approached the statue shaped like a pegasus.

Though the electric shocks it emitted caused Hedorah great pain, the evil kaiju persevered. Hedorah flew through the green lightning blasts the statue shot and managed to smash through the giant stone carving. Once again giant pieces of stone fell and crashed across the ground, killing more living things than could be counted. Hedorah flew up high above the Willowing Forest yet again, taking no chances for the last two statues. Once he was situated high up over the pony statues, the smog monster used his eye lasers to blast them both apart.

The Earth pony and alicorn statues exploded into several thousand pieces upon contact with the burning red beams. In only a matter of moments, a big part of the ponies' defenses they relied so heavily on had been destroyed. Anypony that had not already been wiped out by that point felt whatever urge or drive to fight back against their opposition slowly slipping away. Most ponies tried to go on anyways, while others froze in place as they gazed at the horror that had just occurred. They had known the odds were against them before, but now thanks to Hedorah's might, the situation just seemed utterly hopeless.

The minotaurs, on the other hand, couldn't have been happier. The most delighted of the bunch was Surelious who wore a big grin as his forces advanced on Willowbrook.

"Now... the fun really begins," the rapturous minotaur hissed.

* * *

Neither Muse nor Moon Bright could believe what had just happened. They were still frozen in place at their hut's window where they had watched Hedorah destroy the unicorn statue. While they had not moved, they did hear the sounds of the flying sludge destroying the other statues as well. The one thing they had contributed to the fight and one of their village's most essential means of defense had just been obliterated. Now what was left that they could do?

What could they contribute to helping against the minotaurs now that the statues were gone? The short and simple answer was nothing; there was absolutely nothing they could do now. Muse was still very inexperienced with her powers, even more so when it came to fighting. Moon Bright was in a far too fragile state both physically and mentally to try and do anything else. Basically, in their minds, Muse and Moon Bright were completely useless now.

More important was the fact that the whole disaster with the statues' destruction left several ponies dead or injured. On top of the, many more ponies that were still alive were left with even less protection than they had before. Nopony ever thought one of the minotaurs' kaiju would get a chance to do something so terrible to them because they had never been able to before. But now they had a more capable flying monster and Willowbrook's own monster protectors were nowhere to be seen. The whole thing seemed entirely hopeless.

"N... Now what are we supposed to do?" Muse asked in an shaky and emotional voice.

"We die," Moon Bright said bluntly as she began to sob.

* * *

TJ, Firefly, and the mares of the Mane Six were all scattered across the village, but they saw what had happened. Some of them, like Pinkie Pie and Rarity, even had to flee from the wreckage Hedorah had caused in order to save their lives. Other ponies they had fought alongside with weren't so lucky. This tore everypony up inside, some having tried to save those ponies, but being unable to. All that would've happened was that they would've been killed, too.

That didn't take away the feeling of loss, sorrow, and despair everyone felt. It wasn't just TJ, Firefly, and the Mane Six, but other ponies as well. The negative feelings brought by this seemingly one sided battle were building up in everypony. It even felt like it was having a physical effect on them. Almost everyone, fighter and pedestrian alike, felt a sickening sensation that started in their gut and spread through them.

It almost made them feel like they could collapse at any moment. Whether it was the emotional toll they had just taken or possibly Hedorah's fumes breaking through to them or something else was uncertain. What was certain was nopony felt like they even had a prayer of winning this fight, let alone surviving it.

* * *

Surelious was laughing at the top of his lungs as his forces continued to move into the space occupied by the structures of Willowbrook that were still standing. He knew that now his side was almost assured victory at that point. For his pony cohorts, it would be a bitter sweet victory. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning had been wanting to execute a maneuver like this for a good long while now. Seeing it done by another person who had suggested a more simplified version just disgusted them.

Even worse was it was a person they had grown a strong disdain for in a short amount of time leading up to that attack. The disgruntled look on the ponies' faces only served to double Surelious' enjoyment.

" _You can stare a hole through me all you want, kiddies!_ " Surelious boasted. " _But what you can't do, what no one can do is take this moment from me! This is the moment where we can finally say our cause is just, for it has triumphed over all trials and tribulations! We had to go through a lot and sacrifice so much to get to this point, but it was all in the name of Paradise and thus it was righteous! Absolutely nothing will stop us now!_ "

And then came the ever so awe inspiring roar of the kaiju king. For some it was an intimidating signal of annihilation. But for others it was a reassuring beacon of hope that was desperately needed. One thing for certain was for those this call opposed, it was nearly soul shattering, for it was so big, so loud, so fear striking.

"No," Surelious said in a trembling voice barely above a whisper.

But even as he said that all gazes turned to a part of the forest where the sounds of cracking wood and heavy footsteps were heard. It was soon realized that there was more than just one set of footsteps as a second, more howling roar it filled the air. Minotaurs and timberwolves that had been pouring out of that part of the forest were now running for their very lives. Even the timberwolves, vicious creatures in their own right, were filled with terror at the massive opposition coming towards them. Surelious' heartbeat got heavier and faster with each passing second, feeling like his heart was in his throat.

Surelious eyes practically bulged out of his head as he saw Godzilla and Anguirus' humongous frames break through the confines of the Willowing Forest. Anguirus looked to be deliberately stepping on any minotaur forces he could while Godzilla looked on in shock at what was taking place. That surprise quickly twisted into a hard, angry sneer filled with boiling fury as he lifted his head into the air and roared as loudly as he possibly could.


	25. Chapter 25: Retaliation

**EARLIER IN THE MORNING:**

A squad of minotaurs had made their way into the den of Godzilla and Anguirus as carefully and as quietly as they could,. There was a great deal of tension in the squadron, all of whom had to do their absolute best to stay in control of the immense fear building up inside them. It was no easy feat given the taxing mission the team of minotaurs had been so heavily burdened with. One thing that made the mission so daunting was the hazardous environment the squad had to put themselves in. Despite being warriors by nature, this group of minotaurs still had a hard time keeping themselves together in the presence of two mighty kaiju.

Any living creature would fall to pieces when faced with only one terrifying giant, even if it was sleeping like Godzilla and Anguirus were. But because the minotaurs were such a proud race, they refused to let any fear they felt keep them from doing what they came to do. Despite that, their situation wasn't any less nerve racking, especially when sneaking around the monsters. While the troops were moving around the sleeping beasts, they would look over their shoulders at them every other second. They kept on like this almost the entire time they were trying to carry out the task they'd been given.

Ordinarily this would infuriate the captain of the team, who would reprimand his forces. He couldn't this time because he was in the same fearful state as his troops were. Being so close to Godzilla and Anguirus while they slept was too much of a daunting task not to feel trepidation of some kind. The lord of Tartarus himself would most likely be sweating beads should he have to be so close to giants so grand. With the shadows of monsters literally hanging over them, the minotaurs continued their work, practically trembling in terror all the while.

As frightening as it was having to be so close to two giant monsters, the minotaurs still took solace in knowing how important their roles were. They knew that the success or failure of their task depended on how well the next mission following theirs started or if it did at all. This particular squad of minotaurs had to try and lure both Godzilla and Anguirus as far away from Willowbrook as possible. If they could manage to pull this off, a far larger force would launch an attack on the pony village as soon as the monsters were far enough away. It was ironic that the very thing that pressured and frightened them so also comforted them to an extent.

It was dangerous in many ways for sure, but it was still a very important role that required absolute success. This role had been given to these minotaurs, meaning the higher ups trusted them a great deal. That's how every minotaur in the squad interpreted the situation at least. Plus the teachings of their leader insured them eternal peace should their mortal forms fall. Yet for some reason, they still couldn't get over the natural fear that would come with being in the presence of two kaiju.

No matter what religious teachings one might have, fear when coming face to face with a being so overwhelmingly bigger was nearly unavoidable. Encountering such a being was like being in the presence of a god. That's how it felt to every minotaur as they lined up, staring from the edge of the kaiju's den, their forces extending deep into the Willowing Forest. The line the minotaurs formed standing side-by-side carried them further away from Willowbrook. They all hoped their efforts would do the same with Godzilla and Anguirus and make them lumber far enough away for the main force of minotaurs to attack.

The minotaur at the head of the line leaned out as he looked to see how far it stretched. The line went further than his eyes could see, which indicated to the minotaur captain that it was okay to officially start the operation. He lifted up a large, thirty pound bag, one of many that had been brought along, high above his head. Every first minotaur after followed suit as they held up their own large bag while the minotaur next to them raised a crossbow. Then, with all their might, the minotaurs holding the large bags tossed them as high into the air as they could.

After the first section of the line threw their bags in the air, every section afterwards did the same until all the bags in the line had been thrown. Once the bags got a good distance in the air, the minotaurs with the crossbows took aim and fired. The arrows they released flew through the air at lightning-like speed until they eventually struck the bags. All at once, they burst into pieces, unleashing a strange sort of sparkling red dust into the air. The clouds the dust made spread and stretched out until they meshed together.

The newly formed fog of odd dust covered a wide area that just kept stretching further beyond the kaiju den. At the end of the line, there was a giant pile of bags that held the strange red dust. Hidden within the pile were several sticks of dynamite, all of which were linked together by a single fuse. Once that fuse was lit, it ignited an explosion that instantly destroyed the bag pile and sent even more dust into the air. The minotaurs had completed the first phase of their plan.

But what was this strange dust the minotaurs had released? Why did the minotaurs take such a chance going into a monsters' den to release this concoction into the air? What was its purpose being released in such a specific way that required a carefully laid out plan? Why was there a gigantic pile of bags containing the dust located so far away from the monsters' den? How was this meant to lure Godzilla and Anguirus away from the village they were defending?

Only the minotaurs that released the dust and those who had assigned them to do so knew. Or at least they knew what the strange dust was suppose to do. Now the squad could only wait and see if the dust would do what they were told it would do. They waited with severe impatiences, the nerve racking anticipation being almost too much for them to bare. All the minotaurs were so tense with fear, they felt like their bodies would snap into pieces, they were all such wrecks.

It was then that something happened that should've been a good sign, yet was also a very terrifying one at the same time. A snort of air escaped from Godzilla's nostrils as he started to stir. Just the slight jolt of the massive creature's body nearly made every minotaur close by want to run for the hills. Some got in one step, some only jutted forward for a split second, and others had to be grabbed before they all snapped out of it. They were all still very fearful, though, as they slowly and quietly crept back into the forest brush.

The squad of minotaurs hoped they would go unnoticed by Godzilla and that he would instead fall for their plan. As the minotaurs watched Godzilla open his eyes, they couldn't help but feel the terror such a monster could induce running through them. It didn't help when he began pushing himself up to his feet where he would be at his full height. What frightened the hiding minotaur even further was when Anguirus started to stir from his slumber as well. Some minotaurs had to catch themselves from letting out a scream, it was so terrifying.

They kept looking on as they waited to see whether Godzilla and Anguirus would notice what they had done. It turned out that was the very thing that had awakened the two massive kaiju. The senses in their noses had been hit with the sensation of a very familiar scent and it spread completely through them. Godzilla sniffed the air, as did Anguirus to reaffirm what their senses told them. Glares took over both monsters' eyes, for they were now certain of what they smelled.

According to their noses, they were smelling the very familiar and hated scent of the minotaur tamed beast called Solomon. While his scent was unusually strong, it was even more so further away. From what Godzilla and Anguirus could tell, he was heading directly toward their den. Both giants were certain the skull faced gargoyle's real target was Willowbrook, but neither Godzilla nor Anguirus were willing to let him get there. It only took a quick exchange of glances and nods for both monsters to decide on what to do.

The kaiju stood up straight and began to follow the scent their noses had picked up. At first the minotaurs watching were ecstatic to know their plan was working. But their hearts sunk when they realized their was a strong chance they could all be trampled. The monsters' path led through where most of the minotaurs were hiding. As fast as they could, every minotaur ran to get out of the duo kaiju's way.

They knew they could move freely without worrying about Godzilla and Anguirus detecting them. The monsters were too focused on getting to Solomon and from where the kaiju stood, the minotaurs were too small to be noticed in the brush of the forest. Every minotaur that had formed the twenty mile line and helped release the false pheromones of Solomon into the air managed to avoid the monsters. They watched as Godzilla and Anguirus fell for their trick and walked off further away from Willowbrook, leaving it far more vulnerable than before. That was exactly what was suppose to happen on the minotaurs' side of things.

Once the monsters got far enough, the captain of the team gave the signal for General Surelious to start the attack on Willowbrook. Both Godzilla and Anguirus remained unaware of the minotaurs' deception for many miles. All they could think about was intercepting what they thought was an incoming foe so he could not harm the ponies they had come to love so much. Godzilla and Anguirus were determined to protect them at all cost. It wasn't until they had reached the eleventh mile before Godzilla realized something was wrong.

While the scent of Solomon was still pretty strong, he began to notice it slowly fading as he and Anguirus went on. Plus the stronger part of the scent didn't seem like it was coming closer to them and instead stayed in one place. It seemed strange and unnatural to Godzilla the more he thought about it. That was when he heard the song of Fluttershy ringing in his ears. Godzilla stopped in his tracks and turned in the direction the song was coming from.

Not surprisingly, it was the same direction that took would them back to Willowbrook. Anguirus had stopped as well and also turned to his fellow kaiju. Like Godzilla he had also begun to sense the unnatural properties of Solomon's scent. Anguirus had no idea Godzilla had heard Fluttershy's song, though. He just figured his friend was beginning to suspect something was wrong, but wasn't exactly sure what it was.

Only seconds later did Godzilla hear Fluttershy's beautiful voice ring out again, which further alarmed him. The king of the monsters sniffed in the direction of Willowbrook, as did Anguirus. Instantly, a whole new set of alarming scents caught their attention. Through the dissipating fake odors that had tricked them, one of the new aromas stuck out most particularly to Godzilla and Anguirus. They had smelt it many time before; the putrid, throat gagging, nauseating stench of pollution so strong that it could only mean one thing: Hedorah.

The scowl of a thousand angry demons crossed both Godzilla and Anguirus' faces. They had been tricked and they knew it. They also knew exactly why they had been fooled. Even worse, they knew the horrible implications the deception brought upon them held for Willowbrook. Godzilla and Anguirus both roared as loud as possible before marching as fast as they could back to Willowbrook.

There were no more minotaurs around to try and stop or delay the monsters. They had long since taken off on paths that would safely take them away from the monsters and back to Willowbrook to join the fight. Even if any were still there, though, they wouldn't be able do anything to stop Godzilla and Anguirus, not even for a second. Both knew the ponies they'd sworn to protect were in trouble and it was their duty to come to their aid. Plus both kaiju were extremely furious and ready to take it out on someone.

So no matter what they might face, no matter the obstacles in their way, and no matter what happened to them, Godzilla and Anguirus would be there. They would come to protect any and all who needed them.

* * *

For many, Godzilla and Anguirus' sudden appearance made it feel like all time itself had come to a complete stop. Ponies and minotaurs alike had frozen in place, their eyes focused squarely on the giant monsters. The arrival of the kaiju was a big deal for both sides, but for different reasons. The minotaurs were certain their plan to lure Godzilla and Anguirus away would afford them enough time to carry out the mission their whole attack had based around. Now that they saw this wouldn't be the case, nearly all feeling left them, except for pure fear.

For the ponies, it was a sudden shot of light in what was an otherwise bleak, dark pit of hopelessness. Several had to watch their home get pounded on by the bitter assault of a group that had been long time tormentors. Those that tried to fight back were at a huge disadvantage to the point where it seemed pointless to try and mount a fight back. It was made even worse that the already overwhelmingly superior forces of the minotaurs were accompanied by their own giant monster. Now Godzilla an Anguirus were there and every single pony knew they had come to help them specifically against the evil invaders.

Knowing this lit up several ponies' emotions to the point where they couldn't move while the minotaurs were very much afraid. While some were frozen by the sight of Godzilla and Anguirus, it seemed to have the exact opposite effect on others. Ponies that could cheered as loudly and as happily as they ever had. Meanwhile several minotaurs and timberwolves fled in fear of the monsters they knew were not on their side. It was a good idea for the invading forces to run away from the overpowering sight of the kaiju, but some would never be fast enough.

Godzilla took in the horrible sights of fires that had been lit, trees that had fallen, statues that had been smashed, and huts that had been crushed. What the absolute worst, heart breaking sight for Godzilla, however, was the many fallen ponies. The nuclear leviathan didn't need to see all the minotaurs running around to know they were the ones responsible. He had seen the minotaurs do this to Willowbrook before, only this time it seemed worse than ever. Another change was that seeing the minotaur's greater siege up close increased the already immeasurable rage deep within Godzilla's soul.

Not even the fury of a hurricane could compare to the anger the king of monsters felt boiling deep inside. A thousand armies filled with more than a thousand soldiers each wouldn't match the wrath Godzilla was preparing to reign down. The incessant vexation of the massive and powerful kaiju was plastered all over his face for everyone to see. The terrifying look on such a force that was already as intimidating as Godzilla nearly scared everyone to death, even some that had originally been happy to see him. The overpowering fear felt by the invading minotaur forces was increased tenfold when Godzilla raised his head into the air and roared loud and mighty as ever.

Screams by the minotaurs were soon drowned out when Godzilla unleashed his atomic breath on those enemies that were closest to him. Once again, ponies from all around cheered as Godzilla fired his devastating blast. Not unlike the screams and cries of the minotaurs, the ponies' cheerful cries were also muted by the crackling fury of the great beam and the explosions it created. Godzilla had made certain there were no ponies close to him, so he fired his atomic blast without feeling any need to hold back. He would make absolutely certain the fleeing minotaurs would know tragedy as they had done to the ponies he cared so much for.

The whole assault only lasted three seconds, but it was more than enough time. When Godzilla ceased fire, only flames were left were a couple hundred minotaurs, timberwolves, canons, and other things used to be. Except for the crackling of the fire, everything went silent as all eyes gazed at the blazing inferno. Godzilla's eyes looked from one side of the fire to the other admiring his handy work. He raised his head to the sky and let out a low, growl filled roar.

Once again the ponies cheered before Godzilla stomped his way through the flames he had created, carrying himself into battle. The great kaiju's eyes looked all along the forest floor as he walked deeper into the debris filled area that used to be Willowbrook's south east side. He wanted to make sure his presence didn't do anything that could hurt the ponies as he walked further into Willowbrook than he ever had before.

Most of that area of the village had been lost already, though, so most pony presence was gone from there. While it had upset the ponies greatly to lose that part of their town, the harsh memories seemed to be wiped away for the majority. They were overtly ecstatic that Godzilla and Anguirus had finally arrived to come to their aid. Twilight Sparkle's face had certainly lit up as she watched Godzilla go on, as did Fluttershy's, TJ's, Rainbow Dash's, Firefly's, and so many more.

" _Twilight, they're here!_ " Rainbow Dash exclaimed happily. " _They're here, Twilight! Godzilla and Anguirus finally showed up!_ "

"But we still don't know what took them so long," Firefly said.

" _Who cares?!_ " Rainbow Dash carried on. " _What's important is they're here now when we need them the most!_ "

"Rainbow Dash is right," Twilight Sparkle said. "Now that Godzilla and Anguirus have come, we'll finally see the tables turn on those flat brained horn heads!"

" _Yeah!_ " Rainbow Dash and Firefly said together.

Several onlookers watched as Godzilla sniffed the air and looked up at the sky. He began emitting low growls when he spotted the kaiju who's putrid stench he'd smelt so many miles away. Hedorah was just barely flying above what trees still stood within Willowbrook's confines. Godzilla stared intensely at the polluted slime he had come to despise so much. While he had smelt the fowl creature from afar, he had been distracted with taking his initial fit of rage out on the minotaurs closes to him.

Now the king of monsters was ready to set his sights on Hedorah and hopefully put an end to the smog monster. Godzilla roared out at the flying freak who wailed back contemptuously. Before Hedorah could even turn towards Godzilla, however, the mightiest of kaiju fired his atomic blast. The beam hit Hedorah in the side and danced across his hide as he tried to fly out of the beam's trajectory. Globs of bubbling sludge slumped off Hedorah's body and fell to the ground.

Ponies in the same area as Hedorah instantly ceased cheering when they realized the liquid pollution was splashing down upon them. Dread gripped every single one of those ponies as they tried to get out of the way of the hot sludge. Godzilla looked away in heart wrenching regret, his face conveying the sadness he felt as the waves of sludge fell. He had forgotten how easily Hedorah could come apart when hit by a beam of his atomic breath. Godzilla had felt the acidic burn of Hedorah's bodily fluids, so he knew how painful it was for him.

Imagining how bad it was for the ponies experiencing the same thing greatly depressed Godzilla. The reptilian kaiju looked back to Hedorah and saw that he was still several hundred yards away. Godzilla feared that Hedorah might start intentionally flying over areas still filled with ponies so his sludge would fall on them. The king of monsters was relieved to see that instead Hedorah was changing course and heading for Godzilla himself. The nuclear leviathan roared at the incoming smog monster, who wailed back at him.

As Hedorah flew at Godzilla with the speed of a spear, he released multiple red beams from his eyes. Every burning line was aimed directly at Godzilla and made direct contact with his hide. Explosions erupted all over Godzilla's body as he roared in pain. Hedorah followed up by shooting globs of sludge at Godzilla. He tried to dodged them, but was only partially successful and the pieces that hit Godzilla's body instantly began burning through his flesh.

Despite the immense pain Hedorah put him through, Godzilla managed to fight passed it and braced himself for his incoming foe. Hedorah had planned on ramming into Godzilla, thinking his bombardment would throw the vertical kaiju off enough that he could knock him down. Not only was Godzilla able to stay on his feet, he reached out and grabbed a tight hold of Hedorah. This slowed Hedorah's momentum to the point where he wouldn't possibly be able to ram Godzilla hard enough to knock him down. He didn't even hit Godzilla with half as much force as it would take to knock him off his feet.

After Hedorah's collision with Godzilla failed, he tried flying away to regroup. Godzilla wouldn't let him go, though and instead held the flying kaiju tight in his hands. Hedorah could never hope to match the legendary strength of the kaiju king, not in his current state at least. Godzilla demonstrated his physical power even further by clubbing his right fist down upon Hedorah's body. The force of the blow was so mighty it sent the beast of pollution crashing into the ground.

Godzilla glared down at his fallen foe before roaring triumphantly. Hedorah tried flying up off the ground, but was cut off by Godzilla's foot stomping down on him. The king of monsters let out a short, growl-like yelp as he stomped his foot down on Hedorah several more times. Godzilla took notice that despite his beam still having its same effect on Hedorah, the monster's outer body seemed far more solid than it had in the past. It felt less like slime and more like thin leather that could tear apart at any moment, which was exactly what Godzilla had in mind.

* * *

While the kaiju fought, the clash amongst the minotaurs and the ponies had more or less started up again. The minotaur forces didn't seem nearly as intense or as driven as they had been before. It was clear their confidence had been greatly shaken by the arrival of the ponies' monsters. Even with their new advantage, however, the fight wasn't nearly as easy for the ponies as they would've wished. A whole lot of them still had a hard time fighting against the minotaurs' forces.

Among the thralls of war, three minotaurs ran full speed ahead at a duo of ponies nearby. The equines didn't see the two hoofed bulls coming at them until it was too late. The Earth pony and the pegasus were both tackled to the ground by two of the linebacker-like minotaurs. The third soldier's charge was interrupted by a sudden beam of light that almost seemed to come out of nowhere. It flew in from the side, hit the minotaur's chest, burnt away a small chip in the body armor he wore, and instantly sent him flying backwards upon contact.

A few seconds after the minotaur crashed into the ground, he sat up to see where the beam had come from. What he saw was Rarity running at him at the kind of speed only a four hoofed equine could muster. The minotaur tried to get back to his hooves, but halfway up he was intercepted by a flying sidekick by the martial arts savvy Rarity. As soon as the resourceful fashionista's hooves landed back on the ground, she jumped yet again. She spun around, kicking one of her back hooves across the minotaur's face, knocking him to the ground.

After her spin kick, Rarity looked around to see the other two minotaurs were mauling the ponies they had taken down before. She quickly put a stop to the minotaurs' savage acts by shooting each in the side with a beam of her attack magic. Instantly both minotaurs shot up onto their hooves as sparks flew out of their sides and they screamed in agony. Rarity continued her assault by firing three continuous beams at the minotaur trio at the exact same time. After a few seconds, sparks bursts from all three minotaurs' chests, instantly knocking them off their hooves.

"I'm so hot, I make sparks fly," Rarity said as she playfully fanned herself.

The Earth pony mare and the pegasus stallion that were being beaten on before slowly sat up. They were both still in a lot of pain, but it was slightly overtaken by their amazement. They looked in disbelief at what Rarity had accomplished. The beautiful unicorn mare looked to her admirers with a flattered smile. The ponies were interrupted when twelve or so minotaurs came running at them, all of whom were holding hammers in their hands.

The Earth pony and pegasus moved as fast as they could in their painful states to get up and flee. Rarity, on the other hoof, refused to move. She stood and stared defiantly at the incoming force. For a moment, the other two ponies were too stunned to move. They resumed marveling at Rarity for appearing to be just as brave as she was attractive, something to be admired.

But as amazed as the two ponies were by the mare's bravery, they were just as questioning of her sanity.

" _Put the hammer down!_ " Rarity shouted at the top of her lungs.

This caused everyone of the minotaurs charging at her to come to a screeching halt. They all looked at her in confusing, which slowly turned into amusement.

"Okay, pony, I'll bite," the minotaur at the head of the group said. "Which one of us were you talking to?" He had a big smile on his face as did his cohorts, some of who began to laugh. "Which one of us do you want to put our hammer down?"

" _She was talking to me!_ " a high, squeaky, excitable voice sang out.

Before any of the minotaurs knew what was happening, Pinkie Pie ran in from the side like a bat out of Tartarus. She held in her mouth the handle of a large wooden hammer from the Acme corporation. She swung it across the faces of several minotaurs as she made her way through the group's ranks. Pinkie Pie swung her hammer at every minotaur she saw, not caring where she hit them as long as she made contact. Rarity ran in and assisted her friend with her martial arts skills and beams of her attack magic.

The Earth pony and the pegasus from before stared on in complete astonishment. Only a few moments later did they look to each other, each ponies' face conveying the same look. With a nod of their head, the duo joined Rarity and Pinkie Pie in the fray against the group of hammer wielding minotaurs. About a minute later, there wasn't a single minotaur from that group still on their hooves. All four ponies that had taken them down and were standing tall like conquering champions.

Pinkie Pie even took the moment to strike a quick battle pose with her hammer before setting it aside and letting out a giggle. Rarity joined her friend as the two clasped their hooves together.

" _Who hits as hard as a mean angry lizard?_ " Pinkie Pie sang.

" _A pink puff ball and a great white blizzard,_ " Rarity finished. "Thank you so much for your help, Pinkie Pie. It was lucky for us you came in with that hammer of yours when you did. I'm surprised, though that you didn't make some sort of witty comment like, ' _Stop! Hammer time!_ '"

"Eh, I thought about it, but the mood didn't feel right," Pinkie Pie said.

The ponies were all caught off guard by the sudden barks of timberwolves approaching them. They looked to see three of the beasts on the charge. Before the wolves could get close enough to do anything, however, they were stopped by a wagon suddenly falling out of the sky on top of them. The ponies all jumped and yelped in surprise before their eyes looked up to see a familiar yellow pegasus in a wagon harness.

"Oh my, that actually worked?"

" _Fluttershy?!_ " a stunned Pinkie Pie and Rarity let out.

"Oh, hi, girls," Fluttershy said as she smiled and waved shyly.

"It was you?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"My word," Rarity said. "You dropped that wagon on those timberwolves?"

"Well... yeah, I guess," Fluttershy said as her face started to blush. "Was I suppose to do that? Or did you two have something else in mind?"

Pinkie Pie and Rarity both turned to each other with stunned looks on their faces. Slowly their faces lit up and they began cheering for their friend's amazing feat. The Earth pony and the pegasus with the happy mares eventually joined in their cheer. Slight surprise crossed Fluttershy's face before changing into a small, pride filled smile. Fluttershy flew down and joined the other ponies who gathered around her, patted her on the back, and showered her with compliments.

"Fluttershy, that was awesome!" Pinkie Pie complimented.

"A fantastic maneuver that accomplished what we surely wouldn't have been able to," Rarity said. "Or at least not in the same amount of time. It was a stroke of genius, what you though of to dispatch those timberwolves."

"Thank you, I got the idea from this book my mom used to read to me," Fluttershy said. "I would've done it like in the book, but there wasn't a tornado and I wasn't strong enough to lift a house. So I settled for dropping a wagon on them."

"Is it a good book or a bad book?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Must be to give Fluttershy such inspiration," Rarity said. "We were lucky you came in when you did."

"Yeah, you Equestrians sure have a habit of showing up at the right time," the Earth pony mare said.

"Just lucky, I guess," Pinkie Pie said.

"The same can be said for those monsters of ours," the pegasus stallion said.

The ponies all looked to see Godzilla and Hedorah still deep in battle a good distance off. They'd be hard to miss either way, they were were so massive. Godzilla still had Hedorah down on the ground where he smacked the grounded sludge kaiju with his tail. Godzilla then turned to stomp his foot down on Hedorah before he could get away.

"Thank goodness Godzilla finally came," Rarity said.

"Anguirus, too," Pinkie Pie said.

"Wonder what kept them so long," the pegasus commented.

Fluttershy said nothing, for her attention was almost completely on Godzilla, who was dominating Hedorah. As she watched, Fluttershy felt so many different things, not the least of which was joy at seeing Godzilla was okay. On top of that, she was very much relieved to have Godzilla where she could keep an eye on him. While it may have sounded silly that a pony mare would worry about a kaiju as though it were her own newborn foal, Fluttershy didn't care. It didn't matter to her what Godzilla was doing either, so long as she could see him.

Now that Godzilla was there and she had a line of sight on him, Fluttershy was so happy her heart was practically dancing.

"I'm just glad they're finally here," Fluttershy said. "Honestly I was beginning to think something awful happened to them."

"But what could the minotaurs do to them?" the Earth pony mare asked. "They're too tough."

"I wouldn't be surprised by any form of cruelty those ruffians were capable of," Rarity said.

"Yeah, but this is Godzilla, you know?" Pinkie Pie replied.

"None of that matters now," the pegasus stallion said. "The monsters are here now and they're gonna take care of that overgrown turd."

"I hope you're right," Fluttershy said. "Remember, even when it looks like he's down, Hedorah's proven he can still be dangerous."

The ponies watched as Godzilla let out a loud roar and swung his fist down at Hedorah. The punch was so hard, the mighty kaiju's hand broke right through Hedorah's leather-like exterior. Beneath the surface, Godzilla's hand was engulfed by the slimy sludge inside the smog monster. Instantly it began spraying out of the sides of the open wound Godzilla's hand made and steam started to flow from it as well. Godzilla pulled his hand out of Hedorah's body when he felt the sludge beginning to burn and eat away at his covered limb.

The kaiju king looked down and examined his burning hand. The ponies all looked on with concerned frowns as the smoke steamed off their protector's hand. Up to that point Godzilla had not taken his foot off Hedorah, but it seemed like that might change. Suddenly large volumes of the poisonous substance Hedorah had been releasing before began to escape from his sides. It seemed like the toxic vapors were spraying ten times as much as it was before and at three times the speed.

The ponies watched as Godzilla stared blankly for a few seconds before he began to lightly cough and gag. As time went by things got worse, for Godzilla's coughing got louder and deeper as his body began to violently convulse. Godzilla grabbed at his throat as he desperately gasped for a breath of fresh air. Fluttershy watched helplessly as Godzilla's precious breaths of life seemed to be slowly slipping away. Her heart ached deeply for the struggling kaiju she cared for who seemed unable to get any sort of clean air into his lungs.

Godzilla was reeling hard, though he struggled to stay on his feet. The poisonous gas was really starting to get to him. He stumbled more and more as time passed, but Godzilla did his best to make sure he didn't fall. Unfortunately, taking those steps also meant taking his foot off Hedorah, allowing the horrible monster to take to the sky once more. The smog monster quickly took advantage of the situation and flew up, smacking his head into Godzilla's lower jaw.

The ponies all screamed in protest when Hedorah began shooting several energy beams from his eyes at Godzilla. When Hedorah turned to fly away from Godzilla, the back end of his manta ray-like body slapped the saurian across his face. Hedorah flew several hundred kilometers away from Godzilla as full speed before making a sharp u-turn. Hedorah flew at Godzilla while bombarding him with eye lasers and globs of burning sludge. Godzilla stumbled badly in a desperate attempt to stay on his feet.

His efforts were in vain, though, for Hedorah came slamming into him with all the force he could muster. Godzilla was sent falling to the ground as Hedorah had wanted to do originally. The ground shook and even cracked from the impact. The sudden earthquake-like event caught almost every pony and every minotaur completely off guard. Many panicked before joining those who didn't in trying to brace themselves.

When it was over, those that didn't know what caused the large tremor soon saw what did. While it made the ponies all despair, the minotaurs cheered for Hedorah managing to make the king of monsters fall. Nopony was more upset by Godzilla's dire predicament than Fluttershy who looked on with eyes that were trembling ever harder as time went by.

" _No!_ " Rarity screamed.

" _Get up, Godzilla!_ " Pinkie Pie shouted.

Hedorah began spraying his poisonous vapors down upon the fallen Godzilla, much to the ponies' horror.

" _We have to help him!_ " Rarity said.

" _But what good are we gonna be against that flying gas ball?!_ " the pegasus stallion said.

" _Well, somepony has to do something!_ " Rarity said.

It was no pony that helped Godzilla out of his predicament. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and the others felt a gust of wind blow over them at the same time a large shadow passed above. They looked to see a spiky ball of gigantic proportions spinning through the air at Hedorah. The smog monster never saw it coming until it was too late and the object hit him. The impact from the collision sent Hedorah twirling through the air before he crashed into and skidded across the ground.

Hedorah quickly took to the air again as the ball of spikes unraveled itself in mid-air to reveal its true identity. Anguirus landed safely on the ground before he let out one of his howling roars. Everypony to cheered while Anguirus turned his attention over to Godzilla, who was still laying on the ground. Previously the quadruped had been demolishing minotaur forces on the outer rim of Willowbrook. Once he noticed Godzilla was in trouble, though, Anguirus sprang to his friend's aid while being careful of any ponies on the way.

"Oh, Anguirus, thank goodness you came," Rarity said.

"Yay, Anguirus, thanks for saving Godzilla!" Pinkie Pie said.

"He sure knows how to make an entrance, doesn't he?" Rarity asked.

"It's a good thing Godzilla has someone his size that can watch his back like that now," Pinkie Pie said.

Fluttershy stayed silent the whole time as she looked on with hopeful eyes. Her smile started to turn, however, when she realized Anguirus was beginning to have a hard time breathing. It was almost exactly like what happened to Godzilla with Anguirus lightly coughing and softly gagging. Anguirus forced himself to fight through it as he continued to try and aid Godzilla. Anguirus let out several short roars to ask Godzilla if he was okay or if he could get up and continue the fight.

Godzilla barely roared a reply, focusing instead on pushing himself back up to his feet. Anguirus extended a front leg for Godzilla to use as a brace he could push himself up with. A few seconds later, Anguirus extended his second front leg to help Godzilla up. With Anguirus' help, Godzilla got back to his feet, though that wasn't the end of his problem. Both kaiju were still having a hard time breathing and their bodies convulsed like they were ready to go into a seizure.

In addition to cutting off their fresh air, Hedorah's gases also entered and severely poisoned Godzilla and Anguirus' inner body system. Fluttershy saw the state her two monster friends were in and looked around as she tried to think of any possible way to aid them.

" _Rarity, can you help them?!_ " Fluttershy asked urgently she looked to the unicorn. _  
_

"I can't," Rarity said as she sadly shook her head. "No spell I cast could ever influence creatures their size in anyway. Honestly I don't know how much longer the other unicorns and I can keep the air filter spells we're already casting going. It's taking a large toll on us all. I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but I don't know how we could possibly help Godzilla and Anguirus now."

* * *

Moon Bright and Muse had initially been delighted by the arrival of Godzilla and Anguirus. As soon as they heard the kaiju's calls, they looked out one of their hut's windows and watched the kaiju impose their dominance upon the minotaurs. But upon seeing the situation with Hedorah's poisonous gas play out, it was clear to both mares that even Godzilla and Anguirus were in need of some help. The only problem was nopony at all knew how they could possibly help the two monsters with what they were dealing with. Even all the unicorns of Willowbrook together couldn't cast a spell that would help against Hedorah's poison.

Muse and Moon Bright watched as Hedorah fly over to Godzilla and Anguirus before firing several beams of heat vision at them both. Muse looked away at the horrible sight as both kaiju cried out in pain. In doing this, she noticed a very familiar pony nearby. Muse saw Twilight Sparkle flying through the air with several pegasi. As they flew, the team tried to avoid any bombardment the minotaurs threw at them from the ground.

At the same time the flying ponies tried to fight back either by throwing objects at the minotaurs or ocassionally trying to dive bomb them. Twilight Sparkle used her powerful alicorn magic against the minotaurs with several blasts of attack magic among other spells. No matter how hard she fought, though, it didn't seem to be enough to stop the minotaur forces; they just kept coming. Muse could tell Twilight Sparkle was getting tired and the seemingly never ending opposition was starting to get to her. But Muse could also tell that the violet furred mare, who was basically her magic teacher, had no intentions of calling it quits either.

Several times Muse had seen that the mares from Equestria were the kind of ponies who never gave up, not even in the most dire situation. She'd seen them fight through thick and thin with the tenacity of a thousand ponies. Such bravery was inspiring in the best of ways to the right kind of ponies like Muse herself. She knew she couldn't give up, because so many other ponies weren't. Now there was the task of figuring out how she would aid her fellow ponies against the minotaurs.

Muse tried to think of how she could help out when almost immediately her eyes fell upon the glowing green Alpha Stone. Moon Bright had one of her front legs wrapped tight around it, pressing the stone to her chest. Muse's eyes lit up upon thinking of two ways to use the stone to help her village's forces.

"Mom," Muse said. The unicorn mare looked to her daughter and saw the focus in her eyes. "The stone."

Moon Bright looked to the Alpha Stone before turning back to Muse. She followed her daughter's eyes as Muse looked to Godzilla and Anguirus who were still struggling to breathe as Hedorah bombarded them from afar. The two mares then to see Twilight Sparkle, who was still fighting with all her might. When Muse turned back to Moon Bright, her face conveyed a questioning expression as if to ask her mother if she understood. After a few moments, Moon Bright's eyes fell upon the stone she held onto so dearly.

Although they still conveyed the emotional fragility she'd been going through, something else had risen. A whole new feeling had developed in the unicorn mare and it was growing fast. Moon Bright's expression turned more serious than she had ever looked in her whole life.

"Although the statues may be gone, we still have the stone," Moon Bright said. "Despite having it all this time, I still don't fully understand it... such an amazingly powerful gem. But I should know by now that it's a pathway to many amazing feats."

"And we should use them in absolutely anyway we can to help," Muse said. "We don't need a couple of sculptures to help our friends and family!"

"I'll handle the air spell," Moon Bright said.

"And I'll give Twilight the boost we've all been looking for!" Muse said.

"Then let's do this!" Moon Bright exclaimed. "You ready to do this, Muse?!"

"Darn right, Mom!" Muse exclaimed.

Moon Bright used her levitation magic to move the Alpha Stone in between Muse and herself. Both ponies collected their magic before focusing it into beams that they shot from their horns and into the Alpha Stone. The powerful object lit up as brightly before a series of circular waves made of green energy began flowing from it. A lone beam of energy also flew from the Alpha Stone and traveled across the way until it found its intended target: Twilight Sparkle. The alicorn princess didn't see the beam coming until it was was too late to avoid it.

Twilight's eyes widened as the beam struck her, the collision causing a green light that engulfed her whole body. Less than a second later Twilight felt a jolt of some kind go through her that forced her to gasp. She had not felt such a sensation since the other alicorn princesses of Equestria had transferred their magic to her. Just like before she felt a sudden, extra large intake of power, a massive burst of energy. This time, however, Twilight Sparkle seemed to get a grip on her new power a lot easier than before and it was much more welcomed.

Twilight Sparkle already knew where the extra power had come from and how to use it. Now she was ready for what felt like round two.

"Thank you, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said before resuming her assault.

Meanwhile the circular energy waves that had also been released were spreading far and wide. Upon reaching those in the area around Willowbrook, it caused an effect that almost everyone would be very grateful for. This was especially true for Godzilla and Anguirus because once the waves passed over them, the two kaiju instantly found themselves able to breathe right again. Literally it was a breath of fresh air with several more to come, allowing both kaiju to function at full force once again. Now that they had their air back, Godzilla and Anguirus both stood tall and roared as loud and mighty as ever.

Seeing their great protectors rise from the grasps of defeat lifted the spirits of the Willowbrook ponies once more. They beamed as brightly as anyone could in such a bitter conflict. Seeing Godzilla and Anguirus up again inspired everypony to continue fighting in their most desperate hour. The first thing Godzilla did was fire his atomic blast at a part of the forest's edge where several of the minotaurs had been emerging from. Dirt, the bodies of minotaurs, the bodies of timberwolves, and other things were flung through the air in the fiery explosion Godzilla's breath caused.

Once more the residents of Willowbrook cheered as minotaur forces scrambled to get out of harm's way. Even some that had infiltrated the village were beginning to retreat in fear. Godzilla released a mighty roar as he turned to searching for Hedorah. As soon as he spotted the sludgy kaiju flying away, Godzilla shot off his atomic breath at the slimy beast. The beam hit Hedorah directly in the side and nearly knocked him out of the sky.

The smog monster wailed in pain as he flew off to try and avoid further contact with Godzilla and Anguirus.

* * *

"Look, Mom, it worked!" Muse exclaimed happily.

The multi-colored mare had been watching when Godzilla started taking the fight to the ranks of the minotaurs again. Moon Bright's eyes were looking all over the place, for she was too scatter brained to focus on just one thing. However her eyes stopped for a moment so she could see the results that came from the spell she cast using the Alpha Stone. Seeing she had done something that was helping the ponies she cared for so much brought a warmness to her heart that had been missing for a while. It even made her crack a small smile, her mood was getting so much brighter.

Moon Bright was feeling so good that she even cast a voice amplification spell to make an announcement.

" _Attention, unicorns of Willowbrook!_ " Moon Bright said. " _You may cease casting your air filter spells! Thanks to the incredible power of the Alpha Stone, that blob of stench won't be able to effect us with his gases anymore! Now we can all turn our full focus on helping pedestrians and fighting back the minotaurs to let them know we will not go quietly into the night!_ "

Ponies all over cheered before resuming their struggle fight against the minotaurs that had struck many a blow against them.

"Way to go, Mom," Muse congratulated.

Moon Bright looked to her daughter with deeply emotional eyes.

"I'm so proud of you, Muse," Moon Bright said. "You are who I should be."

"No," Muse said. "My best qualities came from you. You just forgot. I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, Muse," Moon Bright said. Suddenly her happy smile hardened to a serious look. "But we can't settle down right now. We need to stay completely vigilant so that we can strike and help wherever we can."

"Right," Muse said. "If there anything turns up that we can help with, we'll be ready."

* * *

Twilight Sparkle flew through the air faster than she had ever flown before. She felt so rejuvenated it was almost like she was a whole other pony. As she flew, the alicorn mare fired several blasts of her attack magic both at minotaur forces on the ground and those that managed to get up into the upper levels of Willowbrook. She hit every target she aimed for, taking out at least two or three minotaurs at a time. Twilight Sparkle even flew down to the ground and took several minotaurs on directly. The combination of her punching, kicking, and bucking hooves along with her slashing and blasting horn helped her easily overpower every single one of her foes.

Twilight was moving too fast and was simply too powerful to be taken down in her current state. Twenty bulls later and there were no longer any foes coming to face Twilight Sparkle. Finally she was allowed to rest and catch her breath if only for a moment. Twilight's break was over quicker that she would've liked, for she heard several steps and barks coming at her. When Twilight Sparkle turned around she saw several timberwolves and minotaurs running at her.

Determination was etched all over Twilight Sparkle's face as she took her stance and prepared to meet the incoming opposition. The aura around her horn glowed as big and as bright as ever before finally being released as a large beam of energy. Twilight Sparkle aimed her beam across the pack of enemies heading her way. The minotaurs were sent flying through the air before crashing into the ground. Only burnt twigs, leaves, and over pieces of forest debris were left of the wolves, though.

* * *

Applejack was at the front of a large team of ponies running to meet an incoming band of minotaurs. Both her and the bull leading his team headed directly for one another, neither showing an ounce of give on their face. Both looked determined as ever with Applejack huffing and puffing while the minotaur raised his mace above his head. An intimidating sight to some, Applejack saw the minotaur lifting his weapon against her as a window of opportunity. She reached her mouth for the rope around her and ran a few more feet before leaping into the air.

The minotaur watched in disbelief as the orange coated mare sailed high above him out of his reach. Once she got a certain distance passed him, Applejack swung her rope down towards at the minotaur. The snare she tied in the rope fell over the horned soldier's weapon and around his wrist. When Applejack landed, she tugged on the rope, which tightened the snare at the end. Eventually the rope ran out of slack and the force of the snap back pulled the minotaur off his hooves.

Applejack quickly took advantage and used her amazing Earth pony strength to swing the minotaur via her rope. The minotaur was sent crashing into four others, knocking them all off their hooves. Applejack dropped the rope from her mouth when she saw three more minotaurs running at her. Once they were close enough, Applejack turned her back to them and buck kicked them all over the front of their bodies.

Only a few seconds later, two of them fell, having been kicked so many painful times. With the third minotaur that didn't fall, Applejack got creative. She ran until she came across a basket of rocks that had been laying on the ground. Applejack slammed a back hoof down on the basket, which sent the rocks flying upward. She back kicked each and everyone of them at the minotaur chasing her. When Applejack looked back, the minotaur was still standing, but he didn't move an inch.

Applejack ran up to the bull like she was about to punch him right in the face. It looked as though she was really about to knock his block off. But just when she was close enough to punch the minotaur hard enough to send him flying, she skidded to a stop. Applejack briefly examined the still minotaur before lightly blowing on him. Amazingly, this seemed to be the final straw needed to send the two hoofed bull toppling over on his side.

Applejack smiled proudly, but her moment was soon interrupted by more minotaurs running at her. Seven of them were all coming at her at once and they were too close for her to loose them. It looked like they were all going to maul here like a baby deer. But then salvation came from out of nowhere when TJ ran up from the side wildly swinging a wooden club he held in his mouth. After a few seconds of initial shock, Applejack ran in and aided TJ against the minotaurs.

Applejack would switch between back kicking the minotaurs and boxing them while TJ kept swinging his club. In what seemed like no time at all, the two Earth ponies had dropped the seven minotaurs like they were bad habits. Though TJ and Applejack were both breathing heavily, they were for the mostly standing tall.

"TJ, what are you doin' here?" Applejack asked. "I thought you were suppose to be guarding the east side?"

"Would you believe I was chased all the way over here by a bunch of rabid timberwolves?" TJ asked.

"You know, as a matter of fact... I would," Applejack said. "Them wooden critters are some mighty mean hombres."

"Yeah, they are," TJ said. "But I managed to ditch them. Then I saw you had your hooves full fighting these minotaurs and I figured I'd help you out."

"You ran clear across town to get away from pony eating monsters then ran up to help me?" Applejack asked. "That's nuts! You're nuts! You've gotta be exhausted!"

"I am," TJ said. "But you needed help and... well, what else are friends for?"

"Aww, thanks, sugarcube," Applejack said.

Suddenly a rush of wind blew passed the two Earth ponies. TJ and Applejack looked to see a blue blur traveling across a group of twenty minotaurs that had tried running up to attack them. Only seven seconds later, the blue blur was gone and all the minotaurs had dropped to the ground. TJ and Applejack were absolutely stunned looking around at all the minotaurs that had been taken out so quickly. Then their eyes fell upon Rainbow Dash, who was hovering in the air with three curved swords in her front hooves and her mouth.

"Come on, you guys, pick up the pace!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed after spitting out the sword from her mouth. "Why are you two slacking so much? Don't tell me you're tired already!"

"Why so worried, Rainbow?" Applejack asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Too sleepy to do it all yourself?" TJ asked playfully.

"Of course not!" Rainbow Dash boasted. "Just wanted to make sure you weren't the sleepy ones. Can't have tired ponies on the battlefield, can we?!"

Suddenly a large wave of energy blasted down on a group of minotaurs just ahead of the three ponies. When Rainbow Dash, TJ, and Applejack looked, the minotaurs had already been taken down by the blast. The stunned ponies stared at the damage done before turning to see the source of the large beam. They saw Twilight Sparkle hovering up in the air and looking over the area she had blasted. Then she flew off deeper into the village as she blasted at several timberwolves attacking random ponies.

"Now there's a pony that don't look tired," Applejack said.

"Whoa, is that really Twilight?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"What a woman!" a beaming TJ said as he gazed admiringly at the alicorn princess.

"TJ, you got a little drool on ya," Rainbow Dash said.

The stallion quickly wiped at his mouth only to find there was no saliva like his friend had said. TJ just gave his friends a sideways smile as they both lightly giggled. All three ponies' ears picked up the sounds of hoof steps coming their way. They looked to see several minotaurs running at them full speed ahead. The three took stances as they prepared to meet their incoming foes.

But then, all of a sudden, they were either enveloped or sent flying through the air by a surprise explosion. The three stunned ponies looked up to see Firefly and two pegasus stallions flying overhead. TJ, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash smiled knowing the trio of fliers had been the ones who set off the explosion. Firefly and the others had dropped a trio of bombs on the group as they and several other pegasi had done to minotaurs before.

"Mom's got our backs!" Rainbow Dash said happily.

"Now let's have hers!" TJ exclaimed.

" _Yeah!_ " Applejack and Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

With that the three ponies were off to carry on the fight.

* * *

Godzilla charged as fast as his massive legs would carry him, his intended target being Hedorah. The smog monster had gotten careless and flew a little too close to the king of monsters. He saw an opportunity and instantly rushed to take advantage of it. Hedorah flew as fast as he could to dodge his incoming foe, but it wasn't fast enough. Once Godzilla felt it was okay to, he reached out and grabbed a hold of Hedorah.

He wrapped his arms around the distressed ball of sludge and swung the fowl creature around. Godzilla slammed Hedorah down into the ground, but did not release him. Instead Godzilla charged yet again, carrying Hedorah out of the wrecked confines of Willowbrook. The huge saurian refused to stop, even when it looked like he was going to smash into the tree line. Godzilla seemed to be intentionally aiming for the trees and even stretched Hedorah further out in front of him as he got closer to the forest's edge.

Godzilla slammed Hedorah through a multitude of tress, the impact sending smashed pieces flying all over the place. Several minotaurs still hiding in that area tried to flee, but still felt the effects of the monsters smashing through. Godzilla roared as he slammed Hedorah down into the ground, this time releasing his hold on him. The kaiju king underestimated the smog monster, for as soon as he was free from Godzilla's grasp, Hedorah was flying off once more. Hedorah headed back towards Willowbrook, but didn't get far before Godzilla hit him with a blast of his atomic breath from behind.

The smog monster wailed as he nearly fell out of the sky. He was able to catch himself, but was taken by surprise when Anguirus suddenly appeared. The four legged monster jumped to incredible heights and slammed his front feet down on Hedorah. The added weight of the mighty kaiju sent Hedorah crashing down onto a pile of previously smashed up debris. Anguirus stood on top of Hedorah and roared in triumph, but was cut short by a blast from the evil kaiju's heat vision.

Anguirus was sent stumbling back by the burning pain, which gave Hedorah the opportunity to try and fly away. He didn't get very far before Anguirus' tail swung into his side like the world's largest club. Hedorah was sent spinning through the air and, very unfortunately, in the direction of the approaching Godzilla. The monster of pollution ended up meeting a similar fate to one he met previously when Godzilla spun around and smashed his tail into his enemy's body. Hedorah was sent crashing into the ground before sliding across it for a few moments.

This time Hedorah wasn't so quick to get up having just gone through several painful attacks. He was in trouble and he knew it; his biggest advantage was now gone. In his current state Hedorah had no hope of defeating Godzilla or Anguirus, let alone both of them. Hedorah had to try and find someway to get out of his current situation and perhaps even try to retreat. The troubled kaiju tried to think of what he could do, but was taken out of his train of thought by Godzilla's atomic breath.

As he wailed in agony, Hedorah looked to see Godzilla and Anguirus walking up to him side-by-side. Hedorah moaned in misery, for he knew now he was done. He had been bested by Godzilla and Anguirus both and it didn't look like he would be able to come back from the jaws of defeat.

* * *

Surelious stood and stared in absolute despondency, feeling like the meekest person on the face of the Earth. All around him his forces were dropping like flies despite originally looking like the ones who would come out on top. They were almost guaranteed victory over the ponies before; everything was completely going their way. Now a good chunk of their forces were laying either dead of dying. This included Hedorah, the monster who Surelious had counted on being their trump card.

What he hadn't counted on was Godzilla and Anguirus returning ahead of the time he estimated they would. Then the village chief had apparently found new ways to use the Alpha Stone, which tipped the scales even further in the ponies' favor. What was once a mighty invading force with an intimidating presence was now more or less on the run. Minotaurs and timberwolves still fought hard, but there was a much more noticeable push back against them. In Surelious' mind and the minds of pretty much everyone else, the minotaurs had pretty much lost this fight.

The reality of how bad his plan was failing devastated the once mighty minotaur general. He couldn't believe that after all he had gone through, all he dealt with, and all he thought of going into this mission, it would end up not being enough. He had practically staked his reputation on this incursion proving successful. Now it looked like his stature would be ruined and the operation Surelious had put so much into would fail. The reality of the situation felt like a hundred thousand tons of weight ready to crush Surelious.

If that wasn't bad enough, there was an extra added nuisance on top of everything else Surelious was dealing with. Just right next to him were two ponies, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning who were suppose to be his allies, but he had since come to despise. The feeling was clearly mutual, for they had been mocking him almost openly since his plan had started to fall apart. They took every moment they could to lash out verbally before and now they seemed content with just sitting back and watching in amusement. It was impossible for them to hide the delighted smiles on their faces.

They had still tried to stifle back from going into fits of laughter, though several snorts and giggles fought their way out. But now Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning were starting to wonder why they held back from laughing after all Surelious had done to them. He had played a large part in getting them demoted while also getting himself in the spot they held previously. Since then Surelious had treated them like dirt and acted like they didn't even deserve to be a part of Isarem's regime. He barely even utilized them in the plan against Willowbrook, reducing them to a role on the sidelines.

While it may seem important to some, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning didn't see it that way when compared to who they were before. They knew Surelious was intentionally treating them as lesser beings and it infuriated them. Because of how superior Surelious thought he was and how inferior he treated them, they felt less and less shame openly mocking him as time went on. Thus Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning finally cracked and broke out in laughter aimed directly at Surelious. The minotaur stared intensely at the ponies who mocked him, their laughter seeming to be the last trigger to set him off.

Surelious threw his arms at his sides as he screamed out in near psychotic fury. The half crazed minotaur grabbed the sides of his head as he continued to scream even louder.

" _How could this have happened?!_ " Surelious hollered. " _Everything was going so perfectly! The plan was working, we were going to win! How did it get so bad?! How?!... And how dare you equines openly mock me?!_ "

Surelious glared hatefully at Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning as he pointed a finger accusingly at the two.

"You know exactly why," Dark Lightning said.

"Because if you had listened to us, horn head, this wouldn't have happened," Khaos Fury said. "If you had done things the way we wanted, this would've gone a lot-"

" _Your way?!_ " Surelious screamed. " _It was doing things your way that made us fail so many times before!_ "

" _Because it wasn't really our way!_ " Dark Lightning said. " _We had a specific set of ideas on how we wanted to handle things, but you freaking stubborn bulls tied our hooves! You put chains and collars on us and said we had to do our plans your way!_ "

" _And it was that way that guaranteed us failure!_ " Khaos Fury said. " _Well, we're finally done with doing things your way, Surelious!_ We... are so done... with your way."

"What are you two mouthy ponies trying to say?" Surelious asked angrily.

"We're taking over this operation," Khaos Fury screamed.

Surelious looked on in utter disbelief.

"We're going to show Isarem we were worth it all along," Dark Lightning said. "We're going to show him he should of let us do things our way from the get-go and that putting you in charge was a mistake."

"How dare you, you brash-"

Surelious tired to move in closer to the unicorns, but his movements and his words were suddenly cut off. The big bull found himself unable to move at all. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move his hooves, his hands, anything except his eyes. He looked to see both Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning were smiling wickedly.

"Do you think it's time we share our surprise with him, brother?" Khaos Fury asked. "I love surprises, don't you?"

"Oh, yes, Dear Khaos, I do love them very much," Dark Lightning said. "I also agree it's only fair we finally let Surelious in on the big secret."

Dark Lightning used his magic to open up a side bag he had been wearing the entire time, which revealed a bright, brilliant light emitting from inside. Surelious looked away, for the intensity of the blue glow hurt his eyes. Still he was curious to know what the two ponies had that could make a light so mighty. He looked once more, this time being able to see what the unicorn twins possessed. Surelious wanted to gasp in angry shock when Dark Lightning pulled the object from his bag, revealing what it was.

"That's right, Surelious," Khaos Fury said with sadistic joy.

"The blue Alpha Stone," Dark Lightning said.

"We've been wanting to use this for so long," Khaos Fury said. "It could've of helped us defeat these puny ponies _such_ a long time ago."

"But Isarem always said, ' _no_ '," Dark Lightning said. "He was always so worried about losing one of the stones or revealing to the ponies we had them. Well, we finally decided we had enough playing it safe. Now we're going to bring the full power of this stone down on Willowbrook and show Isarem what we should've been doing."

"And you, dear general, can just stay there and watch us do it," Khaos Fury said.

Both ponies began to cackle, which got louder and louder by the moment until they finally disappeared along with the blue Alpha Stone. Surelious desperately tried to stop them, doing everything he could to move even a finger. But he was still trapped in place and forced to stand by as Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning carried out their plan.

* * *

Six unicorns, three Earth ponies, and two pegasi, all clad in their armored uniforms stood guard in front of Chief Moon Bright's hut. They had been assigned this post by Commander Firefly so they could protect both the village chief and her daughter at all cost. All of those ponies were ready to do it, too; the unicorns had their magic horns while the other ponies held either sharp or blunt weapons of all kinds. They were all even prepared to lay down their lives for the ponies they swore to protect. All the guard ponies had proven they took their posts seriously by taking down every minotaur that had approached them.

Now would come the ultimate test for the group of guards when suddenly a bright flash of light illuminated right in front of them. It blinded them all for only a moment before fading almost as soon as it had appeared. When the guards all looked again, two ponies stood in place of the intense glow, but with what looked like a smaller light levitating in between them. Though it was smaller, the glow was still very intense, but the guards could still tell which ponies stood before them. They also knew these were two particular ponies who were far off from being model citizens.

Every officer and official of Willowbrook had been made aware of who Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning were in one way or another a long time ago. The guards didn't need to see the freely evil grins both ponies flashed them to know they were trouble.

"Morning, gents!" Dark Lightning said in an exaggerated manner.

"We've come to to talk with the chief about peaceful, diplomatic solutions that ends with us all holding hooves and singing kumbaya," Khaos Fury said insincerely.

" _Take 'em down!_ " the unicorn at the head of the guard squad exclaimed.

The unicorns all began firing blasts of their attack magic at the two intruders while the other ponies took defensive stances with their melee weapons. The invading unicorn twins stood and smiled calmly as a blue energy barrier enveloped them, protecting the two from any opposition. After a few seconds, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning both fired far more powerful blasts of attack magic at the ponies standing between them and Moon Bright's hut. In what seemed like no time at all, every single pony that had agreed to protect Willowbrook's leader was down on the ground in a world of pain. They did their best not to give into the invaders' attack and pass out, but their barrage was simply too fast, too powerful, and far too painful.

Now left unopposed, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning looked to each other in delight. Then the two of them closed their eyes and began to concentrate. First they gathered power from the Alpha Stone and then focused it into the spell they intended to cast next. The two ponies' evil deeds weren't going unnoticed; from within their hut, Moon Bright and Muse had both heard the majority of what was going on outside their door. All the blasting, screaming, and cackling sent cold chills of terror up and down both mares' spines.

Unfortunately they were both too frightened to try and move or really do anything at all. It was only when there was a lull in the activity outside that Muse and Moon Bright turned to look to each other. Then they heard a different noise coming from right outside their door. The two gasped as they looked, for they had heard the sound many times before. It was the sound of energy building up and it seemed like there was lots of it gathering, too.

They could also make out signs of a bright light shinning outside. It was only then that Moon Bright was finally able to move, for her maternal instincts had kicked in. Muse looked on in shock as she saw her mother moving towards the door.

" _Mom!_ " Muse shouted.

Moon Bright turned her terror stricken face to her youngest child.

"Muse-" was all Moon Bright was able to say.

Suddenly a large burst of fire blasted away almost the entire front of the hut. The explosion sent flames flying into the hut and the force of the blast sent several things flying through the air. Half the stuff was ripped up by the blast force while other items caught fire. Moon Bright and Muse didn't get struck by flames, but they were sent crashing into the floor. The chaos seemed to stop all at once as the flames subsided and the force of the explosion died away and all that had been sent flying before dropped.

Everything was still, quiet, but sadly not peaceful, for there was a frightening tension in the air; a sense of dread. Along with that was a serious amount of pain for both Moon Bright and Muse. They may not have caught fire, but the heat from explosion was too intense not to leave an impression on the two mares. Plus the blast force from the explosion that sent them through the air felt like a log crashing into their bodies. On the inside and the outside, both Muse and Moon Bright had suffered severe damage.

Miraculously, especially for Moon Bright, the two ponies found themselves still able to move. Though it hurt them and made them cry out, both Moon bright and Muse were still able to get themselves to their limbs and body to function. It didn't make either pony feel good to move even an inch, but they knew they had to. Both ponies struggled as they forced themselves to try and get back up on their hooves, moaning and groaning all the while. In their struggles to stand, both mares' eyes fell upon the other to see they both felt all sorts of anguish.

Muse had the easier time getting back up, while Moon Bright almost seemed like she wouldn't be able to stand again. Even when the older unicorn got back to her hooves, it looked as though she would almost surely fall again. Luckily Moon Bright was able to lean against a shelving unit to stay on her hooves. Both Muse and Moon Bright desperately reached a hoof to each other as they slowly stepped closer and lightly sobbed.

"Knock, knock," a mare's voice called from outside the hut.

Moon Bright and Muse both gasped as they looked to the big hole in the front of their home. Through the smoke and dust left by the previous explosion, they saw the form of two unicorns enter their front room. As they got closer, it became clearer to see the two ponies were none other than Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning.

"You were suppose to say, 'who's there?'," Dark Lightning said as he and his sister stopped walking.

Moon Bright and Muse both took notice of the bright glowing object floating between the two intruders. Their eyes widened in disbelief as several thoughts ran through both mares' minds asking what that object actually was. The two ponies' brains both fell on a single possibility and it shook them to their very core with fear.

"Oh, looky what we have here, Dark Lightning," Khaos Fury said sarcastically. She smiled as she pointed a hoof. "We're in the presence of the big chief herself and her little alicorn princess destined to take her place. What an absolute honor it is to be standing in the home of such important ponies."

"Of course, we're so humble to make your acquaintances, chief and chief junior," Dark Lightning said. Suddenly the unicorn stallion's smile turned to disingenuous concern. "Oh, we are _so_ _sorry about the door._ "

Khaos Fury looked around for a moment.

"You look like you've been renovating," Khaos Fury said. "Did we come at a bad time?"

Neither Muse nor Moon Bright wasted a word, taking took their stances before they began firing shots of their attack magic at the intruders. Both Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury smiled mockingly as they easily dodged the shots meant for them. They didn't even call upon their Alpha Stone for extra power when they fired back at the older unicorn and younger alicorn. The twins then rushed forward and slashed their magic covered horns at their would be opponents. Sparks flew from where Muse and Moon Bright were hit as they cried out in pain and fell to the floor.

"Heh, pathetic display," Khaos Fury said as she sneered at the two fallen ponies.

"Oh, sister of mine," Dark Lightning sang out. Khaos Fury looked to her beaming brother as he pointed a hoof. "Look."

Khaos Fury turned and only then noticed the bright green glow coming from a small corner of the hut. The evil mare grinned as she gazed upon the Alpha Stone that had for so long been in the possession of Willowbrook. The sight of such a powerful item that had alluded the minotaur forces for so long was totally mesmerizing for the two unicorns. Despite having a stone of their own, the two ponies and their allies had been wanting to get their clutches on this particular gem for a long time. Now that they were so close to achieving a long standing goal of their coalition, it felt like a lot to take in all at once.

"Look at it, Dark Lightning," Khaos Fury said as she and her brother stepped in closer to the stone.

"It's beautiful," Dark Lightning said.

"Oh, it truly is," Khaos Fury said before ever lightly moaning. She then used her levitation magic to pick up the green Alpha Stone, which made her moan even more. "And now it's ours at long last. After going through all that, after dealing with so much garbage from both sides, we finally have it. Everything has led up to this moment right here where we finally prove our superiority by taking this stone. Now in this moment here, _we, Dark Lightning, are the most powerful beings, truly the top of the food chain!_ "

"This is a glorious moment for us, Khaos Fury!" Dark Lightning exclaimed.

"Feel it, brother, take in it's power," Khaos Fury said as she levitated the green stone to her brother.

"Oh, I can feel it," Dark Lightning said. "Even without using it or holding it, I feel the stone's immense power flowing through me just as clearly as its blue brother. It's... so much."

"Yes, I know, Dark Lightning," Khaos Fury said. "And now it's all ours."

" _No!_ "

Khaos and Dark looked to see Muse had gotten up, despite looking like she could barely stand. The determined alicorn scowled as she fired a blast of her magic, which hit Dark Lightning directly in his chest. The stallion screamed out just as Khaos Fury moved in and shot a far more powerful blast at Muse. The multi-colored pony started to fall, but was punched across the face by Dark Lightning before she could fully drop. After Muse hit the floor, Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury both fired their own blasts of attack magic at her.

" _My daughter!_ " Moon Bright called as she tried to get up.

Dark Lightning looked down and simply kicked a front hoof down on the side of the unicorn mare's face.

"Please, stop this," Dark Lightning said. "You're only delaying the inevitable."

"It's over, ladies," Khaos Fury said. "We won, the ball's in our court. Our side has the grand prize and now we're gonna show you just what we have planned to use it for."

Moon Bright and Muse both cried out in protest, but they were too hurt to get up. At the same time, Khaos Fury went to the window, staring outside as if she were looking for something or someone in particular.

"Khaos Fury... what are you doing?" Dark Lightning asked in confusion.

"Well... Dark Lightning, it's like this," Khaos Fury said. "I figured since we have both the green and blue Alpha Stones, why not test what their combined power capable of? Maybe use them on perhaps... a pony."

"No, we're not gonna try to kill that alicorn princess from Equestria," Dark Lightning said bluntly. "We are too close to achieving our moment of glory and triumph to jeopardize it now. If anything goes wrong out there, it could make us fall from Isarem's graces for good."

"Fine!" Khaos Fury said in an exasperated manner. "Business before pleasure. We'll let her live... We'll let as many of them as possible live just long enough to see what Lord Isarem has in store for... well, the whole world."

Wicked smiles crossed both Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury's faces as they looked down at the still incapacitated Muse and Moon Bright.

"Do pardon our hasty exit, ladies, but we have a previous engagement to attend to," Dark Lightning said.

"Thank you for being such great hosts," Khaos Fury said. "As a token of our good will, I'll warn you that you might wanna consider possibly trying to relocate to the farthest reaches of the Earth. That's the very last place anypony alive will be safe before it's all over. Ta-ta, my little ponies."

Both unicorns began to laugh maniacally before they disappeared in a cloud of smoke along with the two Alpha Stones.

* * *

After what felt like a lifetime, Surelious found he was able to move again. His body muscles had been frozen for so long, however, that once free they felt stiff and locked in place. Because of this, Surelious was unable to stop himself from falling once the energy field that kept him in place was lifted. After a couple of seconds feeling started to return to the once mighty general's body. He didn't get to savor it, though, for only a few seconds later, a flash of light appeared.

Surelious knew exactly what that meant, the accompanying puff of smoke being an added indicator. As the initial light faded, a second, more powerful light began to glow. What Surelious didn't realize initially was that it was actually two lights of two different colors. Upon realizing this, he knew almost immediately what the two lights meant, which made him want to run as far away as possible. He had been almost certain the lone crusade of his usurpers was doomed to failure.

Knowing it was very likely he was just proven wrong, the minotaur slowly turned to see the sight he was dreading. Surelious' darkest fears were confirmed when he saw the grinning faces of Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning staring down at him. It was even worse seeing that in between the two of them, they now held not only the blue Alpha Stone, but they had the green one as well. For a moment, the bull's despair was overtaken by astonishment, for the sight of the two stones together was too overtaking to be ignored, even a hardened warrior such as Surelious. But once he realized that it was Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury who held the stones and not him, Surelious' heart sunk lower than ever before.

"That's right, drink it in," Khaos Fury said slowly and menacingly.

"We accomplished in a few minutes what the whole collective couldn't do," Dark Lightning. "We've been trying to get the green Alpha Stone for how long? And look what happens when Khaos and I do it our way."

"Listen up, Surelious, until we get back to headquarters, we're in charge now, you got that" Khaos Fury said. "Or would you like to try arguing the point with two ponies in possession of _two_ Alpha Stones?"

Hatred seeped through every bit of Surelious' face as he stared at the two ponies, but he dared not go against them. He knew Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning were right in that as long as they had the Alpha Stones they were untouchable. Plus since the green stone is what they came for in the first place, it made more sense to just let them take it back to base. Or did it?

"First, tell me what you plan to do with the stones," Surelious said as he slowly sat up.

"Oh, that's simple," Dark Lightning said.

"We're going to deliver them to Lord Isarem and become his top dogs again," Khaos Fury said.

The thought of such a possibility made Surelious cringe in grief. He knew overall, though, that it was best to deliver the stones to Isarem.

"Fine, what do you want me to do?" Surelious asked bitterly.

Both ponies' eyes lit up at the minotaur's submission.

"Sound the call to have the troops pull back," Khaos Fury said. "Then we'll use the stones to cast a spell that will teleport us all back to base."

Surelious slowly nodded his head and begrudgingly accepted a hoof up from Dark Lightning. Surelious dusted himself off and took one last bitter look at the two ponies before he reached for the loud horn tied on his belt. When he blew into the horn, it sent out a loud call that echoed on a great distance. Upon hearing the signal, every other minotaur with a horn blew into theirs to let the others know it was time to retreat. Almost at once, they all ran to return to the trees.

Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning didn't wait until all the minotaurs returned to cast a spell. They took one look at each other and the stones before they began to harness their power. Both Alpha Stones began to light up like two mini-suns as they amplified the effects of the twin unicorns' magic. But exactly what spell was it that Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning were trying to cast? The answer partially came when the two ponies looked over to where Godzilla and Anguirus were still fighting Hedorah.

The minotaur mastered smog monster was being bombarded by Godzilla's ever-so-powerful atomic breath. It looked as though Hedorah would surely be boiled into a puddle of bubbling goo. Then, all of a sudden, a sound blasted through the air that sounded like thunder booming. For a moment, everyone stopped and looked as a bright light appeared and quickly expanded under Hedorah. None were more shocked than Godzilla and Anguirus, both of whom looked on in surprise.

Only a few seconds later, it seemed like Hedorah was completely consumed by the light or he had melted into it. The light disappeared shortly afterwards as had Hedorah, for the portal had closed. Seeing their spell had worked, both Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning beamed like Cheshire cats. It wasn't over for them either, for the two unicorns then used the Alpha Stones to cast a second spell. The mighty power of the stone spread out far and wide and before anyone could blink, every single minotaur, including Surelious, all the timberwolves were all gone.

Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning took one last look around before they disappeared themselves, laughing all the way. Just like that it was over; or at least it was for the minotaurs. For the ponies of Willowbrook, though, it felt like the hardest of times was just beginning.


	26. Chapter 26: Will a Fallen Village Rise?

Willowbrook was broken.

For as long as anyone could remember, the village wasn't really the safe haven it was meant to be. It never felt safe or comforting or relaxing or homey at all; not the way it was suppose to at least. Ever since the ponies settled on the land Willowbrook was built on, it was instantly a magnet for assaults of all kinds by the minotaurs. Still, Willowbrook had never suffered such tragedy as the village ponies saw before their eyes that day. Everywhere they looked, death and destruction was around them on a scale they had never seen.

This was by far the worst attack they had ever suffered. What was worse was it truly seemed like this time there was no coming back from it. Willowbrook had sustained all sorts of terrible damage before, but it was never anything the ponies couldn't handle. They usually had whatever was wrecked repaired or replaced in two or three weeks. This time, however, was much different, for whole sections of the village had been destroyed.

Huts had been smashed to pieces, wagons had been crushed, a multitude of bridges had fallen, and several trees that had once stood tall were now barely more than splinters. Fire and smoke could be seen everywhere and there were several impressions left in the ground by canon fire, bombs, and so on. On top of all that, several bodies laid sprawled out all around belonging to those either dead, near death, or injured to a lesser extent. Anyway you sliced it, the scene around Willowbrook was horrible and was more than enough to crush the heart of any good pony. Even those that didn't live in Willowbrook would surely shed tears for the poor villagers who might as well have lost their home.

Three of these ponies were Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, who walked along as they gazed in despair at the destruction left all around them. Despite getting their share of bumps and bruises, the trio of mares had, for the most part, come out of the latest attack by the minotaurs pretty okay. Yet while they were mostly in tact physically, their emotional states were a whole other story. These ponies had seen a lot of horrible things happen in the relatively short time they'd been friends. So many times their somewhat unofficial roles as heroes for good had taken them to places and stakes they could've never imagined.

The times they failed, however few there may have been, always felt like an extra strong punch to their hearts and this was no exception. Like other times involving a kaiju conflict, this seemed to cut the Equestria born mares extra deep. So much devastation was laid at their hooves despite their best efforts to protect and defend the innocent. It didn't get any better for the trio of mares the further they walked. From the very start of their day to that moment, everything they and those around them had to endure made Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy feel more and more sorrow.

One sight that was somewhat uplifting was several uniformed and non-uniformed ponies trying to aid the many ponies who laid prone on the ground. There were officers and medical ponies all around, but even if they could help mend wounds and pull ponies out of the dirt, they couldn't fix their broken spirits. It almost seemed like nothing would be able to at this point. Even Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity were uncertain if they would be the same after what happened. They weren't the only ones affected either, for not too far away two giants grieved in sad silence.

Fluttershy looked back behind her, to see Godzilla and Anguirus there standing faraway. She knew instantly that something was different about them both, for neither of them acted like great beasts over all creation. They didn't seem like they were the relaxed, laid back animals of nature they were on their down time either. No both Anguirus and Godzilla were feeling the barreling depression of what happened to Willowbrook just like all the ponies around them were. Both wore overtly sad frowns on their faces with Godzilla even having his head hung low in sadness while his arms dangled at his sides.

Anguirus looked just as upset, yet he also seemed to be concerned as he looked up attentively at Godzilla. It was clear that there was nothing that could lift the spirits of the distraught kaiju king who stood dismally hunched over. Fluttershy recognized just how upset Godzilla was over the horrible misfortune Willowbrook had suffered. While she knew nothing would really be able to make him feel better, the yellow furred mare still felt she should go at least try and comfort him somehow. It was because Godzilla was so inconsolable in fact that Fluttershy felt she should be with him.

She had become too close to him to let him grieve alone or at least without her by his side. As far as Fluttershy was concerned, Godzilla needed another friend and so did Anguirus, so she would go to them like a good friend would.

"Rarity, Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy said as she turned to her two pony friends. The two mares then looked to Fluttershy. "I wanna go check on Godzilla and Anguirus."

Pinkie Pie and Rarity then looked pass Fluttershy and at the sulking monsters. Instantly they understood where their friend was coming from and nodded their heads understandingly.

"Okay, Fluttershy," Pinkie Pie said.

"Take care," Rarity said.

"Of course, you too," Fluttershy said before flying off.

As Rarity and Pinkie Pie continued on in the opposite direction, Fluttershy sang her song to signal Godzilla that she was coming. As soon as the mighty kaiju's ears picked up the pony's soft and sweet voice, they perked up as he looked to her. Seeing Fluttershy coming to him felt like both a blessing and a curse. He was happy Fluttershy was coming, but clearly saw she was as upset as he was. Both kaiju and pony tried putting on braves faces for each other to express their happiness at being reunited.

But both parties knew neither could truly be happy after such a terrible event occurred. Plus they were both right in the middle of the aftermath pf the tragedy. Still, Godzilla wasn't going to turn away such a good friend coming to try and comfort him. Fluttershy certainly wasn't the type to turn away either, so the two awaited the moment they would be reunited. Godzilla even stretched out his hand and held it open for Fluttershy, who gently landed on her friend's nearly thirty foot wide palm.

Fluttershy and Godzilla looked to one another, gazing into pairs of sad eyes. Godzilla's trembled in a way that absolutely could not come naturally to a kaiju like him. The depression he felt was so overpowering that he was unable to stop himself from openly weeping. Fluttershy had not been dry eyed since the minotaurs had left and even when trying to put on a brave face for Godzilla, she was unable to hide her true sadness. All she could really do was gently rub a hoof against Godzilla's palm before then walking over to hug and lightly kiss his thumb.

That was when the soft breaths of Anguirus reached Fluttershy's ears. Even those somehow sounded overtly sad to the pegasus who turned to see the visibly upset kaiju staring up at her. Though Fluttershy smiled, it conveyed the same overtaking sadness that was felt all throughout Willowbrook. Both Fluttershy and Anguirus turned to Godzilla who knew right away what they wanted. He lowered his hand closer to the end of Anguirus' snout so that Fluttershy could hug and kiss it to comfort the four legged monster as much as possible.

* * *

All around, the immense sorrow of those who lived in or at least fought to protect Willowbrook was felt. Families had been separated, some even to a permanent end. Homes and other structures that took a long time to build and had been put to good use for the greater cause were all lost. Personal items that had meant so much to several ponies and other things needed just for basic survival were all gone, too. Though there were relief efforts of all kind, even they couldn't lift the dark mood that had befallen the village.

There were still many tears shared amongst the despondent masses that had just experienced the disaster that shattered Willowbrook. But there were still slight saving graces amongst the scenes of horror that was once Willowbrook. Some of the bodies that had fallen in the battle actually managed to get up. One such body was the tan furred Earth pony stallion Thunder Jack. He had been laying face down in the dirt for some time before waking just enough to roll over onto his side.

Slowly TJ's consciousness returned to him as he groaned and his eyes began to flutter open. As TJ rolled onto his back and looked up, he found that his vision was very blurry, though it got better as time passed. It was when his vision was completely clear that he saw two very familiar mares walk up to him.

"Hey ya, TJ," Applejack said.

"Hey, big guy," Rainbow Dash said. "Need a hoof?"

"Please," TJ said.

"We'll do ya one better and give ya two hooves," Applejack said.

The two mares each extended a hoof to their fallen friend who gladly accepted both. Applejack and Rainbow Dash slowly pulled TJ up until he was standing again.

"Thank you both," TJ said as he rubbed the back of his aching neck.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack's smiles turned to looks of concern and surprise.

"Oh, Nelly!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Whoa, dude, that's one gnarly shiner!" Rainbow Dash said.

"What?!" TJ asked in surprise.

Applejack looked and found a broken piece of glass on the ground. She picked it up and handed it to TJ. He looked into the glass to see his reflection. Right away TJ saw the large black eye his friends had been talking about.

"Holy cow, who hit me?!" TJ asked.

"You mean, 'what'," Rainbow Dash said.

"A timberwolf stepped on one of our exploding traps," Applejack said. "One of the pieces came flying and smacked you in the side of the head. It knocked you out cold."

"We would've helped right away, but we had our own stick mutts to deal with," Rainbow Dash said.

"It's okay, I understand," TJ said. "Thank you both for helping me and all of Willowbrook, too."

"I wish we had been more help," Applejack said, her face suddenly becoming as solemn and forlorn as those all around her.

TJ looked to see Rainbow Dash's face conveyed the same feelings as Applejack's.

"Hey, girls, come on, it's okay," TJ said. "We've dealt with this kind of stuff before. We always rebuild after, we'll be fine."

The mares continued to look sad as they turned to each other and then back to TJ.

"Maybe you should look at your village, sugarcube," Applejack said.

"Wh- What, what are you talking...?"

TJ found himself unable finish his sentence when he finally got a chance to look around at the state Willowbrook was in. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened when he saw exactly how bad the desolation that befell his town was. The fires, the smoke, the blast marks, the massive amounts of debris, and the ponies lying prone or standing and looking distraught as could be, TJ's saw it all. Having to take in so much dreadfulness all at once immediately started to take its toll on his emotions. He felt his heart start to pound ever harder to the point where that was all he could feel.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack both looked to their islander friend with great concern. They watched him as he walked away while continuing to gaze at the near desolate environment around him. It was then that a flash of realization struck Rainbow Dash, who then turned to Applejack.

"Yo, AJ, I need to go find my mom," Rainbow Dash said. "I'm worried about her and wanna check to make sure she's okay."

"Go right ahead, Rainbow Dash," Applejack said. "Good luck to ya."

"Thanks," Rainbow Dash said before she took to the air and flew away.

Applejack then turned to check on TJ who was still feeling the heavy beats of his heart. They were very painful and made TJ feel like his heart was either going to sink deeper into his chest or that is was going to burst into pieces. That was not the only toll TJ's emotions took on his physical being either. TJ's whole body shook so hard it felt like it would crumble. It was like his emotions were bottling themselves up inside only to explode to see if it would break him.

While that never happened, TJ did start to feel like the emotional stress was starting to squeeze at the sides of his head. He was absolutely devastated by what had happened to his once beautiful home. Tears began to stream from TJ's trembling eyes as he hung his head and lightly sobbed. Applejack, ever the supportive pony, walked up to her fellow Earth pony and placed a hoof on his shoulder. Instantly TJ reached for his friend's hoof and rubbed over it with his own.

TJ wiped away a few tears before looking to her orange friend who offered him a friendly smile. It didn't last long, for Applejack's face quickly turned back to the sad sorrow that TJ's own expression conveyed. TJ appreciated his friend's effort, though he knew she was just as upset as he was. Still TJ tried his best to show his gratitude for Applejack's care with a smile of his own, but he was just too sad. Despite both ponies' best attempts at subversion, their emotional states couldn't help but be focused on the tragedy of Willowbrook just like everypony else around them.

While at first TJ and Applejack only had each other to turn to for comfort in such a dark hour, that would soon change. A shadow fell over them that blotted out the light that shined through the branches of the giant trees that still stood. The Earth ponies looked up to see Princess Twilight Sparkle slowly and gently lowering herself down to them. Such a sight gave both ponies a small burst of joy they so desperately needed, though it didn't last long. They saw through Twilight's attempt at a smile that she felt just as horrible about what happened as anypony else.

But then they saw an extra strain of concern cross the violet mare's face. Clearly she had seen something that upset her even further than she already was. Even when Twilight Sparkle landed in front of TJ and Applejack, she kept the same grief stricken and worried look on her face. TJ and Applejack looked to each other questioningly until they both realized Twilight Sparkle was actually looking at something in particular. It took them just the tiniest bit longer to realize her eyes were locked dead ahead on TJ himself.

Applejack stepped aside and watched as Twilight Sparkle moved in closer to TJ. Twilight didn't stop until she was face-to-face, up close and personal with the stallion. This allowed TJ to get a very in-depth look at the massive amounts of emotion swelling within the princess's eyes.

"Look what they did to you," Twilight Sparkle said in a hushed voice.

"Hmm?" TJ replied.

Twilight Sparkle reached out a hoof and very lightly touched just underneath TJ's injured eye.

"Poor baby, they got you really bad in the eye," Twilight Sparkle said. "Oh, your poor face."

"Don't worry, I actually think it's an improvement," TJ said. "When I was born, I looked like Solomon."

This actually managed to get an extremely short chuckle out of Twilight Sparkle and Applejack both. The light hearted moment was quickly snuffed out by the overpowering feelings of depression that ran rampant all throughout the area.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, TJ... about everything," Twilight Sparkle said.

Twilight, TJ, and Applejack all looked out at the horrible sight of the demolished Willowbrook yet again. They just couldn't help but look and see that everywhere there was an ugly reminder of the terrible battle Willowbrook had undergone not too long before.

"This... This just can't be," TJ said. "We've always been able to take a hit and come back... But this... It's never been this bad before."

"This is awful," Twilight Sparkle said as she looked on.

TJ turned to the alicorn mare.

"Do all kaiju attacks get this bad in Equestria?" TJ asked.

"Even worse most of the time," Applejack said. "But that could be because there's usually more to destroy... Sorry, y'all."

"No, it's okay," TJ said. "I know what you meant."

"You're right, too," Twilight Sparkle said. "A kaiju's path of destruction usually spreads out much farther. Still... this attack somehow feels more... personal than some of the ones from the past. I can't explain it."

"Oh, I know how come, Twilight," Applejack said. "It's the same for me, too."

"Imagine how I feel," TJ said. "It was never the perfect home... But it was home... and now it's practically all gone. Most of what's left is a smoldering reminder of just of truly evil the minotaurs are... _What the heck are we suppose to do now?!_ "

After screaming in anguish, TJ openly sobbed, triggering Twilight and Applejack to rush to his side. But even in trying to comfort him, they too sobbed.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't protect your village, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said in between sobs.

"I'm sorry, too," Applejack said. "I never wanted anything like this would happen to your village, so I did my absolute best to protect it."

"We all did," Twilight Sparkle said. "I guess our best just wasn't good enough."

TJ looked up and watched as his friends wept in regret. Suddenly his mood swung a little. His priorities were no longer to mourn his village, but to comfort Twilight Sparkle and Applejack.

"It's not your fault this happened, girls," TJ said. "If anything, you were a saving grace in this whole thing. If it weren't for you girls and Godzilla being here, this probably would've been a lot worse. So don't blame yourselves, because I sure as heck don't."

Twilight Sparkle and Applejack both wiped away tears as they looked to TJ gratefully.

"Thank you, TJ," Twilight said.

"You're sweet, sugarcube," Applejack said.

"Don't worry, girls," TJ said, "it's gonna be okay... somehow."

"Twilight, Applejack!" Rarity voice called from afar.

"TJ!" Pinkie Pie's voice called out soon after.

Twilight Sparkle, TJ, and Applejack looked to see the two mares that had called their names running to them. Once everyone was all together, they greeted one another with hugs and words of concern. Then after telling each other they were okay, they all spoke about how happy they were to be reunited. But then their moods turned solemn once more as they turned back to the desolation around them.

"The damage is horrible," Rarity commented.

"Unfortunately, yeah, it is," TJ said. "Willowbrook... is in ruins."

"What did it look like on your way here, Rarity?" Twilight Sparkle inquired.

"Basically what we see around us now I'm afraid," Rarity responded.

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that," Twilight Sparkle said. "But I knew you would. So everything you saw was destroyed?"

"No, not everything, just... a whole lot of almost everything," Pinkie Pie said.

"What about the villagers?" TJ asked. "How are they?"

The sadness on Pinkie Pie and Rarity's faces grew.

"I'm sorry to say, but that was the worst part," Rarity said. "We saw..."

Rarity was unable to finish her sentence, for her sadness overtook her and she began to weep. Applejack put a attentive hoof around her grief stricken, white furred friend.

"We saw a lot of ponies lying down, TJ," Pinkie Pie said. "A lot of them looked like they weren't going to get back up again either."

"No," TJ said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"It's like Rarity said before, the situation is basically the same everywhere," Pinkie Pie said as she waved a hoof around. "There's a lot of ponies hurt or... lost... But there's still a lot of ponies trying to help them. Some of those ponies aren't even wearing uniforms and they're still trying to help out. Heck, even some ponies that are hurting are still trying to do their part."

"It really is quite inspiring," Rarity said as she wiped away some tears. "Seeing so many ponies persevere and come together to help each other despite everything truly warms the heart."

"One thing I can't get over is seeing some of the other ponies," Applejack said. "They don't look too hurt or nothing, but they just walk around aimlessly and stare blanker than a sheet of white paper. They're like lost little puppies without a bone to bite or a dog house to hide in. I don't know why, but that breaks my heart almost as much as seeing how many ponies got hurt or lost their lives."

"I know what you mean, Applejack," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's like they've given up, but their bodies refuse to give them a moment's rest. It may not seem like it because they can walk, but they need help just like everypony else here does right now."

"We tried to help a little on the way here," Pinkie Pie said.

"But we really wanted to find you all and make sure you were okay," Rarity said.

"Well, now that we're all together, we can all help together, too," Applejack said.

"My thoughts exactly," Twilight Sparkle said. "Rarity, Pinkie Pie, do you know where Fluttershy is right now?"

"She went to go check on Godzilla and Anguirus," Pinkie Pie said.

"That makes sense," Twilight Sparkle responded.

"What about Rainbow Dash, where's she?" Rarity asked.

" _TJ!_ "

" _TJ!_ "

The tan furred stallion and his friends all looked up to see Rainbow Dash and Firefly frantically flying down to them. Neither pegasus pony bothered to land, choosing instead to stop and hover a few feet above the group on the ground.

" _You need to come with us to your house right now!_ " Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Why, what happened?!" TJ asked, a hint of panic in his voice.

" _It's your sister and your mom!_ " Firefly explained. " _They were hit and hit bad!_ "

" _Oh,_ _no!_ " TJ said, the panic in his voice rising.

* * *

TJ ran as fast as his hooves could take him. He was ahead of the other ponies traveling on hoof, but Rainbow Dash and Firefly were flying and easily outpaced everyone else. When the group came up to TJ's house, both pegasi scooted to the side to let TJ be the first to enter. There were some uniformed ponies outside the mostly destroyed front of the hut, but they didn't try to stop any of the approaching ponies from getting in.

" _Mom, Muse!_ " TJ shouted as he entered his house.

Just ahead of him, Muse and Moon Bright both sat in chairs as they were examined by medical personnel. Everypony turned to see TJ and the others had entered the hut. TJ's heart sank at the sight of the physical condition both his mother and his sister were in. They looked like they had been through the mill several times, each one causing them more bodily harm than the last.

"TJ," Muse and Moon Bright managed to say through emotionally shaky voices.

The Earth pony stallion hurried over to his family and embraced them. His trembling body wanted to squeeze Moon Bright and Muse, but he did his best to control himself given their state of health.

"It was horrible," Muse said. "They came in and they..."

Muse was unable to finish her sentence before her crying overtook her. TJ looked pass his family and saw even more of the damage that was done to their home. While Willowbrook may not have been safe, that hut was still sacred ground as far as TJ was concerned. It came the closest of any place to feeling like home and now it had been all but destroyed. This caused TJ even more emotional anguish, which made his body shake even harder.

"Who was it?!" TJ asked "Who did this to our home? Who did this to you both? Why hurt you two?" Muse and Moon Bright couldn't find the words to answer TJ, which made him more angry than he already was. " _Who was it?!_ "

TJ's screaming voice seemed to be the key to unlock both mares' voices.

"It was Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning!" Moon Bright blurted out in a sobbing voice. "They came in and they... they knocked us around like we were worthless rag dolls."

Moon Bright continued to cry as she buried her face into her son's shoulder. Muse hung her own head on top of TJ's other shoulder as she cried into her hooves. All three family members' bodies shook like they were standing on top of an industrial conveyor belt. All anypony else could do was look on sympathetically while doing their best to hold back their own tears. Whether it was the uniformed ponies, the medical ponies, or the mares of the Mane Six, not a single one of them didn't feel their heart wrenching.

All of them had suffered in one way or another and so did so many other ponies. This truly seemed like it was the darkest hour and that nothing could possibly make it worse. Unfortunately, it about to get a lot worse.

"TJ... they took the Alpha Stone," Muse managed to say in her saddened state.

TJ slowly pulled back to stare at his sister, allowing her to see the horror on his face.

"What?" TJ said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, it's true," Muse said. "They came in, blasted us and slapped us around several times and then took our Alpha Stone."

"Oh, my gosh!" TJ exclaimed.

"It's worse than that!" Moon Bright managed to say. "They did it all while using an Alpha Stone of their own! That's how they destroyed so much of our house and got passed our guards!"

"Are yo kidding me?!" TJ's body convulsed like an epileptic pony. "They have their own stone?!"

"And now they've taken one of the main things that was protecting our village," Muse said.

"I don't believe it," Twilight Sparkle said as she looked on. "It wasn't bad enough not knowing they already had at least one Alpha Stone. Now we know for certain they have two."

"One they just took from the village," Pinkie Pie added on.

"Which leaves us with none to fight or defend ourselves against them," Firefly said.

"Th- th- This can't be real," TJ said through a shaky voice. "Muse, y- y- you can't be serious."

Muse stared hard at her brother, allowing him to gaze into her eyes, red from shedding so many tears. This allowed him to how important the situation and the words she spoke were.

"We're dead serious, TJ," Muse said. "None of us would ever mess around about something like this. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning of all ponies came in here, knocked us on our flanks with the beating of a lifetime and stole our Alpha Stone. And they did it while showing off that they had a stone of their own... No, TJ, this is more serious than it's ever been."

"Oh, great, as if there wasn't enough to deal with!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Not only do the minotaurs have a huge army, not only do they have giant monsters, not only did they destroy the town and kill hundreds of innocent ponies, but now this! Now they also hold not just one, but two of the most powerful things in probably the whole known universe! Could today get any worse?!"

"I'd hate to make it so," Rarity said, "but the minotaurs already having a stone makes me wonder if they have any of the others."

The immense horror already on everypony's face increased drastically as Rarity's suggestion ran through their heads.

"Oh, my gosh," Twilight Sparkle let out. "We... We're practically helpless now. What can we do now that the minotaurs have such power at their disposal?"

"Look what they did to you," TJ said as he looked grief stricken at his sister and mother. The other ponies turned their attention back to the family, looking on with pity and sorrow. "They treated you like dirt."

It was then that a small team of uniformed ponies tried to enter what was left of the hut. One of the ponies in front of the group held a piece of paper and a clipboard in her mouth.

"Chief Moon Bright, we have the first list of casualties here," another pony at the front said. "Unfortunately, we expect more names to come before the day is-"

Several different ponies met the team halfway, cutting them off from Moon Bright and her kids. They all spoke in hush tones telling the team it wasn't a good time. Firefly ended up taking the list to read through herself before sending the newest uniform ponies away to continue the duties they were assigned.

"I know it sounds wrong," TJ said, "but I would've handed them all four stones myself if I thought it meant sparing you from this fate."

"Doing that would condemn the world to much worse," Muse said. "That's why we fought as hard as we could to keep it from them... But our best wasn't good enough... Now everyone is doomed."

"And it's all my fault," Moon Bright said as she continued to sob.

"No, it's mine for not being here to protect you," TJ said sadly.

"No, it was our fault," Applejack insisted as the other mares of the Mane Six agreed.

"You brought us here to protect you all," Twilight Sparkle said.

"And we didn't even come close to doing it," Rarity said. "We failed."

"If you want to blame anypony, just blame us," Rainbow Dash said. "It really is our fault."

"No, it isn't," a soft, yet somehow still firm voice said. Everypony looked to see Fluttershy had arrived. "I just found out for myself that the minotaurs actually used some sort of fake scent to lure Godzilla and Anguirus away. It was because of that and that alone that things went as bad as they did. If the kaiju weren't lured away, then they would've come to our aid much sooner.

"They'd have easily chased off the minotaurs and the rest of their goons and we wouldn't have had to spread out so far. We could've stayed close so that we could've protected Moon Bright, Muse, the Alpha Stone, and the villagers altogether."

"Those mother buckers!" Rainbow Dash growled. Everypony else shared the anger felt by the blue coated pegasus. "I can't believe it! I can't freaking believe it! Is there really no lows they won't sink to?!

"They put hundreds of innocence in danger just for a stupid rock! Well, I don't know about all you, but I for one am not gonna just stand here and cry while they get away with it! I don't know how, but I'm gonna fight and fight and I won't stop fighting until I've pride all four stones from those dull ended horn heads!"

Everypony screamed in agreement with Rainbow Dash's sentiment. None of them wanted to just let the minotaurs get away with the atrocities they committed. Previously any angry drive for retaliation was overtaken by their immense sadness. Now everypony's anger, their very fury was awakened like never before.

"We're not gonna take this sitting down!" Applejack exclaimed. "We may not have been able to protect you, but you can be dab gum sure we're gonna avenge ya!"

Everypony cheered in agreement.

"They took away so much from you poor ponies," Rarity said. "Well, while we may not be able to get it all back, we'll take what we can from those dreadful barbarians!"

"And we'll take down any of them that get in our way!" Pinkie Pie added on. "We'll come in like a wrecking ball and break down their walls! We'll show them everything we've got, drive them wild and drive them crazy! We'll show them we're not gonna take it anymore! In other words, we're gonna show them we're really ticked off and we're gonna do something about it!"

Everypony cheered even louder, except for Twilight Sparkle who had been quiet almost the whole time. TJ took notice of this and looked to the alicorn mare curiously. It didn't take him long to realize she was deep in thought.

"Now that just leaves the question of how we're gonna do all this," Applejack said. Everypony grew quiet as they turned to the cowgirl. "Sorry, y'all, but the truth is the ball's in their court. They've got just about everything going for them. I mean, what do we got that they can't fight back with using their monsters and the Alpha Stones?"

Everypony stood in silence as they thought over what Applejack said and more importantly, how they could find a solution to it. They knew how going forward that any plan they thought of required careful thought and absolutely perfect execution.

"Well... we still have Godzilla and Anguirus," Rainbow Dash said.

"So what, we just let them do all the fighting for us and hope it all turns out?" Applejack said. "I know why you'd turn to them, Rainbow Dash, I really do. But I'm afraid the minotaurs have more power than even they can deal with on their own. As ridiculous as that sounds and what I'm about to say next sounds, I don't feel right just leaving it to them alone."

"Well if we can't just depend on two gigantic giants, who else can we depend on?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Well, maybe we could try to get more help from Equestria?" Rarity suggested. "We could get Celestia and Luna to send a royal brigade?"

"No, trying to do that will take too long," Rainbow Dash said. "We need something else."

"Well, we still have the plan," Firefly said.

"Huh?" several ponies let out as they turned to the pink coated pegasus.

"Yeah, you know, the plan Twilight and Moon Bright thought of," Firefly said. "Remember, where we sneak into the minotaurs' base and blow it up from the inside after getting out the hostages? All we really need to do is modify it to also trying to grab the Alpha Stones before we head out. If we cant' we say screw it and blow them to kingdom come along with all those two hoofed monstrosities."

"You don't think that might be more dangerous to try and do now?" Fluttershy asked. "I mean, I hate to keep beating this point in, but the minotaurs have two Alpha Stones and those are only the ones we know of. Then there's the fact that they're probably even more on guard after just pulling off something so big as what they did this morning. Add that to what they already had going for them and it almost seems like a crazy pony's quest to try and do this."

"Plus and I hate to say this," Applejack began, "but after that attack today... I don't think we'll have as many ponies available to help us with the plan as we originally wanted. I'm sorry... but Willowbrook was hit hard... and that means we'll be lacking a lot of extra hooves for one reason or another. I hate to say it, but at the moment, the whole thing sounds just about impossible."

"So then that means there's nothing we can do?" Muse asked. She looked around hopelessly, seeing several other ponies shared her feelings. "Are we all doomed?"

"What am I gonna do now?" Moon Bright asked in a shaky voice. "For so long I fought to protect Willowbrook and everypony in it. Then I find out I was also fighting to protect ponies far beyond the island's shores. Now... Now... Willowbrook is barely a shell of its former self and I've probably lost half the ponies in it. What am I suppose to do to protect whatever ponies are left?

"How can I shelter them with what little those monsters with horns left us? What lies ahead for those ponies so far away now that the minotaurs have so much power to throw around?... It's absolutely hopeless."

"Chief, Moon Bright!" a frantic voice called from further away.

Everypony turned to see both a uniformed and a non-uniformed pony running into the hut.

"No, I told you guys this isn't the time to hand the chief casualty lists," Firefly said in frustration.

"That's not it at all, commander, you've got it wrong!" the uniformed pony assured. "Ma'am, this pony just came here from Seaside Hoof. He has information on a... frankly shocking development in the town."

Everypony looked far more attentively than before as the non-uniformed pony stepped forward.

"Chief Moon Bright, ma'am, my name is Granted Block," the pony said. "I've lived in Seaside Hoof all my life. In all that time I had to put up with the tyrannical rule of the minotaurs who ran the town like slave traders. I lived in fear my whole life and I never got used to it. I thought I would have to deal with that kind of life forever.

"But then something strange happened this morning. Myself and most other ponies in Seaside Hoof woke up to find... that the town seemed to be almost completely deserted by the minotaurs."

" _WHAT?!_ " several ponies shouted out at the same time.

They all pulled in closer and listened far more carefully.

"Did you just say there aren't minotaurs in Seaside Hoof at all right now?!" TJ exclaimed.

"None that we could find," Granted Block said. "We looked high and low. We even looked in areas the minotaurs had been abundantly clear they didn't want us in."

"They weren't even in the restricted areas?" Moon Bright said in disbelief.

"Except for us ponies, there wasn't a soul anywhere at all," Granted Block said.

"So then... wh- what does that mean?" Fluttershy asked.

"I think we all know what it means," Rainbow Dash said. "Since they got the Alpha Stone from us and wrecked Willowbrook, the minotaurs are already planning to make their big move!"

"Are you sure?" Rarity asked.

"You think so?" TJ said at the same time.

"Absolutely," Rainbow Dash answered. "Come on, think about it. The minotaurs just launched a major attack on us where they gained a huge advantage by stealing our Alpha Stone just as they abandon their town? The question isn't if they're making their move, it's how long do we have?!"

The gravity of what the rainbow maned mare was saying hit everyone hard, shaking them to their very cores. They were already angry and depressed, now their panic was increased to a higher level, too and they didn't know if they could handle it.

"Well then if that's true, what are we suppose to do now?!" a frantic Muse asked.

"We do just as Firefly said and go along with the plan."

Everypony turned to Twilight Sparkle, who had been the one to speak, breaking her silence. They saw the hard, focused, and determined look on her face, which made them somewhat uncomfortable. None of them were used to seeing Twilight Sparkle so serious. It shocked everypony to hear someone usually so level headed as Twilight suggest something like she did.

"Are you serious, Twilight?" TJ asked.

"You're darn right I am, TJ," Twilight Sparkle replied. "We're going to take what bombs we have left from Wolfhard and sneak into the minotaurs' base just like we planned with the monsters being a distraction. The only difference is we're going to focus on finding the hostages _and_ the Alpha Stones first. I've seen what the power of just one can do... and I've felt it, too. That's why I know more than one would be enough to transport all the hostages out of the volcano and somewhere safe.

"Once everypony in the volcano's caves are safely away, that's when we'll set off the bombs and destroy the base completely."

"But Twilight, we can't!" TJ said. "There wouldn't be enough ponies here to help us do this."

"That's why I'm not asking for any," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'd rather they all stay here and help move you to Seaside."

" _WHAT?!_ " everypony let out.

"That's right," Twilight Sparkle said. "You heard it yourself, there aren't any minotaurs there. A town like that is a much more secure place than Willowbrook is right now. Heck, it would've always been a better location if it weren't for the minotaurs that live there. But now they're gone, which means it's your chance to move in and reclaim the town for yourself.

"It's fully in tact, hasn't suffered any sort of damage at all. There's other ponies there I'm sure would be willing to help you with your sick and injured. Plus, they probably have facilities there better suited for medical assistance anyways. I'm telling you, it makes more sense for you all to relocate there."

"But so soon after what happened?" TJ asked.

"I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think you had to," Twilight Sparkle said. "If Rainbow Dash is right and the minotaurs are making their move, then everypony needs to stick together and be as safe as possible."

"Uh..." TJ let out as he thought hard about the current situation.

"Come on, TJ, you know I'm right," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up," Rainbow Dash said. "Twilight, if you don't want any Willowbrook ponies being apart of the sneak in plan, then who exactly were you planning on going in?"

"Just us, Rainbow Dash," Twilight Sparkle said.

Everypony gasped as they stared at Twilight Sparkle with even greater surprise.

"You mean-?"

"Yes, Applejack, I do," Twilight Sparkle said. "Just you, me, and everyone else that came here from Equestria."

"But... why?" Fluttershy managed to say.

"Because the Willowbrook ponies need everyone here," Twilight Sparkle said. "Whether they go to Seaside Hoof like I think they should or stay here, either way they all need each other. Plus the less amount of ponies going in, the less ponies there are for the minotaurs to potentially capture or worse. There still needs to be a team of ponies to try and pull this off, otherwise I'd probably try going in all by myself."

"You know we'd never let you do that," Rainbow Dash said.

The rest of the Mane Six all spoke in agreement.

"Which is exactly why I'm asking just you girls to go with me," Twilight Sparkle said. "More times than not, we've accomplished the goals we set out to do as a team. There's no reason for me to believe that would change right now when it probably matters the most."

"But what about me?" Firefly asked.

"Me, too, Twilight, I wanna go with you," TJ insisted.

"They need you both here a lot more," Twilight Sparkle said firmly. "That's especially if you all will follow my advice and head for Seaside Hoof."

"Twilight," Moon Bright started, "even if I wanted to go ahead with that, which I'm still not sure about, how would we do it?"

"Make sure you transport those in need of medical aid first," Twilight Sparkle said. "Have what healthy ponies you can spare transport them in wagons with efficient food and water among other things. Then focus on the women and the children next along with what supplies you can spare. Keep personal effects to a minimum, safety and care needs to be the priorities above all else. Everything after that, after all the sick, hurt, women, and children, everypony's taken care of is when you can spare efforts for other things.

"I know it seems like I'm rushing you and being a little harsh, but I truly believe in my heart of hearts this is the way to go about dealing with the situation. Also think about this, Seaside Hoof is further away from the minotaurs' main base. If something really is about to happen at the minotaurs' headquarters, a freaking volcano, then I want everypony as far from it as they can get."

"Say we were to go ahead with your plan, Twilight, how do you expect me to arrange and organize everything?" Moon Bright asked. "I can't lead these ponies in my current condition. I could barely lead them on my own before."

"I don't expect you, too, Moon Bright," Twilight Sparkle said. "I was actually thinking that you be one of the ponies riding with the medical convoy. Like you said, you can't do it right now. Unfortunately circumstances have forced us to temporarily choose a new leader."

Everypony gasped as they looked at Twilight Sparkle with much bewilderment. The things she was saying before already seemed so unreal to everyone. Now they felt she might have gone too far and was being incredibly bold to say what she had about Willowbrook's leadership. Moon Bright also looked rather surprise, yet she also seemed to have an air of understanding about what the princess was trying to say. It was clear the light blue unicorn was conflicted, but which side she took would only be decided when next she spoke.

"Well then, Twilight... who would you pick to lead in my place?" Moon Bright asked.

"Twilight, I-"

"Not you, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said, cutting her fellow alicorn off. "You're not ready yet, not even for a temporary position like what I'm suggesting. It's too much for you to take on as a first time leader... But trust me, your time will come."

"I understand, Twilight," Muse said. "But if it's not going to be me, then who did you have in mind? What pony would be fit to lead?"

"Not pony, po- _nies_ ," Twilight Sparkle explained.

She then set her sights on TJ, slowly followed by everypony else. The stallion was slow about it first and just stared on. Slowly he realized that everypony was looking at him, to which he stared back in surprise and alarm.

" _Me?!_ " TJ asked in a semi-panicked manner.

"Not just you," Twilight Sparkle said as she turned to another pony. "You, too... Firefly."

"Say what?" Firefly asked with a tinge of shock.

"Them?!" Muse asked in shock.

"You mean, you want us to be in charge of... everything?" TJ asked in disbelief.

"Yes, along with some of the higher ranking officers here like Commander Hard Rock," Twilight Sparkle explained.

"But... why us?" Firefly asked.

"TJ, you're the chief's son and you seem to have a strong connection with the ponies here," Twilight Sparkle said. "I've seen it several times while I was on this island. The ponies here will follow you if you ask them to and as long as you have ponies that can help you along the way. Firefly, you have the natural conviction and charisma that it takes to be a leader. Plus I know you yourself are a high ranking pony here.

"I know you can do it. I know _we_ can all do this together if we agree and commit to this... But I can't force you all. This is a decision you have to make on your own."

The room fell silent with everypony appearing to be unsure how to proceed. Even the onlookers that weren't directly involved with he conversation looked like they were caught between a rock and a hard place. Everypony knew they were in a desperately dire position and felt like they were just barely hanging onto the edge of a cliff. Any decision any of the ponies made was guaranteed to play a significant part in how the inevitably coming conflict would play out. It was a lot of responsibility and a lot of the ponies were still very unsure even after Twilight Sparkle explained everything to them.

"You know this could all very well fail, right, Twilight?" TJ asked.

"I know, TJ, but any plan always has that potential," Twilight Sparkle said. "Anything anyone's ever said or planned always has the potential to fail just as much as it does to succeed. I'll say right now that a lot of the things I planned didn't always work out exactly the way I wanted or down right failed altogether. Some of my plans were even dead on arrival. But if we don't take chances on our ideas, then we might as well have said 'I surrender' a long time ago."

Everypony looked on as they thought even deeper and harder on how to proceed going forward.

"Granted, are you sure there weren't any minotaurs in Seaside Hoof?" TJ asked.

"None whatsoever," Granted said. "Even some of the very few ponies that work night jobs said they noticed less minotaurs around as time went on. They never saw them leave, but when the sun came up and we all looked, the minotaurs were all gone."

"Hmm, and Fluttershy, do you think Godzilla and Anguirus will go ahead with this plan?" TJ asked.

"I already know Godzilla will do anything we ask," Fluttershy said. "I'm pretty sure Anguirus will go along with it, too."

"And what about you all?" TJ asked as he looked around to the rest of the Mane Six, several of the uniformed ponies, and his family.

"Twilight, we said it before and we'll say it again," Applejack said.

"We're with you," Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack said together.

Twilight Sparkle smiled in appreciation.

"I'm still not completely sure about all this," Firefly said. "But I will do whatever I must to protect those I care about. You're all my friends and family and if you all agree to this, then so will I."

"Do you think the rest of the village will go along with this?" Muse asked.

"We'll just have to wait and see depending on how the rest of this meeting will go," Firefly said.

"TJ?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she looked to the Earth pony stallion.

He looked to be very conflicted, but as time went on, that seemed to fade little by little.

"I'm not sure about my role as a leader," TJ said. "But you clearly believe in me and your vote is the one that counts to me the most, Twilight. I'm willing to give it a shot if everyone else ends up agreeing to it."

"We're with you, sir," a uniformed pony said as others nodded their heads in agreement.

"I have faith in you, big brother," Muse said with a sweet smile. "I also trust you, too, Twilight."

"Then that leaves only one left," Applejack said.

Everypony turned to Moon Bright, who instantly seemed more uncomfortable than before.

"What do you say, crescent?" Firefly asked.

It was obvious she was still trying to come to a decision, but was having a lot of trouble. She was conflicted, highly stressed, and still in a lot of physical pain. Anypony would feel like they wanted to be somewhere else being another pony if they were in her position. Despite all her tribulations she was dealing with, however, Moon Bright still knew she had to make a decision no matter what.

"I'm honestly not sure of anything anymore," Moon Bright said. "That's why I'm taking it out of my hooves. For now, I'm no longer the chief of Willowbrook. Until I'm confident I can return to my position and do it right, I leave our leadership in the capable hooves of my son and the other major leaders of our community. I know they can do it or else I wouldn't have given them all positions of authority before." Moon Bright then looked directly at her son as she walked up to him.

"You've made me very proud over the years, TJ. Your brave, strong, loving, and you're more stubborn than an ox just like me." This got a chuckle out of everypony, including TJ himself. "You've got the heart and determination I always hoped you would. I know you don't consider yourself a leader, but it's only for a little while.

"I know you can do it, but do you?"

"I'm certainly gonna try," TJ said.

"No, don't try," Moon Bright said. "Either do it or don't do it. There is no try."

"Ooh, that was good," Pinkie Pie whispered to Rarity. "She should write that down before somepony steals it."

"In that case," TJ said, "for the sake of everypony here, with Firefly and the others by my side, I know I can do it."

"That's my boy," Moon Bright said. She quickly hugged TJ before turning her attention to Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the Mane Six. "Twilight... you and your friends were brought here to help. You came because you've had to deal with situations like this several times before. I have to trust you know what's best, which is why I'm stepping aside.

"I can only hope that you're right about how to go forward... I also hope everypony comes out of this the best they can, including you six brave young fillies."

"Thank you, Moon Bright, for believing so strongly in us," Twilight Sparkle said.

"We won't let you down!" Rainbow Dash proclaimed boldly.

"You know that's right!" Applejack agreed.

The rest of the Mane Six spoke in agreement while also swearing that they would succeed in bringing down the minotaurs once and for all.

"Then there isn't any time to waste!" TJ said.

"TJ's right!" Firefly agreed. "We need to do a quick, but thorough sweep of the whole village. Give what slight aid we can to the ponies, especially the injured and sick, then prepare them for transportation."

"I'll head back to Seaside Hoof and let them know so they can be ready to assist," Granted Block said.

"I'll take a squad and accompany you," the officer who originally brought Granted offered.

"Firefly, you take the captains and handle the rescue and retrieval operations," TJ said. "I'll coordinate with Twilight, Hard Rock and our other higher ranking officials."

"We'll help with looking for and preparing the ponies who need some doctorin'," Applejack said.

"Then we'll get together with Wolfhard to get those bombs before we head out," Twilight Sparkle said.

"We got a lot to do everypony and we don't know how long we have to do it!" Firefly said urgently. "So we need to hurry up and make this happen asap!"

"Alright, let's move out!" TJ said.

" _RIGHT!_ " everypony else agreed.

And like that, they were all off to take care of business.

* * *

"Well, there they are," Wolfhard said as he handed out the last pack containing several of his new explosives to Fluttershy.

He had handed the first five packs of his experimental bombs to the other mares of the Mane Six.

"Thank you, Wolfhard," Fluttershy said sweetly.

"You're perfectly welcome, ma'am," Wolfhard replied. "Yeah, I know I was originally suppose to only give you gals forty bombs, but this is going to be a very dangerous mission. It's even worse since you girls are going alone. So I decided to just give you all sixty bombs I managed to make."

"Thank you, Wolfhard," Twilight Sparkle said. "I know they'll play a big part in determining how everything turns out."

"Thank you, princess, for everything, you and your friends have done here," Wolfhard said.

"We're only doing what a good pony would do," Rainbow Dash said.

"And what a good friend would do, too," Fluttershy added.

There was a momentary pause where Wolfhard just looked on appreciatively as the Mane Six smiled to him.

"Well, that was the last of my stuff I just gave ya," Wolfhard said. "The rest of it is packed away on one of the wagons. I better head over there and make sure everything's handled with care... which I suggest you do with those bombs."

"Are you sure these will make a big boom?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean, they're only the size of small beach balls."

"Trust me, they'll do the job," Wolfhard said confidently. "Just one of those bombs could light up a whole hoofball field. They may not look like much, but they got it where it counts."

"Be sure and look out for yourself, Wolfhard," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I'll be looking out for everyone around me, just like a friend would," Wolfhard said with a smile.

"How very great of you, darling," Rarity said. "But still do try and take good care of yourself, too."

"Will do and you all be sure and do the same for each other," Wolfhard said before heading off.

"Well, looks like we got what we came for," Rarity said.

"Do you really think these bombs will be enough to take down the whole base?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Not just the bombs, but we'll also have each other as well," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Not to mention we also have big back up from Godzilla and Anguirus," Pinkie Pie said.

"Yeah, I guess you guys are right," Rainbow Dash said.

"Don't worry, Rainbow Dash, darling, it's natural to be nervous," Rarity said.

" _Nervous?!_ " Rainbow Dash let out defensively. "I'm not nervous! I'm the most un-nervous pony you're ever gonna meet!"

"It's okay, Rainbow, we're all nervous," Applejack said.

"And that's just scratching the top of it," Pinkie Pie said.

"I'm bordering on terrified myself," Fluttershy said through chattering teeth.

"We're all concerned and even scared to a degree," Twilight Sparkle said. "But we have to go and do this if we ever want a chance of putting a permanent stop to the minotaurs. Now are you all with me?"

Some mares just nodded their heads while others said, "Yes" in their own way.

"Then I guess we should check in with TJ and Firefly before we leave," Twilight Sparkle said. "Fluttershy, would you please go to let Godzilla and Anguirus know we're almost ready to go?"

"Yes, Twilight, I will," Fluttershy said.

"I'll hold your bomb pack for ya while you're gone, Fluttershy," Applejack offered.

"Thank you, Applejack," Fluttershy said as she took off her pack and extended it to her friend.

"Not at all," Applejack said as she took the strap of the pack in her mouth.

With that, Fluttershy took off to go find the two great beasts that would accompany the Mane Six to Pony Tale Island's one and only, but still very massive volcano. The other mares watched her fly for a few moments before they took off on their own path to find the ponies currently in charge. They made their way through the wreckage of what was left of Willowbrook, which was now busier than ever. Any wagon that had not been destroyed in the recent raid was now being used to load up the ponies that formerly lived in Willowbrook and lots of other cargo, too. It had been three hours since the meeting at what was left of Moon Bright's hut.

Since then every able bodied pony was working as hard and as fast as they could to fill the wagons located all over the demolished village. The Mane Six had helped out as best they could before meeting with Wolfhard to receive the bombs they meant to use against the minotaurs. In all the time they were out working amongst the masses it wasn't any easier looking at the devastation and the effect it had on everypony. Now walking to find TJ and Firefly, it still wasn't easier looking around. It was clear to see everything that happened still had a very strong effect on everyone.

There was still loss, confusion, sorrow, sadness, and overall depression. But nopony had anytime to recover from it because they had to get themselves ready to leave for Seaside Hoof. When TJ and Firefly announced they were going to leave for the once minotaur infested town, nopony was happy about the decision. Even after it was explained the minotaurs left the ponies were still upset because none of them were in any sort of condition to deal with such an operation. Eventually they all realized it was for the best, despite still not wanting to deal with pretty much anything at all.

The hope going around was that after they all reached Seaside, it would be the beginning of better times for them. In the same announcement TJ informed the ponies of Willowbrook that the Mane Six, along with Godzilla and Anguirus, would be going to deal with the minotaurs. While several ponies were conflicted about this, they tried to fight through it and push on so they could head for a hopefully more secure location. The Mane Six continued to watch everypony around them as they kept working hard so that they could finally leave. Despite all that, it didn't seem to take that long to find TJ, who was talking amongst several other ponies.

TJ looked to see the Mane Six coming and quickly wrapped up his talks with the ponies around him before excusing himself. The Earth pony stallion then made his way over to the mares that were coming to see him. TJ saw the grim expressions the Mane Six had on their faces and they saw his. Both parties knew neither was having an easy time, nor were they looking forward to what came next.

"So the medical convoy is already on their way to Seaside," TJ said.

"That's great," Twilight Sparkle said as enthusiastically as she could muster. "It's really impressive how quick you were able to put that together all things considered."

"Well, you stressed it yourself how important it was that the sick and injured get taken care of first," TJ said. "I agreed with you completely and made sure they got what they needed to get going... It's totally not just because my mom is with them."

Everypony managed a short chuckle.

"How's she doing?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yeah, how is Moon Bright?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"About as good as you can expect right now," TJ said with a sigh.

"Right, that's understandable," Twilight Sparkle said.

"But she still seems to have confidence in me and Firefly running the show for right now," TJ said.

"And who can blame her?" Applejack asked. "You've been doing a great job so far?"

"Really?" TJ asked with uncertainty. Applejack smirked as she raised an eyebrow. "Right, honest pony, my bad."

"I hope none of you run into trouble on the way to town," Rarity said.

"If we're right in thinking every minotaur on the island is at the volcano, then we shouldn't," TJ said. "But we're still taking no chances. Every convoy escort is as heavily armed as we can manage right now. If there is anything out there we have to deal with, we'll be ready... hopefully."

"You'll be fine, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah, maybe, but I'm a little more concerned about you fillies right now," TJ said. "You're leaping out of the frying pan and literally jumping into the fire."

"We know, trust me," Rainbow Dash said. "We discussed it pretty much the entire time we were working with the wagon convoys."

"I'm just concerned about you is all," TJ said. "A big part of me actually thinks I should be going with you girls instead,"

"I won't lie, a part of me actually wants you with us," Twilight Sparkle said. "But your place is here helping these ponies and leading them to safety. I truly do wish we could all stay together, but this is the way it has to be. If we ever want a chance at stopping these bulls and making sure everypony is finally free of their wrath we need t be as smart about it as possible. We'll be fine, TJ."

"Are you sure?" TJ said.

"No, but I didn't want you to be upset," Twilight Sparkle said. "Or at least more upset than you already are."

"Look, the truth is we're all gonna have to go through some stuff before this over," Applejack said. "How bad it's gonna be remains to be seen, but it's a hard fact we have to work through."

"Yeah, Applejack's right," TJ said. "Then the least I can do I suppose is wish you all good luck."

"Good luck to you, too, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I know you'll have trouble in there as it is," TJ said. "But please, Twilight, please, at least still try to spot my dad while you're in there... If he's still alive."

"We'll give it our all, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "It was never a question whether or not I would still look for your dad. I'm going to find him. And what's with this 'if he's still alive'? You seemed so confident he was still alive before."

"Well, now I'm not too sure," TJ said. "I'm not sure of anything really anymore... Except for my undying faith in you, Twilight Sparkle."

TJ gazed directly into Twilight's eyes as she gazed deeply into his. Both ponies' eyes were filled with emotion and even lightly trembled.

"So... guess we better be moving on," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I lov- I mean, I guess so, too," TJ said.

"Don't worry, TJ," Rainbow Dash boasted proudly, "we're all gonna come out of this thing on top big time, I know it!"

"With confidence like that, how could it be any different?" TJ said with a smile.

"You got that right!" Rainbow Dash said as the Mane Six turned and started walking away.

"You know, you could've told Twilight what you really wanted to, TJ!" Pinkie Pie called out. "Everypony already knows you two got the hots for each other!"

TJ and Twilight Sparkle both stopped dead in their tracks and looked around. They saw that several other ponies had stopped to stare at what was going on. Embarrassed looks were plastered on TJ and Twilight's faces as they looked back to one another. Both gave small smiles as they waved goodbye before moving on.

"Thanks a lot, Pinkie Pie," Twilight Sparkle grumbled.

"Happy to help, Twi, _that's why I'm here,_ " Pinkie Pie said as she walked along, singing the last part of her sentence.

Twilight Sparkle just groaned while Rarity and Applejack both put supportive hooves on her back. As embarrassing as it may have been, Pinkie's antics did sort of help Twilight forget the gravity of the situation. It helped the other mares in their group, too at least for a few seconds. Realization set in again about where they were going and what they had to try and do there. Another small distraction came, however, in the form of Firefly landing in front of the group.

"Hey, girls," Firefly greeted in a friendly manner.

The Mane Six all said hello equally as friendly.

"How can we help you, Firefly?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well..." Firefly said, "I was wondering if you could give me a moment alone... with my daughter."

Everypony turned to Rainbow Dash, who's face was stone serious.

"I'm fine with that if you all don't mind," Rainbow Dash said. The other mares all agreed as they stepped away to the side. "So... Mom... what can I help you with?"

"Nothing really," Firefly said. "I just had a few things to say, Rainbow Dash."

"Oh... okay," Rainbow Dash replied.

"Is that alright?" Firefly asked.

"Absolutely, Mom, you can say whatever you want to me," Rainbow Dash agreed.

"Thank you, sweetie," Firefly said as a small smile crossed her face.

"Of course," Rainbow Dash said. "Well, what do you have on your mind?"

Firefly let out a big sigh.

"Oh, way too much to explain with the limited time we have," Firefly said. "I'm still gonna try my best to get it all out, though. Look... I know I haven't been the best mother in the world. I know I could've done better, made better choices with the situations laid out before me. But I want you to know despite all the rocky roads we've had to go through, despite us not getting off on the right hoof when you got here... I'm still really glad to have found you again."

"You are?" Rainbow Dash said in surprise. "Even after... everything?"

"Things just happen sometimes," Firefly said. "I know things with the minotaurs would've gone sour even if you weren't here, maybe even faster. That first day you and your friends got here probably could've been it if it weren't for you. Besides that, you had every right to be upset with me for as long as you were. I said it myself, I probably could've handled my situations better... and I truly wish I had.

"That way I could've stayed and watched you grow... I could've been a proud mother watching you go from a child on my knee to a graceful angel in the sky. But... even without those memories, which I still regret, I'm still so very proud of you, Rainbow Dash."

"You... You are?" Rainbow Dash said with a shake in her voice as her eyes trembled. "Even after... what I put you through, you're proud of me?"

"You bet I am," Firefly said. "Rainbow Dash, I already said you had every right to be angry and you still do... But you decided to stop hating me and that means more than anything that's ever happened to me before in my life. Well, except for actually having you on the day you were born. Even if you had not stopped letting me know what a bad parent I was, I would still be proud of the mare you grew up to be.

"And I would still love you with all my heart, my little Dashie."

The other mares of the Mane Six had been watching closely on the sidelines as the situation played out. By the end of Firefly's speech, most of them were on the verge of tears, their eyes trembling like they were reading a teen romance novel.

"Well... I got news for you, Mom," Rainbow Dash said as she stared directly at Firefly. Slight concern grew across the pink pegasus' face. "I decided a little while ago not to just stop hating you. Mom... I forgive you... and I love you, too."

A jolt of emotion was sent flying through not just Rainbow Dash, but all her friends on the side and especially Firefly. All their bodies shook as tears fell, no longer being able to hold back. They were all tears of joy and happiness that were accompanied by big smiles. But again, none smiled as big or was as joyful as Firefly at that moment with Rainbow Dash being the only one who came close. Finally, it became too much to bare and Firefly and Rainbow Dash both flew to each other, embracing as mother and daughter upon contact.

Both Rainbow Dash and Firefly never felt happier in their lives than they did that day when they finally made peace and hugged each other close as could be. At long last, Firefly truly had her daughter back and Rainbow Dash had her mother, her birth mother back. After so long, the bonds of parent and child had been restored between the two pegasi after being broken for so long; even longer than both mares realized. None of their bad blood from the past mattered anymore, though. Rainbow Dash and Firefly were just happy to have each other again.

Both mares lightly sobbed, still being just so happy to be mother and daughter again. Firefly managed to stop her tears as she let Rainbow Dash cry into her chest. She smiled motherly and lightly stroked her daughter's mane all the while. It felt so good to Rainbow Dash to have her mom do so. It even got her to cease her tears and smile as warmly as her mom did.

After a moment, both mares before embraced one more short time. Then the two released their hug and pulled back as they started wiping their tears away. Firefly reached out to try and help Rainbow Dash with her running tears, but the blue pony instantly lifted her hoof to stop her mom.

"Don't do it, you'll only make me cry again," Rainbow Dash said playfully.

"Right, sorry," Firefly said.

For a moment neither pony spoke and instead took in the immense emotion they felt. The other mares continued to hang back, not daring to interrupt what was a very beautiful moment.

"I think we both better move on and take care of what we got to do," Rainbow Dash said.

"Yeah, you're right... though I kinda wish you weren't," Firefly said.

"Me, too, Mom," Rainbow Dash said.

"But what we're doing is too important," Firefly said.

"Some pony that's awesome needs to make sure these ponies get to town safely," Rainbow Dash said. "I mean, besides TJ, who else could do it, but you?"

"And I know a group of ponies who are gonna stop the minotaurs and save the world," Firefly said enthusiastically. "They have a particularly awesome pegasus with them that makes their team about... twenty percent cooler."

Rainbow Dash's eyes lit up bright before she shared another hug with Firefly.

"You really think we're gonna stop the minotaurs?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Sure, I do, don't you?" Firefly asked.

"Oh, I know we're gonna come out on top in the end!" Rainbow Dash boasted. "We got too much goin' for us, including an awesome support group fronted by my extra awesome ma!"

"That's the spirit, Dashie!" Firefly exclaimed happily. "Never doubted it for a second. I mean, if I can't have faith in my daughter or my friends, who can I have faith in? Now go on and do important things!"

"You do the same, Mom," Rainbow Dash said. "But... we'll still have time for more hugs and mother, daughter time later, right?"

"Absolutely," Firefly said motherly. "I love you, Rainbow Dash."

"Love you, too, Mom," Rainbow Dash said.

Firefly took to the air and flew away as Rainbow Dash turned back to her friends. As she approached them, she noticed her friends still trying to wipe away their tears. Rainbow Dash stood there for a moment and watched her friends sniffle back any other happy fit they might have. When she noticed most of her friends were smiling emotionally at her, Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright, enough with the sappiness!" Rainbow Dash said. "We need to get busy and save the day already! That's what we're here to do, that's what we always do, and we gotta do it great! Now come on and let's do it twenty percent greater this time around just to impress everypony, whadda say?"

Everypony agreed very enthusiastically as they headed on their way. They walked for about five or six minutes before they were stopped yet again. This time both Fluttershy and Muse were both flying towards them. They were high up in the air, but lowered themselves down until they were standing in front of Twilight and the others. Muse waved to the five mares that stood before her who all waved back.

"Why aren't you with the sick and injured ponies, Muse?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I wanted to stay and give my brother and Firefly moral support," Muse explained. "I wasn't hurt nearly as bad as my mom was and I'm starting to feel a little better as it is. Besides, doesn't everypony need as much moral support as they can get right now?"

"I guess you have a point there," Twilight Sparkle agreed.

"Godzilla and Anguirus are ready whenever we are," Fluttershy reported. "They're just waiting for us at the edge of the village."

"Okay, good, thanks, Fluttershy," Twilight Sparkle said. "Are you really doing okay, Muse?"

"Well, I'm feeling better physically," Muse said. "But I don't think I'm doing okay per say."

"We can certainly understand that, darling," Rarity said. "To be blunt, we haven't been in the best of spirits either... But you Willowbrook ponies have a way of making us somehow feel better. First there was TJ, then Firefly, now you."

Muse smiled a little.

"Guess we Willowbrookers have a knack for moral support," Muse said. "Though I gotta think it's also something Ponyville ponies are good at, too. I mean, seeing you girls altogether right now is actually making me feel loads better. It really is amazing."

"Aww," the Mane Six said together.

"You're such a sweetie, Muse," Pinkie Pie said.

"No wonder you're so good at moral support," Applejack said.

"Thank you, girls," Muse said. "Listen, I don't know what's going to happen. All I do know is that I believe in you all and so do most of us here."

"They do?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Mm-hmm," Fluttershy and Muse said together.

"Muse talked about it with several ponies here," Fluttershy said. "Before she came and found me, a few of the village ponies stopped her and told her to tell us they have faith."

"Aw, that so sweet," Rarity said.

"Maybe not as sweet as my chocolate cake, but that might be because I use too much sugar," Pinkie Pie said. "Wait, scratch that, there ain't no such thing... Oh, but that was still real nice of those ponies, though. Sorry, lost my head."

"So what else is new?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I don't know if they believe because it's all they have left to believe in, but just know it's real for me," Muse said. "No matter what happens, I feel absolutely blessed to have met you and I wouldn't change anything between us. I love you girls like you were all my sisters."

The Mane Six all gathered around Muse to embrace her as they spoke nothing but kind words. The group hug lasted for a few seconds before everyone silently agreed it was time to disperse.

"You're a very special filly, Muse," Twilight Sparkle said. "You have the gift to inspire love and hope in others in a way most ponies only dream of. I'm glad we met you, too and I know none of us would trade it for the world."

Everypony spoke in agreement while Muse beamed happily.

"We love you, Muse," Fluttershy said. "I want you to know you will always be one of my closest and best friends ever."

Muse and Fluttershy shared a quick hug before the multicolored alicorn turned back to the rest of the group.

"Muse, as your teacher" Twilight said, "and more importantly, as your friend, I'm really proud of how much you've grown in such a short time. If you keep up the way you have been, you're gonna grow into an even greater alicorn than you already are."

"And that's saying a lot because you're already super awesome!" Rainbow Dash said with her special brand of enthusiasm.

"You're like if Super Alicorn and Mondo Alicorn merged together!" Pinkie Pie said while holding the comic books she was referencing.

"Pinkie, what are you doing with my comics?!" Rainbow Dash asked in alarm. "Do you realize the super merger event is worth-"

"Calm down, calm down, they're already back in your bag," Pinkie Pie said as she held out her now empty hooves.

Rainbow Dash stared in surprise, her eyes blinking a few times.

"How did you do that?" Rainbow Dash asked with slight aggression.

"It's Pinkie Pie, don't question it," Muse said.

Everypony except Rainbow Dash shared a group laugh.

"That's right, she can be taught!" Pinkie Pie said.

"You've learned rather well, darling, in more ways than one," Rarity said.

"Thank you all for teaching me," Muse said. "But more importantly, thank you for being such awesome friends."

Twilight Sparkle hugged Muse just before the others joined in for a final group hug. There was slight hesitation to end the embrace, but everypony knew they had to do it eventually.

"Better go find TJ now," Muse said. "Someone's gotta make sure he's doing his job right when Firefly's not around."

The Mane Six all giggled in reponse.

"I can't think of anypony better to do it," Twilight Sparkle said.

The other mares of the Mane Six all spoke in agreement before everyone said their goodbyes. With that, the Mane Six resumed their walk as they headed to the edge of the clearing that Willowbrook once completely filled. Unfortunately that was also when the heavy load of the Mane Six's current situation fell upon them once again. This time was different, however, as they seemed to be able to deal with it a little better than before. Sure they knew they still had a big task ahead of them and it was large burden on top of everything else that had happened already.

Still they knew they had each other to help carry the burden with and now they knew they had a lot of moral support going forward. They had a few quick, yet still comforting conversations with some of the friends they had made since coming to Pony Tale Island. It was through them that they now knew many other ponies also believed in them as they went to face the minotaurs head on. In fact, when stealing quick glances from those around them, it almost seemed like some ponies were taking the time to stop and smile at them. This was finally confirmed when they heard a slow, steady group of hooves hitting the ground.

The Mane Six looked to see the villagers around them stomping their hooves with more joining in as the rhythm got faster. Some ponies even began cheering and whooping with some even whistling. With all that going for the Mane Six, suddenly the big burden of their mission was pushed away. A large boost of confidence replaced the void left by the negativity they were feeling before. This even inspired the Mane Six to move faster as they rushed to where Godzilla and Anguirus stood waiting for them.

When the Mane Six looked up at the ever-so-mighty kaiju, they knew they didn't need to ask if they were ready. They could tell by looking at both the monsters' faces, Godzilla and Anguirus felt like they could bring down a whole mountain. That was good for the Mane Six because they knew that was something they may have to do.

"Let's go!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

The Mane Six all called out loudly in agreement, letting any nearby know they were ready to take on the task ahead. They were nothing, however, when compared to Godzilla and Anguirus lifting their heads into the air and roaring as loud and monstrously as they could. It was Godzilla who took the first step forward as the group began to make their way into the forest. It was the first step on what was sure to be a hard, testing, daunting, and overall quite dangerous journey that the whole group was more than ready to take.


	27. Chapter 27: Incursion

"Looks like we finally found it," Applejack whispered.

"How can you tell?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Probably because this is the closest thing to a path we've seen since we started circling the mountain," Pinkie Pie whispered directly into her blue friend's ear.

Rainbow Dash turned to Pinkie Pie with an annoyed frown on her face while the pink pony simply smiled like usual. They both turned and looked with everyone else to the supposed walking path that seemed to lead up the side of the volcano. The Mane Six had arrived at the edge of the forest where Firefly had led Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy once before. Rather than take the same route to the entrance of the minotaurs' base, they scouted around the area for where the actual path began. They never left the confines of the forest brush, instead staying under what cover it provided so as not to be detected by any minotaurs scouts patrolling the area.

That was when they found this flat, wide area that was somehow woven into the volcano's side. Even then, the Mane Six dared not come out of the forest, for they were still very cautious about detection by the enemy.

"So what do you think, Twilight?" Rarity whispered.

"It has to be the way to the entrance," Twilight Sparkle replied. "It's too perfectly laid out."

"You don't think it might be a trick to lead ponies away from the entrance somehow?" Applejack asked.

"I guess there's only one way to find out," Twilight Sparkle responded.

"Have me fly overhead and check?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Of course not!" the other mares whispered.

"I was just kidding... mostly," Rainbow Dash responded.

"We'll have to take the path ourselves," Twilight Sparkle responded. She then turned to the pegasus pony next to her. "Okay, Fluttershy, you're on."

Fluttershy nodded before singing out her notes. Less than five seconds later, the Mane Six heard the stomps and the calls of colossal beasts somewhere nearby.

* * *

 **NORTH WEST SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN:**

Godzilla and Anguirus were both crouched down as low as they could go so they couldn't be seen. The two hundred foot tall old growths seemed like they would provide good enough cover at least until the two monsters were called into action. Several hundred meters ahead of the kaiju was Pony Tale Island's lone volcano located directly in the center of the island. Both Godzilla and Anguirus knew that was where those that would cause harm to their dear pony friends hid themselves. They also knew that on the other side of the volcano several of their pony friends were trying to sneak inside to hopefully put an end to their evil schemes.

Neither Godzilla nor Anguirus liked the idea of such a small group going into an enemy stronghold, especially one as dangerous as a volcano filled with minotaurs. But they both trusted in their little friends, neither one really having any choice since they were going to go either way. While that was out of their hands, they did have a choice to accompany them. Both kaiju eagerly accepted when they were informed they had a part to play in their pony friends' plan. Both were just waiting for the signal to tell them when to start their role in the strategy.

That came when Godzilla's ears picked up the notes sang ever-so-beautifully by his closest pony friend, Fluttershy. Godzilla's eyes lowered into the intense, monstrous glare a kaiju usually wore on their face. None wore it better, however, than the mighty king of the monsters himself, who stood up straight as he growled viciously. Anguirus looked as Godzilla rose up and then looked to the four legged monster himself. The spiky shelled quadruped didn't need to see the intensity on his friend's face to know it was time to rumble.

Slowly, Anguirus' face twisted into an angry sneer of his own as he stood up straight on his four feet. Both monsters let out their own unique roars as loudly as they could. Then Godzilla and Anguirus started marching forward with the most monstrous stomps they could muster. It felt like no time at all before the two monsters had left the forest behind and were making their way up the side of the volcano. They stomped up at least four hundred or so meters before they chose a spot to make their stand.

Godzilla and Anguirus let out several mighty roars to get their foe's attention, to make them come out and fight. Godzilla even shot out a beam of his atomic breath at the side of the volcano. At the same time, Anguirus scooped up several large pieces of stone in his front paws and threw them all over the place. Neither monster knew how long they went on tearing up the side of the volcano before they got a response. When they did, though, it came loud and clear in the form of a roar just as mighty as any they had let out before.

Both monsters looked up and saw what horrible beast had called out to them so hatefully. Much higher up near the peek of the volcano, a familiar sight was flying above. Godzilla and Anguirus prepared themselves as Solomon flew down to them, approaching at a speed thought impossible for something so big. Solomon landed with a loud thud as he his feet crashed into the ground just a few hundred yards ahead of Godzilla and Anguirus. Both sides stared intensely at the other in anticipation of the coming battle.

Before it could begin, another familiar sound filled the air, this one much more unearthly. Solomon turned and looked up to where he had just come from as did Godzilla and Anguirus. Flying high in the sky was the very strange, stingray-looking blob of sludge known as Hedorah. It was wailing out loud for all to hear as it flew down to meet those kaiju which had intruded on his and Solomon's territory. Godzilla and Anguirus stared hatefully while the titan of smog approached and Solomon grinned wickedly at them.

Godzilla and Anguirus may have been worried about fighting Solomon going forward, but surprisingly they weren't that concerned about Hedorah. They had actually managed to handle the smog monster rather well the last time they encountered him. While Hedorah might've posed some sort of small threat to Godzilla and Anguirus before, he had exposed his weaknesses fairly easily in past conflicts. Now the champions for good were confident that they could take Hedorah out even with Solomon by his side, though they also knew he'd make it harder. Godzilla and Anguirus watched in anticipation as Hedorah lowered himself down to Solomon's side.

Surprisingly to the two kaiju of justice, Hedorah lowered himself all the way to the ground. What made it so odd was that as a blob, and a rather small one compared to the other monsters, he clearly had no advantage. Godzilla and Anguirus were taken by surprise when a bright flash of red light completely covered Hedorah's body. As the light flashed and several strange noises filled the air, all three monsters actually saw the red glow staring to grow in size. It also changed shape considerably and didn't stop until it was even bigger than Godzilla himself.

Suddenly the light faded away and in its place was a black mass of bubbling, oozing, and gushing polluted slime with big red eyes. Hedorah was now in his final form, which was truly the most terrifying of them all. Despite just looking like a big blob of sludge, it actually seemed to have some limbs barely sticking out from the rest of its sludgy body. It had arms, which were stretched out at his sides and had barely formed legs that he stood on. The thing that stuck out most was Hedorah's long tail, which also had globs of himself flowing and bubbling all over.

Suddenly Godzilla and Anguirus weren't so sure about how easy it would be to fight Solomon and Hedorah together. But both kaiju looked to each other and seemed to somehow silently reassure one another. The new development of Hedorah would in absolutely no way keep them from the fight. They had taken a solemn oath to defend all ponykind from the forces of evil. It didn't take a genius to know that Solomon and Hedorah were the pure embodiment of evil itself.

That meant Godzilla and Anguirus had no alternative but to take them down. Plus it was part of the plan to fight the two evil giants. Godzilla and Anguirus both roared in defiance as they stepped forward to let Solomon and Hedorah know they weren't backing down. They were completely fearless, but so were their sinister opponents, who also stepped forward.

Both sides began to let out their own respective roars as they prepared for what was sure to be the ultimate battle.

* * *

 **SOUTH WEST SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN:**

The Mane Six had seen both Solomon and Hedorah flying high above at the peek of the volcano. The sight of the hideous creatures filled their hearts with terror. They were also very concerned about Godzilla and Anguirus, especially after hearing all four creatures' roars sounding at the same time. But they knew that was part of the plan, which meant they had to move on with their part.

"Okay, sounds like the fun's begun where G and A are," Rainbow Dash said.

"Which means we need to proceed," Twilight Sparkle added. "Remember not to set the bombs randomly. We need to scout the entire area first, which includes finding the hostages and the Alpha Stones. Then after we've observed every inch of the base and decide what are essential places, we set the bombs in those places. Then we set off the distraction explosion before grabbing the Alpha Stones and using them to teleport everypony to Seaside Hoof."

"And then _ka-blooey!_ " Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Those horn heads are dust!" Rainbow Dash let out just as enthusiastically.

Both ponies were quickly shushed by the other mares of the Mane Six.

"We're trying to sneak into this place, not draw attention to ourselves like filly scouts selling cookies," Applejack said in a frustrated tone.

Both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry," both ponies whispered.

"I think they're too distracted by the monsters right now anyways," Twilight Sparkle said. "Is everypony ready to proceed?"

"Yup," Applejack said as she nodded her head.

"Absolutely," Rarity agreed, though there was the smallest hint of hesitance in her voice.

Pinkie Pie merely saluted as she beamed her normal Pinkie smile while Rainbow Dash nodded.

"Fluttershy?" Twilight Sparkle said questioningly.

"Hold that thought for a second, please?" Fluttershy said. She then put her hooves over her mouth as she screamed in terror and then picked up a bag and heavily breathed into it. "Okay... now I'm ready... as I'll ever be."

"So am I," Twilight Sparkle said.

She closed her eyes as she began to concentrate, her horn gathering up magical energy. It wasn't long before there was a flash of light that faded as quickly as it appeared. When everypony opened their eyes most of them were quite surprised by what they saw.

"Wow, we look so... similar," Pinkie Pie said in wonder.

"Yeah... we sure do," Rainbow Dash said in confusion.

"Why is that, Twi?" Applejack asked.

"Yes, dear, why?" Rarity added on. "Aren't we suppose to look like two legged, horn headed barbarians?"

"We do to everyone else," Twilight Sparkle said. "The spell was cast on all of us together, so we'll still see each other for what we really are. The rest of the world will see us as minotaurs."

The rest of the ponies there looked to one another with slight uncertainty.

"How are we suppose to know for sure if the spell is working right?" Fluttershy asked.

"Only one way to know now," Twilight Sparkle said bluntly. Everypony knew exactly what she meant. "Are you still with me?"

The other mares looked to each other for a brief moment before turning back to Twilight and nodding.

"We're with you all the way, sugarcube," Applejack said.

"Didn't we already tell you that a hundred times before we came here?" Pinkie Pie asked. " 'Cause I'm happy to say it a hundred more."

"No need, I know you girls have my back," Twilight Sparkle said with a small smile. Her facial expression then shifted to one of strong determination. "Now let's go do this!"

"Right!" the other mares said together.

The Mane Six then ran out of the confines of the Willowing Forest's brush and headed for the path up the side of the volcano. They went as fast as their hooves would take them as they stomped on upward. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy didn't fly, choosing instead ran alongside their friends. They didn't know if them flying would look like two minotaurs flying, so for authenticity's sake, they ran. Rainbow Dash didn't even think about how aggravating it was that she was so much slower on her hooves than she was on the wing.

True, she was still faster than most, but there were still some ponies in her group that could outrun her. None of that mattered to her, though, nor did anything else but pushing on to do her part in trying to save the world. That's how it was for everypony at that moment, for nearly everything else had been shut out of their minds. All they could think about was doing what had to be done to stop the minotaurs. Some even realized they may have to give up their lives to make sure this mission succeeded.

A few were willing to make that sacrifice while others had slight fears and doubts. They did their best to push those doubts away with some being more successful than others. Some try to convince themselves it wouldn't come down to that and that they would not fail. Still, some lingering second thoughts were hiding in the back of their heads. The mares that felt like this simply did their best to ignore those dark thoughts.

As they ran on, other thoughts inevitably started to invade their minds. It was like their lives were flashing before their eyes. They thought about how they got their cutie marks and when they first became friends and all the trials and tribulations they had to endure. These included dealing with Nightmare Moon, Discord's rampaging return, the changeling invasion of Canterlot, the Crystal Empire, Tirek, and of course, the kaiju invasion. Fluttershy remembered vividly when she first met Godzilla and then introduced him to all her friends.

Then of course came the most recent memories of everything that led up to the Mane Six coming to Pony Tale Island with Godzilla in tow. There were so many other memories, but the Mane Six all knew they couldn't dwell on them. Though they tried to push away any negativity they might have felt around them, it was simply impossible to get rid of it all. Through it all the Mane Six continued to run up the side of the volcano. Along the way, however, they would be forced to deal with the first test of their disguise.

As the Mane Six ran on, their ears picked up the sound of several more hoof steps stomping up behind them. They all looked back as they heard the hoof steps continue to get closer.

"Looks like we're gonna find out if that disguise spell is worth it!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Not if you yell out that we're in disguise!" Applejack said.

"Everypony, shush!" Fluttershy let out like an aggravated mother.

Both Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked to the yellow furred mare in surprise as their mouths seemed to seal themselves shut. Everypony's attention was taken again when the hoof steps coming up behind them were joined by several loud voices shouting at once. They looked to finally see a whole squadron of sixty of seventy minotaurs running up towards them. Any nervous feelings the pony mares felt instantly increased to near overpowering heights. Seeing so many minotaurs coming at them at once after having fought so many of their kind several times was almost a traumatic experience.

Everypony there knew they'd never be able to deal with so many minotaurs at once, especially not in an environment as tight as that mountain path. All they could do was hope that the disguises they were sure they had actually worked. The Mane Six watched as the minotaurs ran and eventually caught up with them. What happened next was that in addition to catching up with the Mane Six, the minotaurs were slowly moving past them as well. Everypony, even Twilight Sparkle herself looked on in surprise to see the minotaurs moving on like they didn't even notice the Mane Six were there.

It would appear, much to the mares' relief and even their amazement, that the disguise spell was working. Despite what they were told ahead of time, the mares still found themselves surprised that the spell worked so well. They just couldn't believe they were right in the thick of a minotaur herd and not getting trampled. The herding bulls even seemed to be going out of their way to avoid running into or trampling over the mares they saw as fellow minotaurs. This development helped to take a whole load off the chests of the ponies, but they still weren't even close to being at ease.

Everypony still had a lot to deal with, but kept their composure and stayed focus while running along with the minotaurs. As they ran, the Mane Six constantly picked up the sounds of the fight between the kaiju that was taking place somewhere else nearby on the volcano. None of the ponies liked that Godzilla and Anguirus had to put themselves in danger like they were in order to cover them. They all knew, though, that Godzilla and Anguirus more than likely would've done it even if they hadn't been asked to. That's just the kind of selfless souls they were, going out to protect ponies from threats they couldn't protect themselves from.

On top of that, kaiju just seemed to be naturally drawn to one another in order to settle who the top dog was with a large brawl. It didn't mean any of the Mane Six were happy about it, but regardless, they pushed on. They followed the herd of stampeding minotaurs until eventually they reached the end of the trail. Those ponies that had not been there before were surprised to see where the path ended.

"A wall?" Rainbow Dash whispered. "We ran all that way to come to a wall? I thought there was suppose to be an opening somewhere."

The other ponies quickly shushed their overzealous friend.

"The wall opens up into a large cave, remember?" Applejack whispered.

"Oh, yeah," Rainbow Dash replied. "So... where were you guys watching them open this thing from the last time you were here?"

"That cluster of rocks up on that ridge over there," Applejack said as she pointed. "Now, hush, Rainbow Dash."

"But I-"

"I said, _hush_ ," Applejack said, keeping her whisper while trying to sound stern at the same time.

With that, Rainbow Dash silenced herself and looked ahead with the rest of the crowd. A lone minotaur at the front of the large group stepped ahead of everyone else. He then held his hands at his sides, which fully displayed the spear and shield he held.

" _Open sesame!_ " the minotaur called out as loud as he could.

Those ponies who had not visited the volcano before looked on in confusion. They were soon answered by the beginning of a low rumbling that rose in volume as time passed. Then a loud noise, sounding almost like something cracking apart was heard. Soon after, the source of both noises was revealed as a massive section of the stone wall in front of the crowd began to slowly slide to the side. All six mares of the Mane Six watched in amazement as the wall continued to move, revealing a large opening behind it.

Even though some of the ponies there had already seen the opening, it was their first time looking directly at it. Some of the minotaurs in the crowd even seemed slightly awe struck by the sight of the large cave opening up.

"Guess some of these guys must be new on the job," Pinkie Pie whispered after looking around at the crowd.

"They sure certainly don't do anything small, do they?" Rarity whispered.

"You think that's because they're compensating for something?" Rainbow Dash whispered.

Nearly everypony had to catch themselves from letting out fits of laughter. Applejack even lightly smacked Rainbow Dash on the side of her front leg.

"Rainbow," Applejack whispered trying to sound stern while also continuing to fight back laughter.

In reality, it actually did the Mane Six some good to know they could still laugh even after all they went through and what their positions were at that moment. They still kept their focus on the task at hoof and what consequences could come from it. The Mane Six watched the large slab of rock slide along until it finally halted, revealing the massive, dark cave within. The minotaurs all quickly began to run inside with the Mane Six joining them, staying hidden amongst their ranks. Not a hoof rested until every single bull in that squadron had been engulfed by the darkness of the opening in the volcano's side.

Even then, the minotaurs kept on running while the Mane Six began to slowly fall back. Once they had all caught up with each other at the rear of the group, the pony mares all kept the same pace as they followed the minotaurs. Their ears picked up the sound of the rock slab sliding back into place behind them. They watched in surprise as the wall slid; none of them recalled anyone saying a magic word to make it go back into place. The ponies all watched until the wall had completely fit itself where it stood previously, cutting them off from the outside world.

Somehow this made the Mane Six feel even worse about their situation than they did already. In fact, for all the lows and the hard times they'd faced before, this might've been the worse the Mane Six ever felt in their lives. They were standing in the dark on the very edge of their enemy's stronghold. Further inside there were guaranteed to be an immensely overwhelming number of minotaurs. They'd have to wade through all of them like they were in a mine field in order to complete their mission.

They would have to do it without getting themselves detected in anyway to ensure they were successful or at least got out of there alive. Even if they did everything right, though, it still wasn't for certain it would all turn out good for them. Something could go horribly wrong even if the ponies took all the right steps and that reality was hard for the Mane Six to take. Feeling all that uncertainty when at the edge of Pandora's box made the Mane Six feel small and meek. They wanted so desperately to try and shrink in a corner somewhere and hide.

Some even wanted to retreat to the outside and run for their lives. None of them would do it, nor would they let the pressure and fear that came with the positions they were in get to them. They'd done it all before and felt it all before, but always fought through. That's exactly what they intended to do again despite being more afraid than they had ever been before. All six mares knew too much was at stake to run away no matter how much they wanted to.

"So... here we are in the minotaurs' cave," Rainbow Dash said in a shaky voice.

"Uh," Fluttershy said through her fearful trembling.

She had wanted to actually say something, but she was too terrified to even speak. All of the yellow coated pegasus' friends came to her side to try and comfort her. In someways, they were helping themselves just as much as they were helping Fluttershy.

"I must say, they don't make their front door very inviting," Rarity said. "It's too dark for anypony to see once the opening is closed. You'd think there'd be at least a lantern or something here to light this part of the cave. Do you think the rest of their secret base will be this dark?"

"No, because I can already see a bright glow from lights up ahead," Twilight Sparkle whispered as she point a hoof forward.

Everypony looked and saw that further along down the wide open cave at a turning point, there were, indeed signs of bright lights in the distance.

"That must be where to go next," Rainbow Dash said. "It's too well lit."

"Not to mention it's the only other way to go from here," Pinkie Pie said, making Rainbow Dash frowned in aggravation.

"I still say they should better light this part of the cave," Rarity said.

"I think you're suppose to have your own light," Pinkie Pie said. "I saw some of those minotaurs holding lanterns."

"Doesn't sound right to me," Rarity said.

"Look, it don't matter!" Applejack said in a hushed tone. "We need to focus on what we came here to do and quit wasting time."

"Well, excuse me for trying to distract myself so I don't completely flip out, Applejack!" Rarity said in a voice slightly more than a whisper.

"Will you shut up?!" Twilight Sparkle said in an irritated tone. The other ponies all looked to their friend in shock as they all silenced themselves. "Applejack was right, we're here to do a job and do it right. I'm freaking out just like the rest of you are, clearly. But I'm doing my best to control it.

"That will only go so far, just like all this bickering will before it costs us and bites us in the flank!"

The other mares all looked on with solemn faces. Seeing how upset they all were made Twilight's face softened to an empathetic expression.

"I'm sorry girls, I'm scared, too," Twilight Sparkle said.

"No, I'm sorry, Twilight," Rarity and Applejack said at the same time.

"Let's all be sorry together while we go give those minotaurs a hoof in the butt," Pinkie Pie suggested. Everyone let out light giggles before silently agreeing with their pink furred friend."But let's not be sorry about that."

The group of friends all looked ahead, each one letting out a deep breath before they began walking along to the light ahead. All of them were still plenty nervous, but they kept it to themselves, not saying anything as they moved. Once they finally reached the turn in the cave, they saw a whole system of lights had been hung all along the walls and the cave top. They all lit the area brightly and showed that there were entrances to many more smaller tunnels all along the walls. Some were on the same level as the Mane Six, thus they could walk through them with no problem at all.

Several more were located on the far sides of walkways and ledges high above.

"So we gotta walk along and map out the _whole_ base before we start planting these bombs?" Applejack asked.

"We also need to find the hostages and the Alpha Stones first, too," Twilight Sparkle said. "If we can get our hooves on even one Alpha Stone, I think we'd be able to do everything we came here to do in the blink of an eye."

"Really, the blink of an eye?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah, with no problem at all," Twilight Sparkle answered. "We all saw what just one of those things can do... But I wouldn't count on that being our go-to strategy. Who knows where all these tunnels lead and how long it would take to find the right one to the Alpha Stones? They probably have them under heavy guard wherever they're hiding them, anyways."

"I see your point," Rarity said. "So then our best chance really is trying to walk through all these tunnels and hope that works?"

"Now you know why I originally wanted all those extra ponies with us," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's too late for that now, though."

"Eeyup," Applejack said.

The way she said that made her really miss her brother and even made her wonder if she'd see him again. The southern mare quickly pushed that doubt away as she waited for her team to make their next move.

"Now the question is... where do we start?" Fluttershy asked.

"Should we split up?" Rarity wondered.

"You don't watch scary movies, do you, Rare?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I do every once and a- Oh!" Rarity said as she realized what her friend was getting at. "Never mind, we should all definitely stay together."

"My thoughts exactly," Twilight Sparkle said.

Rainbow Dash shushed everypony as she pointed upward to the ledges and walkways above. Everypony looked to see several different groups containing three or four minotaurs all walking on different levels and heading in all sorts of directions.

"This place has gotta be busier than farm hands at a cattle drive," Applejack whispered.

"Especially with what's going on right outside during such an important moment for them," Fluttershy said.

"Which is why we need to be careful with every move and decision we make," Twilight Sparkle said. She looked around in every direction as she thought of any and all possibilities going forward. "Let's go that way."

Twilight Sparkle said as she pointed at a tunnel further ahead of the Mane Six.

"Why that one, Twi?" Applejack asked.

"Because it's the one in front of us," Twilight Sparkle said before she started walking away.

The other mares all looked to one another before shrugging. They then began to follow Twilight down into the tunnel.

* * *

 **MEANWHILE:**

Godzilla, Anguirus, Solomon, and Hedorah all called out as loud and mighty as they could. They had gone on like that for a good while, but it was clear neither side was backing down from the other. Every kaiju there wanted to fight; it was just a matter of which monster on which side would make the first movie. Not surprisingly, Godzilla led the charge for his side while at the same time Solomon came forth for his team. Both monsters ignored the other two completely, staring each other down like old rivals before lunging at each other.

Godzilla and Solomon bit, clawed, and grabbed at one another as they struggled with all the strength and power they could muster. Despite Godzilla being bigger and Solomon being leaner, the two kaiju seemed evenly matched. Neither could get the other monster to budge in any direction they pushed. It was an astonishing feat that both monsters were able to match each other. Something had to give, however, and Godzilla refused to be denied.

With an extra burst of power, Godzilla actually lifted Solomon up off his feet and tossed him to the side. The gargoyle-like kaiju's collision with the ground seemed to make the whole foundation shake. The rumble from the impact could be heard and felt far and wide like many things a kaiju did. Solomon was able to get back up instantly and charged to take Godzilla on yet again. The two warring monsters' bodies collided before they began swinging their fists at each other, not caring where they struck as long as they hit something.

While that fight was going on, Anguirus and Hedorah stared each other down as they prepared for a conflict of their own. Hedorah got in the first offensive move as he swung his hand-less arms at his four legged opponent. Globs of the smog monster's slimy body flew off his barely formed limbs and splattered all over Anguirus. Instantly steam seeped from the edges of the spots where the spiky shelled monster had been hit as the sludge burned him like acid. Anguirus howled in pain while Hedorah swung his right arm outward, flinging more of his corrosive matter at his foe.

As much as the burning sensation of the sludge hurt him, Anguirus forced himself to act like it wasn't even there as he jumped high. Hedorah wailed in surprise as Anguirus rolled his body up into a ball like an armadillo. It almost looked like Anguirus was rolling on air when his spike covered exterior collided with the slimy body of Hedorah. As the smog monster struggled to stay standing, Anguirus bounced off him and flew away.

In mid-air, Anguirus unraveled his body and landed safely on all four of his feet. Despite a big ball of smoke flowing from where his shell hit Hedorah, Anguirus roared in defiance like he was the bigger, badder monster of the two. The blob of smog looked to see that Anguirus' face expressed the same sentiment, almost like he were the cocky VIP of a sports team. This infuriated Hedorah to the point where he began to wail like an angry banshee before firing off his red eye lasers. The burning beams of power traveled up and down Anguirus' shell several times, leaving behind streams of smoke and searing pain each time.

The quadrupedal monster's shell was hard, tough, and mighty, but Hedorah's eye lasers could blast through the side of a mountain and come out the other end. Still Anguirus roared defiantly at Hedorah, even going so far to ask him if that was the best he could do. This infuriated Hedorah even further to the point where he fired a second round of his heat vision. This time, he fired a directly concentrated double stream into one of Anguirus' front legs. The pain from the resulting explosion nearly took Anguirus' leg out from underneath himself.

Lucky for the spiky shelled monster, he was able to stay standing on all fours. It wasn't over for him yet because Hedorah soon fired another blast of his burning eye beams right into Anguirus' face. Flames erupted from the spot where Anguirus was hit as he howled in agony, pressing one front paw at his face. Hedorah saw this as an opening, which he took advantage of by coming up to Anguirus and kicking his nearly formless leg into the quadruped's face. The kick was so mighty it lifted Anguirus off his front feet, though he was able to land safely on all four paws.

Unfortunately, the position he landed in left him open for a second kick by Hedorah, this time to the side. The second kick was even stronger than the first and sent Anguirus rolling across the ground, though he was still able to land on his feet when it was done. Despite being in a lot of pain, Anguirus fearlessly charged at Hedorah and rammed right into him. While it left Hedorah unbalanced, the tackle actually ended up hurting Anguirus more, for contact with his foe's slimy exterior burned his own body. Regardless, Anguirus forced himself to push on as he started swinging his spike covered tail across Hedorah's body, splattering parts of him all over the place.

At the same time as Anguirus and Hedorah were having their scrap, Godzilla and Solomon continued their bitter fight. As it had progressed, Solomon at some point managed to grab Godzilla in a side headlock. The reptilian kaiju thrashed around like a wild alligator in an attempt to force himself free of his foe's tight grip on his neck, but to no avail. It did no good and Solomon even manged to force Godzilla still as he started squeezing his arm tighter around his enemy's neck. Solomon's confidence was greatly boosted, even to the point where he felt he could use his free hand to punch Godzilla in the face and the top of his head.

Godzilla felt every punch and while they hurt, the blows seemed to serve more in increasing his anger. This extra spur of fury seemed to serve as motivation for Godzilla. It gave him the boost he needed to wrap one arm around Solomon's waist and slip the other under one of his legs. Then, as amazing as anything could be, Godzilla began to lift Solomon off his feet. The winged kaiju looked on in disbelief as he felt and saw himself getting lifted higher into the air.

Godzilla lifted Solomon so high his feet were kicking up at the sky. The greatest kaiju of all further showed his prowess by actually stomping forward several steps while carrying Solomon. He couldn't do it for long, though, for as Godzilla walked, he had to go faster to keep balance of Solomon. Godzilla would surely fall if he went on, which is why he not only stopped stomping, but tossed Solomon away. Solomon roared out in protest as he felt his body sail through the air before crashing into the hard stone waiting for him below.

Once more the whole area shook like an earthquake was rumbling. It almost felt like everything would start cracking apart, though luckily it didn't. Godzilla roared out triumphantly before he stomped over to where Solomon landed. Once his feet were next to Solomon's head, the kaiju king looked down at his fallen foe, tilting his head to the side. Godzilla let out a short roar before quickly turning his back to Solomon and slamming his tail down on his chest.

The impact felt like a large meteor crashing down on Solomon's abdomen, causing him a great amount of pain. Yet it also seemed to somehow signal Solomon to quickly spring up onto his feet while grabbing a hold of Godzilla's tail. The gargoyle kaiju roared out as he stood tall with one arm wrapped around the end of his opponent's long tail while his other hand stretched out and held another section. Godzilla's eyes widened in surprise as he looked back to see the grip his adversary had on his tail. The skull faced demon of a kaiju seemed to be smiling mockingly as he let out several low growls and clicks.

None of this psyched Godzilla out, however, and actually seemed to have the opposite effect. Godzilla actually smiled back and even gave Solomon a wink of his eye. This confused Solomon to the point where he tilted his head to the side as he looked on questioningly. Godzilla soon answered his foe by actually diving forward into a roll across the ground. Because Solomon had not let go of Godzilla's tail, he was dragged right along the entire time Godzilla rolled.

When it was over, both kaiju were sprawled out across the way. Shockingly it was only a few seconds later before both Godzilla and Solomon were able to roll onto their fronts and push themselves back up onto their feet. After they both had a chance to shake themselves off, Godzilla got the next bit of offense with a blast of his atomic breath. The burning beam of power set off several small explosions across Solomon's body, causing him to cry out in pain. A few seconds after Godzilla ceased fire, Solomon glared hatefully at the mighty monster before retaliating.

Solomon fired three of his energy orbs from his mouth directly at Godzilla. Surprisingly Godzilla was actually able to dodge them all before charging at Solomon like a linebacker. Solomon lifted up his arms and spread his wings hidden underneath in preparation to fly away. Before he could get in one flap, however, Godzilla was able to quickly tackle his adversary, dropping him to the ground like a collapsing mountain wall. The whole area felt the after effects of the collision that took both kaiju off their feet, but none felt it worse than Solomon.

The skull faced kaiju groaned as he tried unsuccessfully to roll and scurry out from underneath Godzilla's bulk. Eventually pain overtook Solomon and forced him to lay still as he tried to fight back against the agony he felt. Just when it seemed to be subsiding, Solomon had to deal with more physical punishment when Godzilla started throwing punches across his face. The king of monsters had come for a fight and he had every intention of taking it to Solomon like the alpha predator he was.

* * *

"Now remember to keep your cool, girls," Pinkie Pie whispered. She had been going for a good five minutes, the pace of her speaking seeming to increase every few seconds. "We have to keep calm even though we're head deep in the enemy's territory. We can't worry about being on the minotaurs' turf, though, even if they are bigger, meaner, stronger, have bigger weapons, timberwolves, hostages, and more facial hair. We still have each other and these bombs, which we should also be more careful about holding.

"I mean, if we do one thing wrong, just one of these bombs could probably go off. And with them being so close, if one goes off, all of them will go off and you know what that means. It means we all go ka-blooey because, well let's face it, we're the ones holding the bombs. We'd have no time to escape the blast and neither would any of the poor hostages and that would be terrible. So remember to be careful with the bombs and especially remember not to worry or feel the pressure.

"Right, no pressure, can't let the pressure of the situation get to ya. Gotta act like there's no pressure or rush at all, because-"

" _SHUT UP, PINKIE!_ " everypony else, even Fluttershy shouted as they looked angrily to their pink companion.

Then they all gasped as they covered their mouths and looked around fearfully as their shouts echoed through the caverns. They stood completely still for several seconds as they waited for the consequences blowing their cover would bring. Shockingly, nothing seemed to come of it, for no minotaurs or anything could be heard coming after them. It was strange because they had heard and seen enough minotaurs walking around them to know they were completely surrounded them. The Mane Six waited a bit longer to confirm that they were in the clear before sighing in relief.

Then Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy all turned back to Pinkie Pie. their angry expressions returning on their faces. The pink furred Earth pony just stared at her friends in confusion.

"Was it something I said?" Pinkie Pie asked.

They all nodded their heads in sync with each other.

"You going on like you just were ain't gonna help us any, Pinkie Pie," Applejack said.

"If anything, it's putting us more one edge," Rainbow Dash said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, girls, I had no idea," Pinkie Pie said. "It's just that... we've been walking forever. We've gone forward and backward, upward and downward, left to right, loopty loop, and all around. I thought we would've come across something besides minotaurs marching around by now. I guess it's starting to get to me a little."

"Well, that I can certainly understand," Rarity said. "I knew this horrible place would be huge, but I didn't think it would have so many channels of tunnels going every which way and that."

It was true that the Mane Six had taken many different tunnels leading in different directions. None of the mares really knew where to go, so they had been taking random directions in hopes it would lead them somewhere. It was literally all they had to go on at that point. Plus doing it while surrounded by so many creatures they had come to despise didn't help either.

"Yeah, they're suppose to have a bunch of hostages, but where are they?" Rainbow Dash asked.

It seemed like only a few steps later, as if in answer to Rainbow Dash, the Mane Six heard the faintest echo of a scream from far off in the distance. The scream was barely audible, though, so it wasn't quite enough to be noticed by the Mane Six. After a few more moments of walking, the Mane Six heard a second, far louder scream that instantly made them freeze in their tracks. Their eyes were all wide with terror, for the scream was so frightening. Needless to say, that second haunting cry of horror got the full, undivided attention of all six pony mares.

"Did you all-?" Twilight Sparkle began.

"Uh-huh," the other mares answered as they slowly nodded their heads.

"That sounded like it could've been a pony," Applejack said.

"Yeah, minotaurs sound more like a manticore with a thorn in its paw," Pinkie Pie said.

"But where did it come from?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she looked around.

Suddenly several more screams echoed through the hallow caverns that ran throughout that part of the volcano. The Mane Six looked all around, partially in fear, as they tried to track down the direction the screams had originated from.

"It's coming from down that shaft?" Fluttershy said fearfully as she pointed.

The Mane Six wasted no words as they took off in the direction the pegasus mare had pointed out. They weren't exactly running, but more so seemed to be walking at a faster pace than one usually would. Along the way, everypony stole glances at each other. They saw how one another's face conveyed so many emotions, mostly that of determination and fear. They were determined to find who was screaming and whoever they might be with to help them all.

Yet they were still very much afraid both because of what they might see when they found who was screaming and the fact that they were still deep in enemy territory. They just seemed to be getting deeper, too, as the path they took led downward, something none of the mares liked whatsoever. The path also began to get narrower the further they went. Combining all that with the screams echoing through the caverns and the fact they were in the lion's den started to make the Mane Six feel very claustrophobic. They weren't helped by the fact that the lanterns lighting the path seemed to be getting dimer and the tunnel was getting darker the further they went.

Most of the Mane Six would never admit it, but there wasn't a one among them that wasn't scared out of their wits to some degree. High anxiety was felt all around as the Mane Six pushed themselves to keep going. The further they went, the more screams they heard, along with several other sounds. Some sounded like metal and stone clanging against each other and some sounded like the growls and howls of timberwolves. The one that was the worst to the group of ponies was a noise that sounded almost exactly like the cracking of a whip.

Usually the horrifying screams that echoed throughout the hallow caves would follow immediately after. The Mane Six were chilled right down to their very bones with even greater fear. All the terrible sounds they heard gave them nightmarish visions of what their origins were. What scared them even more was knowing they would see the horrible sights for themselves only momentarily. Besides the noises getting louder, the path they were traveling was starting to get brighter again.

The tunnel also began to widen, but it kept going down deeper into the volcano's interior. As disconcerting as that was on top of everything else, everypony pushed onward. They were all sweating profusely both from their fear and anxiety and the fact that it seemed like it was getting hotter the further they went. The ponies' bodies ached like crazy, for their fear was so great it was making their nerves, muscles, and bones tremble. All they could hope for was that they could somehow get themselves to use that fear as motivation to push on rather than turn back.

Eventually they started seeing openings to several different tunnels around them again, but they already knew which one they were taking. Ahead of them was the biggest, widest tunnel they had seen since the first opening they took to get into the minotaurs' base. There was a large glow of light coming from inside and all the noises they heard on their way there were louder than ever. They all sounded like they were coming from inside that tunnel, which the Mane Six knew meant they had to go in themselves. As they got closer to the edge of the large opening, the mares all slowed their steps until they eventually came to a stop right in front of it.

None of them looked inside, choosing instead to turn to each other more so for solace amongst their ranks rather than guidance or anything like that. They all saw each one of them was still feeling the immense fear that had gripped them ever so tighter since they got into the volcano. At the same time in looking to each other for comfort, they were thankful to see it seemed to be working. Slowly, but surely they saw that they were all beginning to feel far more comfortable than what they were before.

"Remember just to giggle at the ghosties," Pinkie Pie whispered.

"I hope we don't see any ghosties at all in there," Applejack said.

"Seriously," Rainbow Dash said, "things are probably gonna be bad enough with what we do find."

The Mane Six all turned their eyes ahead for only a moment before looking back to each other. Everypony nodded their head before they took in a deep breath and pushed on ahead. They all hoped that their psyches could withstand whatever terrors may have awaited them. As they passed through the cave, they came into a far larger opened area, the biggest the mares had seen thus far. What they saw in that massive cave confirmed they were going to need all the consulting and comfort they could get.

They could barely see the walls on the end of the large cave and weren't even able to see the top of it at all. There were lanterns all around, but they didn't even come close to providing enough light needed to brighten up the whole cave. What grabbed the Mane Six's attention far more was the many hundreds, possibly thousands of occupants inside. Many minotaurs either stood or marched around the cave, each one holding either a weapon or a chain tied to a timberwolf or a pony. As many minotaurs and timberwolves as there were, the number of ponies tied up in chains and working with mining tools was far larger.

What was more horrifying was the state everypony, stallion, mare, or foal was in. It was clear to see the physical health of all the ponies tied up and working like coal miners had deteriorated a great deal. They were covered and dirt and it looked like their manes, tails, and coats had not had a good brushing in a while. Worse then that, almost all the ponies were covered in bruises, cuts, burns, and other injuries of some sort. A lot of them looked like they had been there for a while and had not been given time to properly heal.

The ponies also looked like they had been deprived of food and water. Some ponies' bones were even starting to show through their skin and fur. Judging by the look on the faces of ponies that could be seen, their mental health had taken a toll as well. If that wasn't bad enough, the ponies were all forced to work no matter what age or state of health they were in. The consequence of doing otherwise was suffering an assault of some sort by one of the minotaurs who acted as guards.

If a pony dropped their pick or a similar mining tool, they were whipped. If a pony passed out, they were clubbed until they got back to work. If a pony got hurt and stopped to grieve, they were threatened by a timberwolf. The cruelty went on and on and because of it, the ponies knew they had no choice but to keep working throughout the mine no matter what. The minotaurs watching them like hawks were to mean for it to be any different.

Pony spirit had been broken and it horrified the Mane Six more than anything. Seeing how their fellow ponies were being treated broke their hearts and saddened them beyond all belief. They would hate to see any living creature treated like this, but the fact that their own kind had been turned into such badly treated slaves was soul crushing. The horrible scene of ponies being treated even worse than wild animals was on full display for the Mane Six to see with their own eyes. Nopony in the Mane Six could help themselves; there wasn't a single dry eye amongst them as they made their way through the mine.

They looked around with all of them openly sobbing at the horribleness of what was happening. As sad as the scene was, it also made them all very angry as well. In that moment, everyone of the mares felt a strong hatred for the minotaur race burning inside them. As much as they had tried to apply tolerance in their lives, seeing so many members of one species act so evil, especially to their fellow ponies, was too much to take. Of the Mane Six, Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked the most like they could go off at any second.

While the others wanted nothing more than to do the same, they knew they had to keep it together, remain calm, and stay in disguise for their plan to work. That realization helped the others cease their sobbing for the moment while they tried to consult their furious friends. Each pony put a supportive hoof on Rainbow Dash and Applejack's shoulders. The two angry mares looked to see their friends' faces. They were in just as fragile an emotional state as themselves and seeing this made the two fighting mad mares realize they needed to stay calm.

"I can't wait 'til we can blow these buckers to kingdom come," Rainbow Dash grumbled through clenched teeth.

The others quickly shushed her.

"Me, too, but to do that we have to stay calm and keep moving," Twilight Sparkle whispered.

"I know," Rainbow Dash whispered.

"Still doesn't mean we have to like it," Applejack said.

"I know how it feels, girls," Rarity said. "I look around here and I want to see these... monsters who treat ponies so cruel... I want them... You know."

"Don't get yourselves fired up too quick, everypony," Twilight Sparkle whispered. "I''ll admit, I'm doing my best to hold back from letting loose everything I have, too. But I'm holding back because we still got a lot to do before we can even think about lifting a hoof to help these poor... poor ponies."

The other mares all agreed, though the sights and sounds around them continued to break away at their emotional state, including Twilight's.

"At least... we know where all the hostages are being kept now," Pinkie Pie said.

"How can we be sure this is all of them?" Rarity whispered. "How do we know there aren't some being kept in other places around the base?"

"Look over there," Pinkie Pie said as she pointed.

The Mane Six looked around to see a bunch of cages holding even more ponies were located all around the farther side of the large cave. As if the Mane Six weren't feeling awful enough, seeing there were other ponies locked up like common zoo animals tore at them even more. Much like those working in the mines, the caged ponies looked like they were sorely mistreated as well. In every way seeing so many innocent ponies locked in steel prisons like they were less than nothing was heart wrenching as could be.

"Oh... my... word," Rarity said in an extremely saddened tone.

"I..." Rainbow Dash couldn't even finish what she was gonna say.

All six ponies felt like they were about ready to start crying all over again.

"That's it," Applejack said with an angry grit in her voice.

She nearly charged forward like she was about to go on the attack when the others quickly grabbed her. They held her back until eventually she got control of herself yet again. Everyone of the Mane Six wanted to do the same and go on the attack. They wanted to fight through every single minotaur there, but they knew that wasn't an option. As agonizing as it was to see other ponies mistreated and not do something about it, the Mane Six knew it had to be. Plus they all knew there was absolutely no chance they could take on all the minotaurs in the entire base, let alone that large mine.

"Well... at least we got a definitive answer about whether all the slaves are here or not," a tearful Rarity said.

"I- I still don't know if we can be sure," Twilight Sparkle said, sounding equally upset. "It just seems like too big of a chance to take to assume all the hostages are here and not spread out all throughout the place."

"Seems to me like they specifically want everypony here in this mine," Pinkie Pie said.

"Same," Rainbow Dash agreed.

"Do all of you feel the same way?" Twilight Sparkle asked. The other ponies all looked to each other before turning back to Twilight and nodding in agreement. "Well, we still got to look around the rest of the headquarters anyway, so we can check on that just to make sure. Let's try hard to control ourselves and keep from doing anything that could draw any attention from here on out."

"Right," the other mares whispered in agreement.

"There doesn't seem to be as many minotaurs nears the cages," Twilight Sparkle said. "Let's go over there, it should be safer to talk. But keep whispering."

The other mares followed the violet alicorn as she made her way closer to the cages.

"I... wonder what the minotaurs have everypony here digging for," Rainbow Dash said.

"I've been wondering that myself," Applejack said.

"If I had to guess, I'd say maybe some kind of gems?" Rarity suggested.

"Your answer is always gems," Rainbow Dash said in annoyance.

"Well, what else do you dig for in a mine?" Rarity asked.

"Coal, magic pockets, oil-"

"Alright, Pinkie Pie, I get the point," Rarity said. "I just want to get this done with already."

"You know, I was thinking... why don't we set all the bombs off in here?" Fluttershy suggested. The other ponies stopped and looked to their friend questioningly. "Well, think about it. Wolfhard did say just one of these bombs could take out a whole hoofball field and then some. We plant one decoy bomb in a farther part of the cave and then set up the rest all over this mine. I'm sure the combined magnitude of the blast would be enough to bring all the caverns on this side of the mountain down at least."

"Do you think there are anymore throughout the mountain?" Twilight Sparkle asked in worry.

"I'm not sure," Fluttershy admitted.

Twilight Sparkle felt herself becoming more aggravated as she tried to think of the best way to proceed going forward. The new implications Fluttershy brought only confused her more, thus the reason she couldn't think without feeling some sort of extra stress. She was starting to wonder if this was one situation she wouldn't be able to handle being in charge of. The sides of her head were throbbing and her body ached as she sweated like crazy. Flashes of a hot sensation moved through her temples and into the back of her head as she tried to think of what to do.

She wasn't having any luck at all, which is why she finally decided to think of something else instead. Rather than focus on her mission at hoof, Twilight thought about Princess Celestia, Shinning Armor, her mother, her father, Princess Cadance, and Spike. She also thought about her friends with whom she formed the Mane Six and other ponies she had come to know so well and love with all her heart. She thought about all the good times she had with them as she put a hoof to her chest and lightly sucked in a breath. Then Twilight released the breath just as gently while extending her hoof outward.

It was only after all that when she was able to truly focus and figure out what to do next.

"Don't worry, girls, we're going to be able to do this," Twilight Sparkle said sounding more confident than she had in a long time. "We're going to search as many of these tunnels as we can until we've found the Alpha Stones. When we find them, we'll come back here and set the bombs. Then we'll use the stones to teleport all the hostages out of here before setting off the triggers on all the bombs, blowing this place sky high. It'll work, I know it, because we have each other and we all have right, courage, love, and _friendship_ on our side."

Hearing the tone of Twilight's voice and how strongly she felt, how strongly she believed in what she said awakened something in the Mane Six. Like they were sure Twilight was, they still felt the weight of their situation. Only all of them now seemed to have the will to handle it better, having felt their hearts inspired by their leader's bold, courageous words. One of them, however, still had a few more concerns they felt needed to discussed before moving on.

"But, Twilight, what if things aren't that simple?" Fluttershy asked.

"Then we'll make adjustments as we go," Twilight Sparkle said. "I know all of us still aren't feeling... well, exactly a hundred percent. We're going to get past it, though, and save the day... just like always... right?"

The other mares looked to each other one more time before looking back to Twilight yet again. Most of them looked far more confident than before as they nodded their heads in agreement.

"Great, now we've found what I think we can all agree is at least the _main_ area they're keeping the hostages," Twilight Sparkle said. "Now all we need to do is investigate the rest of the caverns, find the Alpha Stones, then set the bombs. Once all the hard stuff is over, it should be clear sailing all the way."

"Here's to hopin'," Applejack said.

"We should be better hidden amongst the cages going forward," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Why should we try to hide ourselves if we're in disguise?" Fluttershy asked.

"Better to make sure we're somewhere we have less of a chance drawing attention from anyone," Twilight Sparkle said. "If we're somewhere there's less minotaurs, there's a less of a chance one will stop us to try and ask questions or something like that."

"I don't know, sneaking around a bunch of cages would look pretty suspicious to me," Pinkie Pie said.

"Then we won't make it look like we're trying to sneak around the cages," Rainbow Dash said.

"How are we gonna do that?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I don't know, trot casually," Rainbow Dash replied in an annoyed tone.

Twilight Sparkle shushed all her friends as she moved behind to a cage. The others followed before they all looked to each other questioningly.

"What's up, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Someone's coming," Twilight Sparkle whispered in reply.

"So much for not making it look like we're hiding," Applejack said.

"It was instinctual," Twilight Sparkle defended.

The Mane Six then spotted the three ponies locked in the cage they were hiding behind looking at them in confusion. All they could do was smile sheepishly, for none of them knew how to explain why the caged ponies saw six minotaurs trying to keep out of sight. As the sounds of someone approaching got louder, the Mane Six turned their attention to see who it was. Much to their horror, it was a minotaur holding a whip in one hand while using his other to drag a colt by the tail. They saw the minotaur take a few more steps before tossing the screaming and crying pegasus colt ahead of him.

"So you want a break, huh?!" the minotaur said as menacingly as he could. "Wanna crawl back into your cage like the worthless rat all you equines are and sleep it off?! Well you had a break three weeks ago! None of the other brats here get to rest that often! None of the adults are even that lucky!

"What makes you so special, huh?!... _Answer me, worm!_ "

The pony foal said nothing as he whimpered and trembled in fear of the minotaur he was looking up at. As with the rest of the ponies among the bowels of the mine, this young child wore clear signs of physical harm all over his body. His face conveyed the mental anguish he had been put through since being taken from his home and placed amongst the miserable masses. It didn't seem like his luck would get any better either, for the minotaur standing before him shook like the angry bull he was. One thing that had been made clear many times over was that minotaurs were not known for their patience.

This barbarian seemed to have a particularly sort fuse. There were only a few seconds of silence before he screamed out in anger. The Mane Six watched in horror from afar as they saw him crack his whip at the foal, who cried out in pain.

" _You little snot, I'll teach you to answer me when I tell you to!_ " the minotaur screamed before cracking his whip again.

The first time the minotaur turned his instrument of torture on the helpless child, the Mane Six could barely keep from screaming out in protest. Now seeing it happen again was more than they could bare. It was by far one of the worst things they had ever seen in their entire lives. None of them were going to stand for it either; nothing else mattered anymore. The mission didn't matter, not keeping up their facade, or finding the Alpha Stones, anything.

All that mattered was making the minotaur stop, taking his whip from him, and teaching him the lesson of a lifetime. The majority of the Mane Six moved to do just that, but were cut off by Pinkie Pie stretching out a single hoof in front of them. The other mares looked to their friend in confusion and anger, to which she turned and started walking away. Twilight and the others watched as Pinkie Pie slowly trotted in the opposite direction of the minotaur and foal, humming along the way. The others were angered even more by their friend's nonchalant attitude, but still watched as they wondered what Pinkie Pie was up to.

After a moment, Pinkie Pie slowed her trot as she started patting a front hoof across the rocky ground of the cave. The look on her face was one of intense concentration as she continued to feel out the cave floor. After a little bit her hoof seemed to hit the right spot, for a smile slowly crossed her face.

"This ought to do it," Pinkie Pie said before stomping her hoof down on the spot she had chosen.

When Pinkie Pie looked back to the minotaur and the foal, the others followed suit and waited. They were greatly impatient the entire time because the minotaur was still swinging his whip at the foal. The horrible sight made their blood boil and they wanted nothing more than to take that minotaur down. They all wanted to smack him around a good few times with his own whip. Before any of the angry ponies could lose their cool completely, however, a loud cracking sound filled the air from above.

The Mane Six all looked up to see a large chunk of rock falling from the roof of the cave. They followed the heavy chunk of earth's trajectory as it crashed down right on top of the minotaur's head. His shoulders instantly shot up as his body winced from impact. The collision of rock on skull made a loud sound like a crack in the ground was forming, which echoed throughout the cave. The pain was completely etched on the minotaur's face for all to see as he stood silently in place.

"Ooh," several of the Mane Six all said at once, imagining the pain.

The minotaur didn't move for several moments before the rock on his head split into two and the pieces rolled off onto the ground. Then, all of a sudden, many different types of weapons fell from the inside of the vest the minotaur was wearing. There was a multitude of swords and knives, brass knuckles, clubs of all kinds, and even a yo-yo with spikes on the sides. Even after all that, still the minotaur didn't move. This made the Mane Six feel confident enough to actually walk up to him, though they did so cautiously.

Once they were all around the minotaur, who pretty much looked like he was frozen in place, they looked him up in down. They saw where the two rock pieces had fallen and took notice of the weapons the minotaur had been carrying now laying at his hooves.

"Dude, what's your day job?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked at the minotaur.

"I'm a school teacher," the minotaur barely managed to say.

He fell forward, sprawling out across the ground.

"I... guess that's why he was put in charge of watching the foals?" Twilight Sparkle suggested, though she was clearly uncertain.

"He does somewhat remind me of my third grade ballet instructor," Rarity said.

"Really?!" Applejack asked as she and Rainbow Dash looked to her in surprise.

"Classes got rather cut throat sometimes from what I recall," Rarity said.

"He kind of looks like the head of my baking class, too," Pinkie Pie said. "He was also a minotaur."

"Pinkie, how did you know that... when you... the rock... his head-" Rainbow Dash was unable to find the words needed to ask her question.

"When you've grown up around rocks like I did, they become like second nature," Pinkie Pie explained.

"Hey, what's going on over there?!"

The Mane Six turned to see two minotaur coming in their direction. The beats of their hearts increased in speed and felt like they were getting caught in the mares' throats. They stood completely still like deer caught in headlights. The minotaurs stopped as they looked around like they were annoyingly confused.

"Well, what happened here?!" one of the minotaurs demanded impatiently.

"We heard what sounded like a rock falling," the other minotaur said. Then his eyes widened as he pointed a finger. "By the light's might, what happened to him?!"

The Mane Six then looked to see what the minotaur was pointing at. It ended up being the fallen bull that had been knocked out by the rock. While the Mane Six stayed frozen up to that point, they were also confused as to why the minotaurs didn't attack. Then the mares realized they still had their disguises in tact and everyone was still seeing them as minotaurs. It dawned on them that the minotaurs weren't asking them questions as intruders, but fellow soldiers in their ranks.

"Uh- that's just what happened," Twilight Sparkle said while trying her best to sound like a minotaur. "A rock fell from the top of the cave and hit this dude... We- uh, were just trying to get him some medical aid and deal with this pony he was- uh, taking back to his cage."

The two real minotaurs looked from Twilight to the rest of the Mane Six then the foal and then their fallen comrade.

"Carry on then and make it quick," one of the minotaurs said before they both took off.

The Mane Six all breathed a sigh of relief, which was followed by a small snicker. Everyone looked to see Pinkie Pie was the culprit.

"Pinkie, what's the matter with you?" Rainbow Dash whispered. "We almost got killed there."

"I know, but... Twilight's minotaur voice was kinda funny," Pinkie Pie replied.

The others ponies' eyes widened before then turning to Twilight. After a few moments, several of them had to hold back small snickers of their own, to which the violet alicorn rolled her eyes.

"Sit him up against a cage," Twilight Sparkle said as she pointed to the fallen minotaur. "It'll look like he's sleeping."

"Right," Applejack and Rainbow Dash said before doing as they were instructed.

The Mane Six's attention was taken by the fearful whimpering of the pegasus colt reaching their ears. They looked to see the terrified pony looking up at them from where he was laying, his eyes conveying the immense fear he felt. Twilight and the others looked from the colt to each other with sadness before they began to gather around him.

"What about him?" Fluttershy asked.

The foal's voice trembled even more as he tried scooting away from what he saw as six circling minotaurs. It didn't matter to him that they all seemed shorter than most of the others around. All the foal knew was that he was surrounded by a half dozen of the savages that had caused him and his fellow ponies so much misery. Of course that was only how the colt saw it, for in truth he was surrounded by six deeply concerned mares who wanted nothing more than to help him. Twilight Sparkle knelt down and looked the colt directly in the eye, which only made him all the more afraid.

He couldn't see the almost motherly concern in Twilight's eyes as she used her magic to lift him up off the ground. What the colt saw was two massive hands reaching out, grabbing him, and lifting him against his will. The young pegasus wanted to scream in horror, but couldn't make his voice work right. All he could was squirm helplessly as he was lifted up. To his surprise, however, the minotaur wasn't careless or aggressive like every other horned beast before.

This minotaur was much more gentle and seemed to actually be cradling him. When Twilight Sparkle saw the surprise on the colt's face, she couldn't help but want to giggle. Despite all his body had been put through, Twilight Sparkle still found the pegasus foal to be very adorable, much how she saw most children. Twilight placed the foal over her shoulder as she and the rest of the Mane Six moved on to look for where the child's cage. They did their best not to be noticed by any stray minotaur eyes, but again it seemed there weren't as many guards watching the caged ponies.

They still ran across some guards on patrol, but most of the effort seemed to be on watching the ponies actually digging in the mine. Every time the Mane Six saw any minotaurs, they all had the instinct to try and hide behind a cage, though they fought against it. The Mane Six just kept walking by, seeing every sad and distraught face of the ponies locked up and abused. The horrible sights of so many ponies mistreated to such incredible feats made the mares want to cry, but they also wanted to fight a war. They wanted to take on every minotaur they could and free all the ponies there.

Twilight Sparkle and her friends knew they had to be more careful than to go in all guns blazing, though. The Mane Six just had to control themselves a little longer as hard as it may have been. As they walked on, the sounds of light, somewhat stunted sobs reached the ears of the Mane Six. They knew instantly it was coming from the young colt Twilight Sparkle was cradling. It crushed them all to hear the young pony crying so sadly while knowing there wasn't anything they could do about it.

Twilight, however, wasn't going to settle for it anymore. The child was in her care and she wasn't going to let him suffer so much without doing something about it. Much to everypony's surprise, especially the colt's, Twilight Sparkle lifted a hoof and gentle rubbed it across her ward's back. The other mares looked to Twilight Sparkle with alarm, to which she responded with an insistent look. The other mares looked to the child for a moment before turning to one another and nodding their heads.

They kept moving, trying to wade their way through the cages full of ponies and the surprisingly few minotaurs guarding them. While the young pegasus was still in a fragile state, physically and mentally, he wanted to get a look at the minotaur carrying him. He wanted to see who among some many horrible brutes would show even the slightest bit of kindness to him or anypony for that matter. That would have to wait, for both the colt's efforts and the Mane Six's trotting was interrupted.

"Please!" a voice called out

The Mane Six all looked wildly to find where the voice had come from all of a sudden.

"Who said that?" Rainbow Dash said a little louder than she meant to.

"Please, bring the kid to me." The Mane Six looked to see an older looking Earth pony stallion staring at them with desperate, pleading, and concerned eyes. "I'm beggin' you, please let me take care of the kid. If you bulls have any sort of decency, please let me look after him and see that he's properly cared for."

The Mane Six looked baffled as they stared at the stallion who seemed so desperate to take the foal in his care. They looked to one another as if to silently ask what they should do. Everypony turned to Twilight Sparkle, who herself turned to the foal. She used her magic to hold him out so they could look each other in the face. The pegasus foal was Finally getting to see the face of the minotaur who treated him better than any others.

The colt was still very afraid, but his face conveyed a great curiosity. The pegasus colt turned his head to the side and it was only then that he was finally able to seethe true feelings Twilight felt. Her care and compassion for the foal melted through into the face of her magical minotaur disguise. This surprised the colt to the greatly as conveyed in his widening eyes. Upon seeing the reaction of her ward, Twilight was unable to keep herself from smiling in amusement.

Seeing a minotaur do this shocked both the colt and the Earth pony stallion in the cage nearby. They had seen minotaurs smile before, but they were always cruel grins of sadistic pleasure they took in ponies' suffering. This one was clearly different and the colt wasn't about to let that fact slip by him. Rather than try to figure out why this minotaur was so nice, the child decided to take advantage of it. He stretched his limbs towards the cage that held the semi-elderly Earth pony stallion.

Then the colt looked deep into the minotaur's eyes, practically pleading with his own.

"Please," the colt managed to rasp out.

Like before, he was able to see the sympathy in Twilight's true eyes bleeding through into her outer disguise. She looked to the other members of the Mane Six and they all silently agreed on what to do next. The colt actually lightly gasped when the minotaur holding him began to carry him to the cage both he and the older stallion requested. The stallion was just as surprised as he watched the minotaur the pegasus colt to him. Though the Earth pony was still suspicious the entire time, he kept quiet as he cautiously watched the minotaur and his five companions approach.

Fluttershy looked through the keys she took off the guard Pinkie Pie knocked out until she found the right one for the cage. She then unlocked and opened the door, allowing Twilight Sparkle to enter. The alicorn mare gently handed the colt over to the Earth pony, who gladly took him. Both minotaur prisoners were completely flabbergasted by the guard's kind gesture.

"Th- Thank you," the Earth pony said. He took a minute to smile at the young foal he held before looking back to the minotaurs around his cell. "No minotaur has ever answered my requests before. They usually either go out of their way to spite me or... send someone else to give me a rough time."

"Yeah, well... there you are," Twilight Sparkle said with a very unconvincing minotaur impression.

Both the Earth pony and the colt raised eyebrows as they looked upon the minotaurs with even greater interest.

"Okay, what gives?" the Earth pony stallion said, the volume of his voice increasing. "You don't talk like any minotaur I've heard before. You're going out of your way to sound gruff and tough. Minotaurs don't need to do that, so what's your game?!"

The Mane Six shushed the older stallion before looking around to make sure he didn't attract any unwanted attention. Once they saw the coast was clear, the mares all gathered around and whispered amongst themselves. The Earth pony stallion and the pegasus colt looked on in confusion before the minotaurs they saw dispersed their huddle.

"Okay, what we're about to show you will be shocking," Twilight Sparkle whispered. "But please don't make too much noise. They'll find us out before we can do what we came here to do."

The Mane Six looked to each other one more time before a quick flash of light emitted from Twilight's horn. And for only two or three seconds, the caged Earth pony stallion and pegasus colt saw the minotaurs in front of them for what they really were. The sight standing before the two caged ponies utterly shocked and amazed them to a level neither had felt before.

"I... I don't... believe..." the Earth pony stallion couldn't find the words to truly express his astonishment.

What the stallion and the colt saw were the images of six stunning, beautiful, and most importantly, free mares. All of them looked to be healthy enough to run several miles and back and still have enough to take a minotaur head on. Clearly none of them had fallen victim to the cruelty of the minotaurs the way everypony else in that mine had. The Mane Six were doing their best to put on brave faces, some smiling while others just tried to look confident. Twilight Sparkle continued to look at the colt as passionately as if he were her own child.

Though it only lasted a short moment, the sight of the Mane Six standing free amongst the minotaurs' ranks was enough to make both caged ponies smile. They were slightly taken aback when the disguise spell around the Mane Six resumed and the two male ponies saw six minotaurs in front of them again. But they knew deep in their heart of hearts that what they saw before were true, blue ponies. No minotaur could access such magic, so the Earth pony and the pegasus knew those they saw were equines just like them.

"But how-?"

"Hey, what was that?!" a voice called, cutting off the Earth pony.

"Did one of those unicorns get their magic compressors off their necks?!" another called out.

Rainbow Dash rushed to intercept the two minotaurs coming to investigate.

"Quick, close the cage!" the stallion whispered urgently.

Reluctantly, Rarity did as the Earth pony instructed and shut the cage door. Fluttershy hesitated even more in locking the cage, though she knew she had to in order to avoid anything looking suspicious. It still felt wrong for her to do it, but the look of approval from both the stallion and the colt helped her get through actually doing the deed. Everypony looked to see Rainbow Dash coming back their way.

"It's all good," Rainbow Dash whispered. "My minotaur voice is a lot better than Twilight's."

The alicorn princess lightly rolled her eyes, but knew her friend was probably right.

"At the risk of getting you caught, you think you girls could stick around a little longer to explain what's going on?" the Earth pony stallion whispered. "You are girls, right? I- I saw right and my eyes weren't deceiving me into seeing something I liked? You're young fillies?"

"Ooh, why so interested?" Rarity asked as she gave a somewhat sultry smile. "You wouldn't be flirting with us now, would you?

"No, ma'am, I'm happily married," the Earth pony stallion replied. "But you young ladies were still quite the nice sight for these sore, old eyes. Any free pony would be, but still. Now what's this all about? Are you girls from Willowbrook or Seaside or something?"

"No, sir, we're from Equestria," Fluttershy answered.

"Equestria?" the stallion said in a stunned tone. "You came from the mainland?"

"Yes, sir, we were asked to come here and help," Twilight Sparkle explained.

"Amazing... then they finally managed to get through to Equestria and get help," the stallion said as he lowered his head.

Clearly he was getting lost in his thoughts and emotions, but now the Mane Six had questions of their own for the white furred Earth pony.

"Do you live in Willowbrook?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Why, yes... yes, I do," the stallion replied as he looked back to the Mane Six.

"Then, quickly, I got to know, can you tell me which of these ponies is the chief of Willowbrook?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "You know, Strong Courage?"

The stallion let a small smile cross his face.

"Yeah, I could tell you who's Strong Courage," the stallion replied.

"Then you know him?" Rarity asked.

"Well, of course I know him... he's me," the stallion said.

"Wha-?!"

Twilight Sparkle had to have her mouth covered as the other ponies all shushed her.

"Get a hold of yourself, Twi," Applejack whispered.

Despite the orange furred pony's words, she and the other mares looked just as surprised by the reveal of the stallion's true identity. They looked at him with complete awe, which actually made him chuckle a little bit.

"I haven't had a mare look at me like that since I met my wife," Strong Courage said.

Twilight Sparkle lightly pushed the hoof of Rainbow Dash away from her mouth before stepping in closer.

"So you're Moon Bright's husband?" Rarity asked.

"You're Muse's step father?" Fluttershy asked.

"You're TJ's dad?" Twilight Sparkle said in amazement.

"He does kind of look like him in the face, don't he?" Applejack added on.

"The answer is yes to all your questions," the brown maned Earth pony replied. "I'm all those things, including the co-chief of Willowbrook. I got that honor when I married my darling Moon Bright."

"Guess being the head of a village wasn't all it was cracked up to be, huh?" Rainbow Dash said.

"I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat," Strong Courage said. "I still very much love my wife and my whole family. I love my village and the ponies who live in it, too. The cause we're fighting for is more than worth it alone. Still, my family was the most important thing to me and still is."

"Oh, yeah, you're TJ's dad alright," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I take it, you've gotten to know my son?" Strong Courage said. "You've gotten close to him?"

Something about the way the older stallion said his last sentence made Twilight uncomfortable.

"Yes... but not that- I mean-"

"Oh, looks like it's closer than I thought," Strong Courage said.

"You have no idea," Pinkie Pie said.

"TJ's the one that came and got us from Equestria," Fluttershy explained.

"He was on his way to the castle in Canterlot to see the princess when he saw our town," Rarity said.

"More like he saw Godzilla," Rainbow Dash said.

"Godzilla?" Strong Courage said in confusion.

"He's a friend of ours," Twilight Sparkle explained. "He came with us to help you all on this island."

"That's great news, the more help, the merrier," Strong Courage said. "Is he here with you girls or back at the village?"

"He's outside with Anguirus fighting Solomon and Hedorah," Twilight Sparkle explained.

"He's what?!" Strong Courage said louder than he probably should've. The others shushed him quickly, to which he complied, going back to whispering. "Why is this Godzilla friend of yours outside fighting kaiju?!"

The Mane Six looked to each other and smiled before turning back to Strong Courage.

"Well, you see Mr. Courage," Fluttershy began, "Godzilla is outside helping Anguirus fight the minotaurs' monsters because... he's a monster, too."

* * *

 **Some quick announcements: First no more author's notes after every chapter. Those will be reserved for the first and last chapters only. The only exception is for major announcements like this. So if any of you guest reviewers want your questions answered, you're gonna have to make accounts on this website and private message them to me, otherwise I won't answer them. I can respond to guest reviews like I can reviews form people with profiles on this site. Sorry, but my decision is final.**

 **My second announcement is that I will be taken some time off from writing this story to work on a project a friend of mine asked me to help out with. Sorry, but friends come first, so if you don't like it, you're gonna have to deal with it. Sorry for sounding stand offish, but I already know I was gonna get flack for taking a break from this story. To those who are patient with me, I sincerely thank you for putting up with how long it takes to make these stories. For those who aren't patient... Well, you already read what I had to say.**

 **But stay tuned, my friends and loyal readers, there's still more excitement to come from this story. Until then, there is no storm until I write it... Sorry, trying to find a new sign off call. LOL**


	28. Chapter 28: Follow the Light

Hedorah wailed out as he fired his heat vision at Anguirus. Several different red beams of intensely burning energy danced all across the quadrupedal kaiju's body. The beams caused several explosions to ignite all over Anguirus, though his spike covered shell took the brunt of the assault. Anytime parts of his bare skin were hit, Anguirus would howl out in pain. He felt the intensity of every painful blast he skin took and his body felt like it wanted to crumble in on itself.

Anguirus refused to let himself fall, though, instead standing tall and looking strong as he glared defiantly. Seeing this increased Hedorah's anger, making the smog monster wail furiously, to which Anguirus howled in reply. Shortly after, the beast of pollution released a black cloud of of poisonous gas. The smokey wave of toxic vapors consumed Anguirus, but it would be not enough to stop him. Instead, the highly courageous monster ran forward through the poisonous mist and charged directly at Hedorah.

This surprised the blob of toxicity, even making his eyes widen as he braced himself for impact. As soon as Anguirus collided with Hedorah's body, several large globs of his slimy exterior flew all over the place. The smog monster had to try desperately to keep from falling over, while Anguirus had to fight through the burning pain that came from touching Hedorah. Forcing himself to endure, the four legged monster of might actually took it a step forward. He pushed himself up until he was only standing on his lower feet, using his front paws to swipe at Hedorah.

The assault went on for a little bit longer with the talons of Anguirus' burning paws ripping and tossing several parts of Hedorah all over the place. Seeing that his acid-like exterior wasn't going to be enough to stop Anguirus, Hedorah quickly thought of something else. The smog monster simply allowed himself to fall forward onto Anguirus, surprising the spike covered kaiju greatly. He lifted his paws to stop the large blob, but the combination of a lack of a solid body and yet a surprisingly heavy weight was too much to hold back. Anguirus fell back on top of his spiky shell with all of Hedorah's burning, gooey body nearly consuming him.

Meanwhile, another kaiju was on his back and also having a tough time of it. Solomon tried desperately to swipe and claw, basically doing anything to get Godzilla off him. All his efforts seemed in vain, for Godzilla sat perfectly on top of Solomon's chest while rapidly throwing punch after steel shattering punch. The king of monsters was absolutely relentless in his assault aimed at Solomon's face. The gargoyle-like monster had already known his opponent was powerful, having fought him before.

Still, he couldn't believe the immense force that was on display by the ever-so-mighty kaiju that was Godzilla. He'd never felt anything before like the pounding he was taking from the leviathan. Finally, it seemed like Godzilla was ready to change tactics or at least was tired of Solomon's desperately flailing arms. He grabbed onto both of Solomon's wrists and forced his arms down on the ground. Then, much to Solomon's alarm and slight confusion, Godzilla started to lean in closer to him.

Godzilla's mouth opened wide as he bit deep into Solomon's left shoulder. The skull faced kaiju shrieked in agony as he felt Godzilla's sharp fangs sink deep into his flesh. He tried desperately to shake himself free of Godzilla's wrath. His desperation and his strength were no match for Godzilla's girth, his determination, or his razor-like fangs. Blood flowed like a trickling river from the wound as Godzilla's teeth seemed to sink deeper.

It looked like Solomon was surely at the mercy of Godzilla, who had none to give to the evil monster. That was when he thought of a way to release himself from his predicament. Solomon wasn't sure about it, though, for doing what he was thinking of could do serious damage to him, too. Feeling the grip of Godzilla's bite intensify convinced Solomon there was no avoiding it. Thus he ultimately decided to do the crazy deed he was thinking of.

Solomon's head turned until his eyes were fixated on Godzilla's own left shoulder, which was almost directly in front of him. With only the smallest of hesitation, Solomon built up a gathering of energy in his mouth. Only a short moment later did he release it in the form of one of his orange energy orbs. The shot of power hit Godzilla's shoulder and instantly set off a large explosion. Because of how tight the space between Solomon's face and Godzilla's shoulder was, the burst of flames caused damage to both kaiju.

Instantly Godzilla was sent rolling off Solomon as he shrieked in pain, grabbing at his burning shoulder all the while. Once Solomon's hands were free, they shot up to his aching face as he flailed all across the ground while screaming. After several moments, the blue and gray kaiju's body laid still as he pulled his hands away from his still smoking face. The last streams faded away, revealing that Solomon's injured features had taken the shape of a raging scowl. Despite all the pain he was still feeling, the greatly angered beast of fury forced himself to sit up.

He turned to see Godzilla was still laying on the ground, his right hand desperately grasping at his left shoulder. The sight of his hated foe ignited Solomon's anger to even greater heights, as did seeing Godzilla starting to push himself up. Solomon quickly sprang up to his feet and fired several shots of his energy orbs all across Godzilla's body, making him scream out in pain. The skull faced monster then rushed up to Godzilla and swung a mighty kick into his side. The impact sent Godzilla rolling across the ground before stopping on his side.

Solomon ran up and began repeatedly kicking Godzilla in his midsection. After eight or so kicks, Solomon fired three more orbs down upon Godzilla before he began stomping on him. Solomon then used his wings to fly up and shoot more orbs before coming down, feet first, on top of Godzilla. He then stomped a foot down on Godzilla's neck and then his face before jumping off of the fallen saurian. Godzilla looked up and weakly reached a hand forth before receiving a kick in the face courtesy of Solomon.

In the time Solomon was putting a beat down on Godzilla, Anguirus had managed to roll onto his stomach and pull half of his body out from under Hedorah's girth. Unfortunately for him, the spike covered monster was given a front row seat of the thrashing Godzilla was taking. He did not like anything he saw; the sight of one of his closest friends getting so brutally beaten was more than Anguirus could take. It infuriated him greatly and he wanted nothing more than to go over and to give Solomon his own whooping, but more importantly help Godzilla. The armadillo and ankylosaurus-like monster was having trouble, however, getting the rest of his body out from underneath Hedorah's blobby body.

Every moment of every second underneath the smog monster's slimy exterior was one of pain and misery. Hedorah's body continued to burn all that it touched, including Anguirus' hide. The strong willed kaiju would go through it a hundred times if that meant getting to help Godzilla. That resolve helped Anguirus fight against all the pain to push himself harder to get free. He used every ounce of strength he could muster to pull himself out from underneath his gooey captor.

In the meantime, unfortunately, Anguirus was still having to watch Solomon use his incredible strength to lift Godzilla off the ground. Helplessly Anguirus watched in wide eyed horror as Solomon pressed Godzilla over his head. Clearly the gargoyle of monstrosity was having trouble holding Godzilla up, but he would solve that problem before it could escalate. Solomon turned around and, with everything he physically had, tossed the king of kaiju far away. Godzilla sailed many yards through the air before crashing into the rocky ground.

Solomon roared as he wildly thrashed around the savage animal he was. Anguirus looked to Godzilla in concern, for the fallen kaiju looked to almost be unconscious. He let out but one weak groan and only lightly moved before he went completely motionless. That was all the motivation Anguirus needed to find the fury and the power he needed. The angry monster turned his scowl to Solomon before he intensified his push to get himself out from under Hedorah.

This time, it was only a matter of seconds before Anguirus was free to charge at the gargoyle he had fought many battles with in the past. This time he was going to be sure to let Solomon know just how personal it was. Solomon didn't need to hear the howls of the infuriated Anguirus to know he was coming for him. The ground rumbling from the four legged beast's fast pace stomping was enough. Solomon turned to see Anguirus was just about to plow him into the ground and reacted accordingly.

Solomon kicked his right foot into the side of Anguirus' face before letting loose a massive volley of punches. Eventually the furious right and left hooks turned into right haymakers only, which were still just as mighty. Solomon threw his punches so fast it was impossible to tell how many he threw to Anguirus' face before he changed tactics. He ended up kicking his left foot up into Anguirus' lower jaw. That appeared to be not so effective, for Anguirus pushed up on his back feet while he swung his front claws across Solomon's torso.

The two legged monster roared in surprise as his four legged foe continued swiping his claws and even began biting at him. Solomon did his absolute best to hold back Anguirus' attack. Every move he made to try countering Anguirus, lead to him getting hurt, having fallen victim to the sharpness of Anguirus' claws, teeth, and spikes. Finally, in an act of desperation, Solomon charged forward and wrapped his arms around Anguirus. He was unable to squeeze Anguirus with a tight of a wrestling grip like he might've due to the dinosaur-like kaiju's spikes.

Instead of relying on wrestling, Solomon began punching his left fist into Anguirus' exposed underbelly. The spiky shelled kaiju howled as he felt the blows swing into his hide at an unimaginable speed. The assault seemed to pay off enough for Solomon to take advantage of it. He stepped to the side and used his amazing strength and agility to toss Anguirus away with an almost judo-like hip toss. Anguirus roared in protest as he was flipped over and crashed into the ground.

At first it seemed like Solomon would have a chance to breathe and gather himself. His moment's rest ended prematurely because Anguirus was already getting back up to charge again. Solomon roared in disbelief and frustration as he stretched out his arms to catch what almost seemed like the world's largest freight train. Anguirus sprung up on his hind legs again as he tried to ram his upper body against Solomon. Despite putting his arms up and bracing himself, Solomon wasn't quite able to block all of Anguirus' attack.

The spiky shelled titan was not to be denied as he clamped his jaws down on Solomon's left shoulder, the same one Godzilla had bitten into before. Solomon roared out in anguish as he felt his previously obtained wound worsening from the new assault. Desperately, the skull faced monster started swinging his right fist into Anguirus' exposed under side. He wasn't able to swing his body shots with the same force or ferocity as before, but it was still enough to leave an impression. They even made Anguirus loosen his bite enough that Solomon was able to pull away and free his shoulder.

Unfortunately for the bat winged freak a small chunk of his flesh remained lodged in Anguirus's mouth. Rather than taking the time to check himself or focus on, Solomon fought through pain as he shot several of his energy orbs at his opponent. Every blast connected with Anguirus, exploding across his underbelly, his front legs, and even his neck. Solomon savored every cry of agony Anguirus let forth, but it wasn't enough. Solomon kicked up his left foot directly into Anguirus' face, which knocked him off his feet and sent him rolling away.

Solomon raised his head into the air as he roared out triumphantly before examining his fallen adversary. Seeing the pain he had caused the quadruped gave the demon a sense of satisfaction. When he saw Anguirus was already starting to stir, however, it sent Solomon into a raging fit. After throwing his tantrum, the kaiju began to march forth with the intent to finish off Anguirus once and for all. He never saw it coming when a massive blue and white beam of burning power came from out of nowhere and struck him.

Solomon cried out in surprise and agony as the beam burned into him and ignited explosions everywhere it touched. He didn't even get the chance to recover, for Godzilla came charging in with a mighty roar as he rammed into Solomon. The winged kaiju just barely managed to stay standing despite his pain. More came when Godzilla swung his open claws up into Solomon's lower jaw like he was swinging an uppercut. From there Godzilla began rapidly swinging his claws across his evil foe's like an animal seeking blood.

After several claw swipes, Godzilla changed tactics and kicked his left foot into Solomon's gut. As the hurting kaiju grabbed at his midsection, Godzilla reached out and actually scooped up Solomon in his arms. It almost looked like Godzilla was going to slam Solomon down into the hard ground. Instead, Godzilla lifted Solomon up high and, with all of his might, heaved in his foe through the air in retaliation for what he had been put through before. Solomon roared out in before his body crashed with a hard bounce and was sent rolling across the ground.

When Solomon stopped rolling, Godzilla roared in satisfaction, despite not being done with the fallen kaiju. Godzilla was beginning to advance on Solomon when he was suddenly struck from the side by red laser blasts and sludge globs. Suddenly Hedorah stomped in, wailing all the way, as he draped himself over Godzilla's back. The king of monsters roared out as he felt the burning sensations caused by contact with Hedorah effect his whole body.

* * *

" _Are you_ -"

All of the Mane Six were quick to shush Strong Courage before his shouting could get them noticed.

"Right, my apologies," Strong Courage whispered. "But are you freaking serious? There's actually another kaiju on this island that wants to protect ponies and not kill them? There's actually a good monster that isn't a tool for the minotaurs?"

"Yep, there _actually_ is," Pinkie Pie answered.

"It's a long story," Twilight Sparkle said, "but basically Godzilla's our friend and he jumped at the chance to come help us help you when he first heard about it."

"Wow..." Strong Courage let out in amazement. The foal he was holding looked to be equally amazed. "So there really is another kaiju to help Anguirus with the big stuff? That's great to hear, especially since that's something we've never been able to do, not very good at least. But this... Godzilla of yours... is he good at what he's suppose to do?"

A couple of the Mane Six snorted while others fared better at holding back the fits of laughter they wanted so much to let loose.

"Uh... sure, let's just say he's _good_ at what he does," Applejack said with a wink.

"That good, huh?" Strong Courage said with a small smile on his face. "Well, I'm glad to hear it. For so long... we ponies of Willowbrook, of Pony Tale Island have been on our own. We had each other, of course, but it never seemed like it was enough. Even when we got Anguirus, we were still outmatched.

"We just couldn't catch a break and neither could poor Anguirus. By default, he always had to handle the biggest problems for us. Even when we tried to help him, either he'd turn us away to keep us safe or what we could do barely made a difference. Still Anguirus did all he could to protect us... and unfortunately he paid the price for his bravery. No matter what happened, Anguirus would always come out of a fight looking like a beat up punching bag.

"He was brave, though, gotta give him that. Anguirus took everything the minotaurs threw at him and what he could intercept that was thrown at us. Each time he would always get back up and ask for more until he had nothing left to give... You know, I still don't know how Anguirus is even still alive today, but I thank the stars above that he is. Strange how much could change in any given amount of time.

"Before Anguirus was one of the kaiju we dreaded seeing just like the others. I assume they told you down in the village everything that's happened since this whole thing got started?"

"Mm-hmm," the Mane Six all replied together.

"Yup, we're well up to speed," Applejack added on.

"I see," Strong Courage said. "I'm still amazed by it. I mean, what were the odds that Muse, my step daughter running away would lead to not only her becoming an alicorn, but Anguirus switching sides to ours? Whatever the odds, I'm glad it happened because Anguirus has become a true guardian if there ever was one... and he's a good friend, too. He may not be the biggest, the strongest, the fastest, may not even have as sharp of teeth... but he's got heart the likes of which is very rare.

"I'm glad he has help going against the minotaurs' monsters, especially from someone as great as you girls say this Godzilla of yours is."

"Oh, trust me... he... is... that... darn... good," Rainbow Dash said.

"Well, that explains everything with the giant monsters," Strong Courage said. "But you girls haven't told me yet what you're doing here. I mean, you got yourselves into the minotaur base, now what exactly is it you plan to do now that you're here?"

"Well, it goes like this," Applejack started.

"First, we wanna find the Alpha Stones the minotaurs have," Rainbow Dash said. "That includes the one they took from Willowbrook."

" _They_..."

"Control yourself, Mr. Courage," Rarity whispered, cutting off the stallion's shouting.

"They what?!" Strong Courage whispered.

"Yes, it's true, Strong Courage," Twilight Sparkle said. "The two unicorns, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning managed to get the green Alpha Stone from your wife and step daughter."

"They fought back as hard as they could but..." Fluttershy wasn't able to finish what she was saying, feeling a catch in her throat.

"Khaos and Dark had the blue Alpha Stone with them," Applejack finished.

Strong Courage looked as if he were hit in the neck by a dart. He lowered his gaze as everything started to sink in more clearly.

"Then our worst fears have been realized," Strong Courage said. "Then that only begs the question what other Alpha Stones do they have also in their possession if they were hiding the blue one and stole the green one from Moon Bright and Muse... _Those savages! Those ponies, they're not even ponies, they are savages for doing what they did to my wife and daughter! How could they be so heartless and cruel to their own kind, to ponies who only ever wanted peace and love that were forced into this war?!_ "

There were tears clearly forming in Strong Courage's eyes for all to see. The Mane Six looked on solemnly as the once proud Earth pony stallion lightly sobbed.

"I know how you feel," Twilight Sparkle whispered as she leaned in closer.

"We all do," Fluttershy said.

Strong Courage looked back up with glaring eyes still filled with tears.

"Well, all I know is they better hope I never get out of here," Strong Courage said. "Because if I do... I'll see to it that I have my hooves on their throats."

"That's the other thing we want to do," Pinkie Pie whispered.

"You said what?" Strong Courage asked.

"After we find the stones and take them, we're gonna bust out all the ponies," Pinkie Pie said. "We're gonna pull off the best jailbreak ever and probably the only true justified one."

"The Alpha Stones should help make that part and the next go swimmingly," Rarity said.

"What's the next part?" Strong Courage asked, sounding a little excited.

"We're gonna teleport the hostages out of here with the stones," Twilight Sparkle said.

"And then blow this place sky high!" Rainbow Dash said in an excited whisper.

Both Strong Courage and the pegasus foal he held looked even more amazed than they had before.

"No way," the pegasus colt managed to hoarse out.

"That's really what you're planning on doing?!" Strong Courage asked while remembering to keep his voice down.

"If there's a way we can do it, we're gonna," Applejack said as the other mares nodded in agreement.

"The minotaurs have gotten away with what they've been doing to you all for too long," Twilight Sparkle said. "We think that today they're making their final move, but we're here to beat them to it! Their oppression of innocent ponies won't go unpunished any longer. We're gonna fight with all our hearts to stop them!"

Strong Courage looked on at the Mane Six in astonished silence. He couldn't believe how bold and determined these young mares he met less than twenty minutes before were. They spoke like they had been through it all and were more than willing to do more. They talked just like they believed in every single word they said. It still baffled Strong Courage, even when he went to speak again.

"I don't believe it... I can't think of a darn thing to say," Strong Courage said. He sighed before pausing for a moment. "You know, I gotta admit, this whole plan sounds crazy... But I think you fillies may just be the ponies, whether crazy enough or brave enough, to do it right."

"Oh, trust me, some of us are crazy," Rainbow Dash said.

"Nice of you to finally come out and say it, Dashie," Pinkie Pie said.

The pegasus mare's eyes widened before lowering into a glower.

"Pinkie, I was talking about yo..." Rainbow Dash stopped herself and smiled with embarrassment. "Okay, maybe I'm a little crazy, too."

Strong Courage chuckled a little bit.

"Well, you're also a very brave pony as well," Strong Courage said. It was then that a subtle hint of confusion crossed the stallion's face. "In fact, you kind of remind me of somepony I know... Besides having the same attitude as her, you look a lot like her, too. Tell me, have you had the chance to meet a pegasus named Firefly?"

All the mares of the Mane Six snorted as they nearly busted out laughing. All this did was confuse Strong Courage even more.

"What?" the Earth pony demanded.

"Um... let's just say, yeah, I've met her," Rainbow Dash said.

"We all have," Applejack said.

"She's a great pony," Twilight Sparkle added.

"And my mom," Rainbow Dash finished up.

"She's your-?!" yet again Strong Courage had to catch himself. "You're Firefly's daughter?... That's incredible... but it makes so much sense. Besides looking like her, you've got the exact same fire in you... It's a true honor to know you... What are your names again?"

"Oh, how rude of us not to introduce ourselves properly right off. My name is Rarity."

"Howdy, my name is Applejack."

"I'm Fluttershy."

"Name's Rainbow Dash."

"You can call me Pinkie Pie!"

"And I'm Twilight Sparkle."

" _Princess_ Twilight Sparkle," Rainbow Dash added.

"Then... you really are another alicorn?" Strong Courage said with renewed interest. "My eyes weren't deceiving me when I saw a horn and folded wings on you?"

"Yes, sir, Strong Courage," Twilight said with a slight bow of her head.

"Oh, wow... it is a sincere pleasure to meet you," Strong Courage said. "It's great to meet _all_ of you."

The Mane Six spoke at the same time as they told Strong Courage in their own ways it was nice to meet him, too.

"It feels great getting to meet the pony so close to a bunch of our new friends we've come to love so much," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I can tell how much _you_ particularly _love_ one of them," Strong Courage said with a small smirk. "A father can tell these things."

Twilight Sparkle only smiled as she lightly blushed. Suddenly her mind snapped back to her immediate task at hoof.

"No time for that, now," Twilight Sparkle said. "We need to get back on track of why we're here. We've already taken too much time as it is... It's just... you..."

"I know, princess, and I agree," Strong Courage said, his demeanor changing to match Twilight's. "Talking time's over. You girls are in the middle of something very important and taking a big risk to do it. If there's anything I can help with..."

"Actually, there is something," Fluttershy said.

"Of course, anything, just name it," Strong Courage insisted.

"Is this where all the pony hostages are?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yes, as far as I know," Strong Courage said. "I've only ever been here and I see them bring in new ponies all the time. They never take ponies out unless they're dea... Well, you know."

"Of course," Twilight Sparkle said with a slight tremble in her voice. "Have you seen them bring in other kinds of hostages besides just ponies?"

"No, just us equines... the dirty rats," Strong Courage said with strong contempt.

"So since you've only been to this part of the caves, I guess you couldn't give us the layout of the rest of the place?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Sorry, I can't," Strong Courage said. "I've been in this mine so long I don't even remember the way they took to drag me here kicking and screaming... What, I sure wasn't gonna make it easy for those horn heads to take me."

"This next question is more of a curiosity piece than anything else," Twilight Sparkle said. "Do you have any idea how two ponies could possibly turn their backs on basically their whole species and join up with an outfit this evil?"

"Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning are _not_ ponies," Strong Courage said, sounding more serious than he had before. "They're demons in ponies' clothing... That's the only way I can justify ponies so evil being able to exist and join such equally vile creatures. I don't know why they joined the minotaurs and frankly, I don't care anymore. I just want to see them go up with the rest of them... especially after what you told me they did to Moon Bright and Muse."

"I'll personally guarantee that it happens," Twilight Sparkle said, her demeanor matching Strong's.

"I truly believe you will," Strong Courage said. "So... is there anything else I can help you girls with?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think so," Twilight Sparkle said. "We need to find the Alpha Stones and I know you don't know where they are. The best thing you can do until we're ready to come back... is what you're doing with him."

Twilight Sparkle pointed her hoof to the pegasus colt Strong Courage still held in his embrace. The two looked to each other before smiling and turning back to Twilight as they nodded their heads.

"Just try to keep hope alive by looking out for one another," Fluttershy said.

"That I can do just fine, we all can," Strong Courage said. "No matter what those monsters have done to us, we never stopped caring about each other. We still matter among ourselves here. We treat each other like family as best we can in a place like this. There's no way we were going to let them take away our kinship, our harmony, our-"

"Friendship?" the Mane Six asked.

"Exactly," Strong Courage said. "Now go on, get out of here. Do what you gotta do to set the ponies free and take down the minotaurs permanently."

"You can count on it," Applejack said.

"We won't let you down, we promise," Rarity said.

"Pinkie promise," Pinkie Pie insisted.

The Mane Six silently did all the gestures that went with the unique promise while keeping quiet.

"Despite the circumstances, it was very nice to meet you, Strong Courage," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Well, same here, princess," Strong Courage said. "It was great to meet all of you. My son is lucky to finally have a mare like you in his life, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight smiled with embarrassment as she turned to the mares in her group, all of whom were looking at her teasingly.

"For so long..."

"Huh?!" Rainbow Dash let out as she and the other mares looked around in surprise.

They turned when they realize the weak, raspy, hoarse voice was coming from the pegasus colt. They looked attentively as they waited for him to finish.

"For so long... as long as I can remember, I prayed for death to take me," the colt let out weakly. "I... prayed for death everyday... in hopes my suffering... would finally end... But everyday I woke up to find myself still alive... much to my grief... But now I don't think I was suppose to die... I believe fate wanted me to stick around to see you angels come and save us all."

All of the Mane Six were deeply touched by the colt's kind words. It was easy to tell since each one looked like they wanted to adopt the foal and take him home with them.

"Don't worry, little one, we're going to do just that," Fluttershy said.

"What else are angels for, right?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Oh, there's something you girls absolutely need know," Strong Courage said. The Mane Six listened extremely close. "Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning, even though they act like they're all that, aren't the ones running this horror show."

"I had a feeling that was the case," Twilight Sparkle said. "Part of me still wasn't sure, though. But if they're not in charge, then who is?"

"It's a minotaur who wears a robe that almost completely covers his body," Strong Courage explained. "It even has a hood that covers his face, though his horns still kind of stick out. He walks through the mine here every now and then. Make no mistake about it, he is fierce. He's got a temper that goes off just like that and he takes it out on pony, minotaur, and timberwolf alike."

Applejack whistled in awe as the others said, "Whoa."

"Yep, he's a regular, old terror," Strong Courage said. "Just him walking by has this air to it that's so... unsettling."

"A bad air as he passes by, huh?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Was he eating any burritos while he was walking through?" Rainbow Dash asked through snorts of amusement.

"This guy's no laughing matter, girls," Strong Courage said sternly. "If you come across him, you'll be in for a really bad time, trust me."

"Well, it seems like we'll certainly know him when we see him," Twilight Sparkle said. "Still, do you know what the name of this head bull is?"

"Yes," Strong Courage answered. "The unicorn twins and the other minotaurs here call him... Isarem."

Suddenly the barks of timberwolves in the distance broke through the air. The Mane Six looked to see several minotaurs accompanied by the nasty beasts had gotten uncomfortably close.

"Come on, y'all, we gotta get movin' now," Applejack said.

"Go find the stones," Strong Courage said. "Defeat the minotaurs, save us all, save the world."

"Immediately if not sooner," Rarity said.

"That's a promise," Twilight Sparkle said.

The Mane Six reluctantly began walking away, deeper into the bowels of the giant cave. None of them wanted to leave any of the ponies suffering in the mines or locked in the cages, especially Strong Courage or the child he was holding. It was only made easier when they looked back to see both ponies smiling as supportively as they could. It was only when the Mane Six turned away that they noticed several ponies from cages nearby were smiling at them, too. It was clear some of them had picked up on the conversation and were just as ready for the Mane Six to pull off their mission and save the day.

Keeping this in mind, the Mane Six pushed onward. Only problem was, they were having a tough time figuring out how to proceed.

"So what do we do now?" Applejack asked.

"Where do we go?" Fluttershy added on.

"Well, I think we can all agree it's pretty clear all the hostages are in this mine," Rarity said. "So I feel we should make our way out of here and start looking for the Alpha Stones."

"Cool, but how do we got about doing that?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Do we just turn around and go back out the way we came in?"

"I don't know," Fluttershy said. "I don't think I would be comfortable doing that. There's too many minotaurs and timberwolves over there to feel safe walking through again. I didn't even feel safe walking through the first time even with our disguises. Plus, all those poor ponies we won't be able to help."

"Then what do we do?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Are we suppose to just keep going down further into the mine and hope we find a way out?"

"Hey, guys," Pinkie Pie said as she appeared next to Rainbow Dash, "while you were talking I found a way out of the mine."

"Of course you did," Rainbow Dash said deadpanned.

"Show us the way, Pinkie Pie," Twilight Sparkle said.

The other mares followed the pink Earth pony as she hopped over to the right side of the cave. She then led them along the side of the wall until she stopped and stretched her upper body forward. Everypony looked to see Pinkie's gaze was pointed directly at a small opening in the wall.

"While you were all debating what to do, I got bored and started looking around," Pinkie Pie said. "Seeing all those tunnels when we first got in here made me think there would probably be several of those in the mine's walls somewhere. While I didn't find as many as I was looking for, I was still happy I at least found one. I knew as soon as I saw it that I needed to let you all know about it and botta bing, botta boom, here we are."

"Good work, Pinkie Pie," Twilight Sparkle said. "Come on, everyone, let's get moving."

"Don't gotta tell us twice," Applejack said as the Mane Six started walking through the opening.

They found that it led into another long walkway of a tunnel with dim lanterns hanging overhead.

"Well, this certainly looks familiar," Rarity said.

"Didn't we just leave this party?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"When did you guys to a party?" Pinkie Pie asked. Then a semi-upset look crossed her face. "And why didn't you invite me?"

"Not now, Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash demanded.

"Which way do we go now?" Fluttershy asked.

"Let's go that way," Pinkie Pie said as she pointed a hoof.

"Why that way, Pinkie?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Why not?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Wait a minute, what's that?" Applejack said as she suddenly held up a hoof. "Y'all hear that?"

The other mares listened for whatever their friend was picking up. They didn't hear anything at first, but eventually the faint, distant sounds started to register to their ear drums. None of them liked what they heard, for it sounded like several low voices chanting in foreign dialect. The sound of those low tones singing words they couldn't understand like one entity with several voices was very unsettling. It was even worse since they were hearing it in such a confined environment like that skinny hallway of a tunnel.

Even worse still was the chanting voices sounded like they were getting closer.

"Hide," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Where?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Quick, back into the mine," Rarity said.

The Mane Six all huddled into the hole they had just walked through. The7 all looked out at the walkway as they waited for whoever or whatever was chanting out there.

"Wait, why are we hiding?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Aren't we in disguise?"

"True... but for some reason, I feel like not being seen at all right now," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I'm about feeling the same way myself," Applejack said. "I can't explain it."

"I always feel like that," Fluttershy said.

"I hate to admit it... but I feel the same way, too," Rainbow Dash said.

"As do I," Rarity said.

"Yeah... me, too," Pinkie Pie conceded.

Twilight Sparkle shushed her friends before she resumed looking and listening for whatever may be coming their way. The wait was not long, though the unnerving chants made it feel like it was.

"Look, I think that's them," Rarity whispered as she pointed a hoof to the right.

The others looked down the path to see several lights moving around in the darkness. It wasn't long before the lights were revealed to be flames from torches held by four armor clad minotaurs. They held the torches out in front of them as they walked ahead of several cloaked figures acting as their escorts. The Mane Six almost fearfully shrank back even further into the hole that concealed them as the chanting bulls came closer to them. The sight alone was disturbing as was, especially with the lighting, but the chants made it impossible for the pony mares to feel at ease.

The Mane Six huddled down lower as the entourage made their way past the opening they were hiding in. It seemed like either the mares were hidden pretty well or the minotaurs just didn't care enough to look to their left. It must've been the latter, because they'd surely notice the Mane Six huddling down if they had looked, but instead they just kept their eyes forward. As the Mane Six watched the minotaurs go, they saw there were at least ten cloaked minotaurs, all with hoods covering their faces, though their horn tips were still visible. They also saw there were four more minotaurs in armor holding torches in the back of the group as well.

Twilight Sparkle also took notice of a particular minotaur right in the middle of the group. This one stood out a little bit more from the others. For one thing he was the tallest of the cloaked minotaurs. Also his cloak was actually white while the rest wore brown. Finally while all the other minotaurs' cloaks were raggedy-looking, the bull in the middle's attire looked like it was brand new.

Different appearances aside, this stick out minotaur somehow felt different to Twilight Sparkle in another way. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but there was something about that white cloaked minotaur that didn't feel right. Twilight didn't say anything, though, keeping it in the back of her mind as she and the other mares watched the group of minotaurs pass by. When they had moved on several feet ahead of them, the Mane Six stuck their heads out and watched them go. They didn't completely come back out into the tunnel until the minotaurs were further along, watching them go all the while.

"Okay, I gotta say it," Pinkie Pie said. "That was freaky."

"Uh-huh," most of the others said in agreement.

"Seriously, what the heck was up with all that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I haven't the slightest," Rarity said. "Maybe those robed minotaurs were priests or monks or something."

"Are you tryin' to say these monsters actually have some sort of religion?" Applejack asked.

"Some of the worst monsters do," Rainbow Dash said.

"Did anypony get a look at that one in the white?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she still looked on down the path.

"Yeah, what was that about?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"He totally threw off their group dynamic," Rarity said. "I know their cloaks were completely dreadful and technically his was superior, but clearly they were going for a theme. He totally clashed with them."

"Maybe he was a higher priest or something," Fluttershy said.

"I think there's more to it than that," Twilight Sparkle said.

"What do you mean, Twilight?" Rarity inquired.

The violet coated alicorn turned to her friends as she flashed them a stone-faced look.

"I don't know why," Twilight Sparkle said, "but I think that may have been the minotaur Strong Courage was talking about. I think that was the bull in charge of this whole operation. I think that was Isarem."

The other mares looked as stunned as could be at what their friend was suggesting.

"Really... you sure?" Applejack asked.

"I'm positive," Twilight Sparkle said.

"How can you be certain, though?" Rarity asked.

"I think the flashier get up was a bit of a hint, but I get what you mean," Pinkie Pie said. "What are the chances that the big bad leader we were just warned about would be walking past us right after we heard about him? It's strange, but what's even stranger is I think I agree with you."

"Nothing's too strange for you, Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash said.

"So what do we do?" Fluttershy asked.

"I think it's pretty obvious," Applejack said. "We gotta follow him, right, Twilight?"

"Right, we're going to follow Isarem," Twilight Sparkle said.

"The minotaur suspected of being Isarem," Rarity corrected. "We still don't know for sure. It hasn't been confirmed."

"Regardless, we're still going to follow those minotaurs," Twilight Sparkle said with slight annoyance. "Clearly they're important somehow, so there's a good chance they might lead us to something more important."

"You mean like the Alpha Stones?" Fluttershy asked.

"Possibly, but we won't know if we keep standing here talking," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Twilight just hit the nail right on the head," Rainbow Dash said. "If we waste anymore time, we'll lose those horn heads. Now stop your squawkin' and let's go already."

The rainbow maned pony didn't wait for her friends and just ran ahead. The others soon followed after as they rushed to catch up with the entourage of minotaurs they had just been cowering from previously. It didn't take them long to find the group; their chanting made them very easy to track. Once the Mane Six found the group again, they stopped running and slowly crept up behind them as quietly as they could. They kept their distance both to avoid being detected and because the chanting still upset them a great deal.

None of the mares knew how long they followed the minotaurs before they saw a sign that it would payoff. The entire time they felt uncomfortable and unsure. They were able to keep a lid on it for the most part, but they couldn't help but feel a nervous, slightly fearful tension as they moved on. Finally, though, it seemed like their stalking the cloaked and armored bulls would lead somewhere. As they walked into a much wider spaced area, they saw many several minotaurs all around them.

The sudden shock of so many minotaurs was a bit much for the Mane Six at first, but they were able to quickly get a hold of themselves. They took notice that all the minotaurs seemed to be walking in the same direction. They were all taking a bigger walkway meant to hold many at a time. Meanwhile the cloaked and armored group illuminated by torches took a smaller tunnel. The entrance was guarded by eight armored minotaurs holding giant axes who were flanked by two timberwolves.

"I don't think we'll have much luck trying to follow them any further," Rarity whispered.

"Yeah, probably not," Twilight Sparkle agreed. "Let's follow the crowd. I got a feeling we're all going to end up at the same place anyways."

"Agreed," the other mares whispered.

Reluctantly the Mane Six fell in line with the masses of minotaurs and followed them to an unknown destination. None of them knew exactly how they could be as calm as they were walking amongst so many members of a species they had come to recognize as the enemy. Inside they felt themselves being torn apart by their nervous tension, but outside they, for the most part, managed to remain calm, cool, and collected. It wasn't easy being confined to such a tight, dark space and pressed up against three or four of what was a huge crowd. Despite how bad it may have felt, the Mane Six were still able to concentrate enough to notice things they didn't before.

Among the many male minotaurs they Mane Six had become accustomed to seeing, there were also a lot of women, too. There were actually female minotaurs amongst the crowd, all of different shapes, sizes, and fur colors among other differences. The variation of cows seemed even more numerous than any smaller dissimilarities amongst the bulls. Some cows seemed just as big and gruff as the males, while others seemed more typically feminine, or as close to it as a minotaur can get. In addition to seeing female minotaurs, the Mane Six noticed several children walking among the crowd.

The sight of so many or any calves was something the Mane Six honestly didn't think they'd ever see. But there they were, children scattered amongst the grown up cows and bulls, the latter dominating the crowd number. Some of the children had the typical smile of a child while the majority looked as grim as all the adults. There were those, both men, women, and children alike, that would try and push their way through the crowd. Usually they would be put in their place by the larger majority who moved in a far more uniformed manner that somehow slightly disturbed the Mane Six.

Most of them were wondering how a whole society could conform to the idea that the way the minotaurs were treating the ponies on the island was okay. They all seemed fine with it and just walked around like it was a regular day. They did it all while knowing full well the ponies got treated awful by their far more dominant numbers on Pony Tale Island. It disgusted the Mane Six, all of whom were still doing their best to keep their cool as the crowd continued down the corridor. The mares felt deep down that eventually their situation in that tight space with all those minotaurs had to get better; they just wondered when it would.

Their hopes were answered when more space began to open up in the tunnel. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity walking in such an uncomfortable situation, the tunnel had took the crowd to a place where they could all spread out more. Everyone actually had some breathing space and could stretch out and walk around without having to worry about running into someone only inches away from them. The Mane Six all hung back until everyone in the massive crowd had passed them and they could regroup.

None of them said or did anything, not even when everyone had passed them. They all just stood in silence as they watched the crowd walk on, not even bothering to look around or notice anything else. That suited the Mane Six just fine; they did not want to be noticed at all, especially in such a big group of potential foes that would have a great advantage over them. The Mane Six kept watching until eventually they couldn't see the crowd anymore. All of them had walked around a large turn that led to what, judging by the glow, seemed to be a well lit area the ponies couldn't see.

"Well... that was rather... intrusive," Rarity said.

"That's one way to put it," Applejack said.

"Oh, I could put it many more ways, but then we'd be here all day, darling," Rarity said.

"Fair enough," Applejack said.

"I'm just glad we were able to catch a break from all that," Pinkie Pie said. "That was _too_ up close and personal, even for me. I could barely breathe in that wave of flesh and bones. If I had to take another millisecond in there, I think I might've snapped."

"Didn't you already?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Even worse," Pinkie Pie clarified.

"Well, then... glad that didn't happen then," Rainbow Dash said.

"Have any of you ever seen anything like that?" Rarity said. "That was so... ew."

"I was even more scared than the time I came face-to-face with King Sombra," Fluttershy said.

"Where do you think they were all going?" Applejack asked.

"More importantly, why are they going?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Suddenly a loud ' _gong_ ' rang out through the air. The Mane Six looked to the turn where the glowing light still shined. It wasn't long before several voices all started chanting loudly in tongues none of the pony mares could understand.

"Sounds like we're about to find out," Twilight Sparkle said, feeling extremely nervous. "Let's go, girls."

More reluctantly than ever before, the Mane Six all began to trot towards the turn, behind which many intimidating minotaurs stood chanting at the top of their lungs. All of the ponies fearfully anticipated whatever sights of horror awaited them on the other side. When it came time, the Mane Six took one final look at each other before turning the corner. Now they were finally able to see what had been kept from their eyes previously. The sight was utterly and frighteningly perverse in the most horrible way.

Ahead of the opening, masses of minotaurs stood in what almost looked like a giant cathedral that had built into the cave. However instead of being a monument to a loving deity of good, it was more like a tribute to the most evil, vile demon in Tartarus. Everything had a jagged, unpolished, unsettling, and unwelcoming look to it. The scene wasn't helped by the ominous, hellish glow the many torches all around gave the environment. Smoke also seeped out of vein-like cracks all over the walls and floor, some of which were brightly lit by the volcano's lava.

On top of that, all the minotaurs were gyrating in an almost possessed manner as they continued to chant. Some of the minotaurs even had their pupils rolled behind their eyelids, making their eyes appear to be completely white and blank. The masses were all facing a wall ahead of them that almost completely glowed red. There were only a few parts of the wall that were just plain stone that almost covered the glowing section like a frame. On top of that, a small stage stood in front of the incredible wall that was also elevated above the ground the crowd stood on.

"This... is madness," Rarity managed to say through the tremble in her voice.

None of the other mares could muster up the ability to say anything at all. They were distracted by the ever so frightening sight of the minotaurs' religious ritual. It truly seemed like Tartarus had risen from the depths and came to Earth. All of the Mane Six were chilled to the bone and none of them did anything to hide it. The mares looked on in horror at the demonic scene as it continued to play out and the chanting got louder and faster.

Every inch of the Mane Six's bodies twitched and trembled as their fear grew. It got so bad Fluttershy seemed like she was about ready to scream out and cry like she had just gone to the underworld. If that were to happen, while the other mares would want to try and silence Fluttershy, it would be more likely they would join her. Before it could get to anything like that, a loud ' _gong_ ' rang out through the air, which instantly silenced everything else. All the minotaurs stopped gyrating and stood calmly and quietly at attention like soldiers waiting for orders.

The Mane Six waited and watched when their ears suddenly picked up the original, low, calm chants that had drawn them down this path. They looked to see the group of cloaked and armored minotaurs they had originally been following. They came through an opening next to the glowing wall the crowd faced and walked onto the stage. Right away Twilight Sparkle noticed the bull cloaked in white was not among them. Why that was, she didn't know, but somehow it only made her more uneasy as she watched the scenario in the cathedral play out.

The opening into the religious sanctuary the Mane Six hid behind was all the way in the back. They hoped that it would keep them from being noticed by any of the minotaurs. The Mane Six watched as one of the cloaked bulls moved in closer to the crowd. He didn't stop until he was at the edge of the stage. The other minotaurs stopped chanting as the one in front slowly reached his hands up and pulled his hood back to reveal his face, smiling as bright as could be.

"Greetings one and all, my dear brothers and sisters," the minotaur announced loudly as he held his arms up at his sides. "May Paradise shine its light on all of you."

Loud, wild cheers broke out from the crowd. Some said things like, "Amen", or, "And let Paradise shine on you, too", or things of similar nature.

"Thank you all, my dear family," the minotaur said loudly as the crowd noise died down. "Your warm wishes, your undying devotion to our cause, your enthusiasm, everything truly brightens the light shinning in my heart. For so long, so often now, we've been here praying for Paradise's bright light to shine upon us. We wish it to our brothers and sisters all the time. But you know, we've been at this for so long, faced so much opposition that I know it can be tempting to stagger, wonder, ask yourself if our cause is just."

" _NO!_ ' most the crowd shouted.

"I know, it sounds crazy to me, too," the minotaur on the stage continued. "As crazy as it is, though, it still happens. Many among us have asked, 'is following the word of Paradise given to us by our great and wise leader truly the right way to go'?... Well, I'm here to silence those doubts once and for all and let you all know, _yes, it is true!_ _Yes, it is all worth it and yes, we are just!_

"While I've gladly told you all many times in the past with no doubts at all, family, I can now tell and show you all so that amongst your masses, there will be no doubts! As you all know, for so long, as long as any of us can remember, the small group of ponies who fled our fair town years ago have been attacking us!"

Boos erupted from the crowd of minotaurs. All of them despised the equines that were once their closest allies, especially for the war the ponies forced them to fight.

"Yes, it's true, they declared war on our cause," the cloaked minotaur went on. "They knew not what wrong they did, for they just don't know the greatness we're striving to bring to everyone all across the world. Still, we couldn't let them just attack us and not do something to defend our cause. Thus we went on the offensive ourselves and, as you all know, the majority of the time we came out of our bitter struggles victorious over our opposition. Despite having lost _some_ of those conflicts, today in the latest battle for the Light's might, we have achieved _the ultimate victory!_

"Today, thanks to the absolute bravery and utter genius of our top generals here, two ponies even, we have retrieved something that has alluded us for so long. Yes, people, today it is thanks to Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning we now have in our possession the green Alpha Stone! The item the ponies of the Willowing Forest had and used against us for so long when we needed it so badly is now where it rightfully belongs! It is here with us and presenting it to you the crowd, I'd like to announce this bull, this great fantastic bull who showed us the Light! Flanked by his top generals, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the bringer of the Light's word who took us out of the dark, _Lord Isarem!_ "

The audience erupted with massive cheers and applause as the white cloaked minotaur stepped out onto the stage. Walking up close behind him were the unicorn twins, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning. Many a battle had been fought by the Mane Six and the ponies of Willowbrook against these particular ponies in the past. Every time they always came out of it acting just as evil as ever. Walking on the stage, both of them looked smug and arrogant almost like a sports superstar who had just won the big game.

The white cloaked minotaur, Khaos Fury, and Dark Lightning moved up to the front of the stage. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning took in all the praise and admiration from the crowd while the cloaked minotaur simply pulled away his hood. The crowd cheered even louder to see the face of their leader, who smiled to them all. He then stripped away the plain white cloak to reveal a much more ceremonial-looking robe underneath, which drove the spectators crazy. The robe fit tighter around Isarem, so it was easier to tell how physically fit he was and his large arms were barred for all to see.

The yellow eyes of Isarem kept looking all around at everyone who basked in his presence. His shiny horns glistened for all to see as he lifted his massive, blue, fur covered arms up as if to demand more praise, which he got. Then the minotaur master gestured for the crowd to calm down and become quiet, to which they complied.

"Gather around children in service to the cause of immortality!" Isarem called out loudly. "Today is the day we can finally help all non-believers truly see what they have been missing! I know all too well what it's like having to deal with so many who don't understand what we've been trying to accomplish for so long now. I was the first among us who saw the greatness when I was only a child... But then, fate cruelly decided to take that glory away from me.

"For so long I wondered why something so great, why _Paradise itself_ was taken from me. Then I came across others just like myself. They, too, experienced how fascinating it was to truly be among... _Paradise_... only to have it taken away from them so wickedly. That's when I had an epiphany, a vision! We who saw the Light and were pulled out of it had to be because we needed to spread the word!

We needed to go out and find others for the cause so that we could take everybody, everyone all across the world up into the Light! We would take everyone to Paradise and show them just what they were missing!... We would show them what is beyond these fleshy, fragile bone bags we are right now! These mortal forms that break and hurt so easily, they will be cast aside as we raise all others up where there is no pain, there is no grief, there is no strife! All of us working together will now finally accomplish the task because now, we have all the tools to do it!

"You see, children, as you are all aware, for a long time we lacked the resources to do what we knew deep down we had to. Then we came across foolish creatures that wanted to enslave us and oppress us! Those creatures from another world most likely even harsher than this one thought we were fools! They imprisoned us and put us in chains while they built they're... _devices_ into our sanctuary. With these... _fantastic devices_ they created living, breathing weapons of mass destruction.

They had created beasts we have come to know now as kaiju, four of them! Yes, it seemed these invaders had us beat and their cause was going to triumph over ours... How foolish they were not to realize we weren't so helpless. We were only biding our time waiting for the moment to use all of our resources to overthrow these fools and take what they had made for our own. It was by all of us working together we were able to defeat these things that called themselves _Devonians_ and destroy all their tools, except those that fit out needs.

"We are not completely cruel, though. As reward for giving us new tools in our righteous quest, the Devonians were all sent to Paradise... but still in the most painful way. So now we had massive titans fighting for our cause right alongside us! We had giant monsters under our control that we could make do anything we wanted. And yet it still seemed like we didn't have everything we needed to accomplish our goals.

"Despite conquering the obstacle of the Devonians and gaining such powerful allies in the kaiju, it still wasn't enough. That was because it was the ponies who found an ancient energy source so powerful it could help repel our forces... even our monsters. It even turned one of our monsters against us and made a pony more powerful by turning it into an alicorn. So despite the cards still being stacked in our favor, I didn't feel it was right trying to move forward with our plans. Instead we went on a quest to find power just like what the ponies had discovered.

"We tried out in the Willowing Forest, but there was nothing there for us. Then... I discovered these!"

A cloaked minotaur brought out a box and held it to Isarem, who opened it and reached inside. He pulled out a several old-looking papers and held them out for everyone to see.

"I found these papers hidden here within these very caves," Isarem said. "When we found this place, I knew it would make a great base of operation, as well as a good place of worship honoring the greatness of Paradise. I never knew, however, that it was hiding such secrets. These papers revealed to me the origins of the great power the ponies had received and that there was even greater power hidden here in our sanctuary. It was then that I decided to devote all the time and force we could spare to finding the remaining three _Alpha Stones!_

"And yes, my children, we did eventually find them... Well, two of them at least. By bringing in the pony laborers and having them dig the mines, we eventually found these beauties!"

Isarem nodded to Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning, who returned the gesture. In a puff of magic smoke, two glowing objects appeared in Isarem's waiting hands. One glowed in a blue light while the other was purple. Some minotaurs cheered and applauded while others simply gazed in awe of the egg shaped stones.

"I know it is cruel to treat the ponies the way we have," Isarem said. "We can take heart in knowing, though, that their time and effort put into their mining work will pay off. For some it already has, for they have gone above into Paradise with many more to follow. It was thanks to those ponies we managed to find these, the blue and purple Alpha Stones, which were sure to be great tools to utilize in Paradise's great plans. The blue one already has been and it is thanks to two other particular ponies."

Isarem turned to Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning and smiled brightly at them, which they did in return. The head minotaur waved for them to step closer to the front of the stage with him, which they complied with. Instantly there was vocal adoration for the ponies who looked as proud as could be.

"It was the vision of these two fantastic unicorns that got us... _the green Alpha Stone!_ " Isarem announced.

Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning used their combined magics to teleport the precious power source in front of them. They also used their magic to levitate the green gem so that everyone could see it. All of them gazed in amazement, for many of them were seeing the green Alpha Stone for the first time. More so they were also seeing three Alpha Stones together for the very first time. Some had not even seen the blue and purple stones before that day.

Needless to say, in a lot of ways, it was a momentous occasion for the minotaurs there.

"Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning had a plan from the beginning about how to get this great stone for us," Isarem said. "I stubbornly ignored them and cast them aside to stick with my own vision of how I felt retrieving the stone should be handled. It was so selfish of me, especially when it was two who helped me so many times in the past, particularly in dealing with the Devonians. They're smarter beings than I gave them credit for... probably for spiciest reasons, which was wrong of me. But still I doubted them and even demoted them, giving their positions to one who straight out mocked them.

"I couldn't have been more wrong. It was worse since that bull, if you want to call him that, was a far bigger fool than I ever thought Khaos and Dark were. They recognized what they had to do, though, and bravely went for it despite all odds. They floundered a little, but when it mattered the most, they prevailed in their righteous quest to support Paradise's cause. It was thanks to their combined courage, genius, and _power_ that they were able to take the green Alpha Stone, claiming it in the name of Paradise!"

" _That's right!_ " Khaos Fury shouted out.

Once more the crowd went wild as they showered Isarem, Khaos Fury, and Dark Lightning with praise.

"We knew it was a big risk, but we had to try and go for it!" Dark Lightning boasted.

"We had to show everyone that our deepest and truest dedication to Paradise's light was guiding us all the way!" Khaos Fury chimed in. "Thus we took the blue Alpha Stone, admittedly against our great lord's wishes, and imposed our might on those who would be our enemies. As prize for our dominance in battle, we claimed what is guaranteed to help shine Paradise's light all across the entire planet. My brothers and sisters, thanks to Dark Lightning and myself we now have _three, three, three_ of the four Alpha Stones!"

The crowd couldn't seem to get enough and just kept eating up every word and every moment of those standing before them and speaking.

"Truly some of the best ponies I've ever met in my life," Isarem said. "So strange was it to me when they actually sought out our cause, but I quickly accepted them and I thank the Light that I did. If I have any regrets now, it's that I ever doubted them... and that they still had to suffer punishment for going against my wishes. True they ended up being right, but there's still a pecking order around here. Thank you both for being so understanding and taking your punishments so well."

"It was worth it, my dear great lord," Dark Lightning said. "If only to serve the will of Paradise, we were willing to undergo whatever we had to because we knew it would be worth it."

Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning turned their backs to the crowd and stood up on their hind legs. This gave most a clear look at the gashes that had been left on their backs from the whippings they took earlier. Rarity had to hold a hoof to her mouth to try and keep from puking while the other mares looked on in utter horror. They couldn't believe how casually everyone was being about what was clearly complete insanity. Even when the unicorn twins turned back to the crowd, they just smiled like it was another day.

"Despite everything, the regrets, the sacrifices, all of that, it was a good thing you two did what you did," Isarem continued on. "That's because, you see, everyone, despite not having all the Alpha Stones, we still have the majority of them. This victory today was so great, in fact, that I've become confident enough to decide to move ahead with the next phase of the plan... with only the three stones."

There were many gasps from the crowd, all of whom were completely shocked by what their master was saying. The Mane Six had no idea what Isarem was talking about, but they knew whatever it was, it couldn't have been good.

"That's right, it's true," Isarem said. "I believe all we need is the power of these three Alpha Stones. Using them with the technology we obtained from the Devonians, we will be able to create the most powerful creature this false, mortal world has ever known. Under the careful watch of my great unicorn generals, the ultimate project has been made ready for completion. All we need now is to feed the power of these stones into the devices, which will then feed said power into the creature as it is born.

"And thus the creature will rise up to make this world fall!"

"But, master, isn't the red stone the most powerful of the bunch?!" a teenager from the crowd asked.

"It is true, my boy, the red Alpha Stone would've ensured our victory even more," Isarem said. "But we need not worry about that. If we haven't found it yet, then odds are the ponies haven't either, otherwise they would've used it by now. Besides, we've made too many big strides to let anything else hold us back now. Today is the day where we meet our destinies, I feel it. I know we, in our righteousness will prevail! With this new kaiju we're about to create, this false world will burn... and from the ashes, we will rise into a better one!

"At long last no one will have to suffer through the hardships, the aches, the pains, the fragility, and all the falsities of this world. We will show them all what true paradise is and we will do it through the miracle... _of death!_ "


	29. Chapter 29: Desperation

The Mane Six felt like they were trapped in a madhouse and they wanted nothing more than to get out. They had been hiding behind a dark corner that concealed them from a whole temple full of deranged minotaurs. The mares knew that none of the minotaurs would have any trouble with causing them great physical harm should they find them. In all the time the Mane Six were hiding, they had to watch and listen as the leader of these utterly insane bulls, cows, and calves shot off at the mouth. All of the fantastically crazy things the bull known as Isarem said only reconfirmed without a shadow of a doubt that these minotaurs were a threat to all of society.

The Mane Six had to hear him speak, much to their disgust and horror, about revolution, slavery, and mass genocide among other horrible topics. What was worse was they knew these psychotic minotaurs had the tools and the power to do all these terrible things. Even more horrifying than that, Isarem spoke as if it would all be a good thing, not just for the cult, but the whole world. The ponies' blood ran cold as they thought about every evil thing the minotaurs wanted to do despite them trying to pass it all off as being for the best. The entire time, the Mane Six felt so many emotions while several thoughts ran through their heads.

They wanted to scream, they wanted to cry, they wanted to hide, they wanted to fight to the death, they wanted to run away, all of this and much more at once. The Mane Six knew, however, they couldn't give in to any of what they were feeling or thinking. At that moment all they could do was continue to hide and listen at least until this perverse imitation of a sermon was done. It tore them all up inside both mentally and even physically, but they still restrained themselves. Instead of giving into their basic instincts, they just stayed where they were.

Most of the crowd seemed somewhat dumbfounded by the statement Isarem had made about moving forward with the final plan. Before he preached tiresomely about how vital it was that they obtain all four of the phenomenally powerful Alpha Stones before executing the final phase. Now he was standing before them and preaching about being confident enough to move on with only the three. The crowd reaction was not lost to Isarem, who took notice of all the uncertainty spreading through the audience that had just previously been praising him.

"Ah, yes, I see, my children," Isarem said with a light chuckle. "You don't need to try and hide your confusion, I know how you all feel. I would love nothing more than to have all four of the Alpha Stones play a part in what is to be our final and, indeed, finest hour on this rock of a home. Here's the thing, though, we've made so many amazing strides already and we did it all without relying on the Alpha Stones... at least, all of them for the most part. Today we just took one of the biggest steps of all in our goal with only one stone.

"Sure, having the red one, the most powerful of the Alpha Stones to go with the rest of the set would've been great. However, current events have fully convinced me that we don't need all four. All we need are the three incredibly powerful gems you see before you today. Again, I understand your confusion, my friends, but I haven't steered you wrong yet, have I?"

Murmurs began to break out amongst the crowd as they discussed the matter to one another. Isarem could hear that the majority of them seemed to be speaking in his favor, which pleased him.

"Exactly, so why should you doubt me now?" Isarem said. "Take heart, my children. For so long we've had to endure the ridiculously fragile life that comes with being a meat bag on this rock. Every other living thing has also had to endure such hardships. But I know there is something far better for all of us beyond this.

"I've seen and felt it for myself as have a lot of you. For the rest of you, why else would you be here if you didn't trust in my word? My word was the one that inspired each and everyone of you to join this congregation in the first place. Please don't falter now when we are so close to doing what we all know deep down we have to do. A new day is dawning, my friends, a day where the sun shines on all of us in a different world, a far better world.

"My children... we will soon be in Paradise... _and how do we get there?!_ "

" _Death!_ " everyone around Isarem responded.

" _And why is that?!_ " Isarem asked loudly.

" _Death is the answer! Death is the answer! Death is the answer!_ "

The chant was shared by all and spoken over and over again. It sounded like beautiful music to Isarem's ears.

" _Yes, yes, yes, my children, death is the answer!_ " Isarem shouted out. " _Knowing that, it is up to us to bring that answer to the whole world and I believe we can finally do it! Are you all with me, my family?!_ "

The audience erupted with cheers as they jumped up and down and waved their arms happily, grinning all the while. The hidden pony spectators in the back had a very different reaction.

"H... How could anyone go along with this insanity?" Fluttershy managed to emotionally whisper.

All of the Mane Six were even more disgusted by this group's religious views than they had been before. None of them could comprehend such a great number happily getting swept up in a monstrously evil concept such as worldwide death and destruction in the name of religion.

"Thank you all once again, my dear family, from the bottom of my heart," Isarem said. "Now, unfortunately, because of how important this final phase is, I'll have to cut this final ceremony short. Know, however, that the rest of the time usually spent on it will be put to great use. In fact it is the greatest of uses, which will be to create the ultimate power that is sure to end this fake world so we can all go to the real Paradise above. Return to your stations knowing your time there will be the last time you spend on this rock.

"Spread the word along the way. Take heart, my children, _we're all going home! Bless you all and may Paradise shine its light over you!_ "

The crowd let out its final cheers as drums were sounded while Isarem and the rest of his entourage began to leave. They stepped off the stage and walked into the caves from which they came. The drums went on as the crowd began chanting loudly again. Once more the Mane Six had to endure the nightmarish sounds they'd gotten through previously. Only now it all seemed tamed compared to the blasphemy the mares had to listen to during the ceremony.

After going through all that, the Mane Six felt like they might've been going a little mad themselves. Luckily Twilight Sparkle seemed to be able to get a hold of herself, followed close behind by the others. Twilight knew at some point the members of the crowd down in the cathedral would make their way back up to where the Mane Six were. She also knew she needed to find a way to get herself and her team passed the crowd to go after Isarem. He and his group were currently in possession of the Alpha Stones or at least the ones that had been found.

Twilight Sparkle was stressed about what to do next and still slightly freaked out about what she had just witnessed. A part of her was afraid that her judgment might have been clouded. She ultimately decided to go with a plan the other part of her thought was sheer craziness. She looked to the tunnel Isarem and his crew had used to make their exit, figuring they must've moved on by then. Still conflicted as could be, Twilight Sparkle activated her horn's magic.

The others saw the glow and gasped in alarm.

"Twilight, what are you doing?!" Applejack let out.

"Seriously, you're gonna get us-"

Before Rainbow Dash could finish, she and her friends all disappeared in a magic puff of smoke.

"-all killed!" Rainbow Dash finished when she and the others reappeared.

Her eyes quickly noticed that her surroundings were different from what they were before. Besides looking different, Rainbow Dash was also hearing all the noises from before differently as well. Now it seemed like they were right next to her or maybe all around her. The other mares noticed this, too, along with the fact that the tunnel they stood in was much smaller. There was also an opening behind them where all the noises seemed to be coming from.

Feeling her curiosity get the better of her, Pinkie Pie went over to the opening despite her friends' quiet protests. The Earth pony mare poked her head out a little ways to see the crowd was now right outside in front of her with the stage being a little off to the side. Pinkie Pie's eyed widened in alarm before hurrying back into the confines of the tunnel. She parked herself right next to all her friends and huddled down in the fetal position.

"Okay, that was scary," Pinkie Pie said as she trembled, her face looking cartoonishly terrified. "Very, very, very scary. It's not like Nightmare Night scary where it's fun! It's real scary like if Godzilla thought you said something bad about him behind his back! I forgot what curiosity did to the cat!"

"Twilight, what were you thinking?!" Rainbow Dash growled through gritted teeth.

"I'm afraid I must agree with Rainbow Dash here, Twilight," Rarity whispered. "What you did was dangerous. It could of gotten us in deep trouble."

"I know, it seems completely crazy," Twilight Sparkle said. "A part of me is a little crazy right now. But just think for a moment, girls. What is it we're trying to get right now?"

"Uh... the Alpha Stones?" Fluttershy asked.

"And who has them right now?" Twilight Sparkle continued.

"Um... Isarem... as far as we know," Applejack answered.

"So what is the best thing we can do right now?" Twilight Sparkle went on.

"Well... follow Isarem, I guess," Rarity said.

"And where did I end up teleporting us?" Twilight Sparkle stressed even further.

"Ooh, ooh, I know this one," Pinkie Pie said. "You just teleported us into the tunnel Isarem and his goons went in."

"Exactly," Twilight Sparkle said. "That means it'll probably be easier to track him down. We'll follow him until we see an opening to take the Alpha Stones."

"I get that, Twilight, but there's other things to consider," Applejack said. "What if Isarem and all them were still in here? What if something else bad was? What if someone saw you use your magic to get us here?"

"I know, Applejack, I know," Twilight Sparkle said. "But the situation's getting really desperate right now. We can't afford to be overly cautious anymore. I mean... they... those... these freaking minotaurs are crazy... They're not a bunch of bandits giving ponies a hard time just because...

"They're not an army led by a dictator bent on world domination... They... They're a freaking cult! They're mindless slaves to an absolutely outrageous religious ideal. I mean, they pray to death for crying out loud. Now they mean to make a new monster with Devonian technology and use the Alpha Stones to power it up so it can kill everyone.

"Why am I the only one freaking out about this?!"

"You're not, Twilight," Applejack said. "All of us are more spooked than a mouse at Goldie Delicious's house. This is a lot of big stuff to deal with."

"Right, but we still got to deal with it," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I guess I can see where you're coming from on that," Rainbow Dash said.

"Hey, the drums and the chanting stopped," Pinkie Pie observed.

The other mares looked in bewilderment.

"She's right and it looks like the minotaurs are all leaving now," Fluttershy said.

She was at the mouth of the tiny tunnel the Mane Six stood in, watching the scene going on outside in the cathedral. The other mares came up and watched as everyone began to gather around the back exit and leave.

"Okay, they're moving on, which means we have to move on, too," Twilight Sparkle said. "No more hiding from here on out. Just keep in mind that we're in disguise, which means to all them we look just like any regular old minotaur walking around the caves. We got to start taking more advantage of that, otherwise we're gonna fall behind and it'll be too late to stop them. Do you all understand what I'm getting at?"

The rest of the ponies looked around to each other before turning to Twilight and nodding in compliance.

"Good, then let's get going," Twilight Sparkle said. "So long as we stand by one another's side and believe in each other, we're going to make it through. I know, because I believe in all of you. Now let's go take care of business."

The Mane Six all began walking down the tunnel after Isarem and what might be the most powerful items in history, the Alpha Stones.

"What if we hit a fork in the road?" Applejack asked.

"We'll just have to make the best guess where to go next," Twilight said.

"Huh, not very eggheadish thinking, Twilight," Rainbow Dash let out.

"What can I say?" Twilight asked with slight annoyance. "I'm not feeling like my normal egghead self right now, Dash."

"Yeah, I can understand that," Rainbow Dash said. "Not exactly myself either right now."

"Uh, Twilight," Fluttershy said. "I hate to throw another wrench in the mission... but I was wondering about something. All those women... and children in there... does that change the plan at all?"

Twilight Sparkle instantly froze, as did the other mares. The alicorn princess turned to Fluttershy, her eyes wide with shock.

"What... did you just say?" Twilight Sparkle manged to let out.

"Well, it's just that... well, things are different now, aren't they?" Fluttershy asked. "I mean, before they were only big, muscly, scary, weapon wielding bulls. Now there's other factors involved. There's whole families living here. Do we gotta blow them all up, too?"

Twilight Sparkle said nothing, for she was totally stunned by what had just been thrown on her shoulders. Her eyes lowered to the ground as she tried to figure out if Fluttershy had a point or not and that maybe the mission was in jeopardy.

"No, the mission goes on as planned," Rainbow Dash asserted.

The other mares looked to see the stone cold look on the blue furred pegasus' face.

"How can you say that without considering these new developments?" Rarity asked.

"I already have, Rarity," Rainbow Dash defended. "I decided it wasn't worth risking the mission. All those women and children, you saw them out there during that... whatever the heck it was. They're just as crazy as the bulls we've been having to fight. It's clear all of them have been brain washed to the point of no return.

"Even if we could help them get right in the head, it would take too long. We're not in a position to think about helping them right now either. They made their decision by letting themselves get swept up in this crazy cult stuff! On top of all that, there's way more species out there to think about, not just innocent ponies. There's horses, griffins, dragons, and minotaurs who haven't been brain washed into this stupidity.

"There's literally billions of others we need to think about besides these minotaurs. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few!"

The rest of the Mane Six wore somber looks on their faces as they felt conflict flowing through all of them. None of them liked what Rainbow Dash had to say for the most part, but they also knew that more than likely it was the truth. They still didn't like the idea of killing off so many now that they had been given more of an identity as those with wives, husbands, children, and families in general. All of them were potential threats to the rest of the world, though, which meant they had to be dealt with for the greater good.

"Then... we'll deal with them... all of them," Twilight Sparkle said hesitantly. "Come on, we have to keep going or we'll lose Isarem."

"Maybe I can help you with that."

The Mane Six all let out short screams as they turned to see who the voice belonged to. They looked to see what was actually one of the smaller minotaur bulls they'd seen yet. He also seemed to be the least well armed, but that didn't matter to the ponies. They had been caught and they knew they had to do something about it quickly.

"Take him down before he can get the others!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

" _Wait, no, please!_ " the minotaur said as he raised his hands defensively. "I don't want any trouble or to turn you in! I want to help you!"

The Mane Six stopped as looks of disbelief and confusion crossed their faces.

"You said what now?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Please don't hurt me," the minotaur said. "I don't want to hurt any of you. My name's Kerchek."

"I don't care if it's-"

the minotaur hushed Rainbow Dash as he lowered his hands.

"Keep quiet or the others will hear us for sure," the bull said in a slightly panicky whisper.

"Wh- What are you doing here?" Twilight Sparkle asked quietly.

"I- I'm in charge of cleaning up after the ceremony," the bull who identified himself as Kerchek explained. "I was on my way into the temple when I heard your voices and your steps coming my way."

"How much did y'all hear?" Applejack demanded as she and some of the others got in closer to Kerchek.

"Enough to know you want to put a stop to this craziness Isarem started," Kerchek replied. "And frankly I'm right there with you, because I... I'm sick and tired of living this lie Isarem has us all trapped in. He's brain washed all these minotaurs, some of which used to be my closest friends and family. Now... it's like I don't know them anymore. All any of the other minotaurs care about is killing anyone and everyone else they see and acting like it's a good thing.

"Minotaurs are born fighters, it's true, but we always fought for something that truly mattered. That was always a part of our warrior's code. Now, ever since this bunch hooked up with Isarem and them two ponies of his... it's like we don't stand for anything anymore. I thought I was the only minotaur that felt that way until I heard you all talking. Though I got a feeling you bunch ain't the real deal in terms of minotaurs if you get my meaning."

"What-" Fluttershy caught herself and cleared out her throat as she tried to sound gruffer and tougher. "What makes you say that?"

"Come on now, that was the fakest voice I've ever heard in my life," Kerchek said bluntly. "Are you some of them magical kinds of ponies that somehow either got their collars off... or snuck in here?"

"With all due respect, Kerchek, darling, why should we trust you?" Rarity asked.

"How can we be sure you really are who you say you are?" Rainbow Dash asked sounding suspicious as could be. "Maybe we should just deal with you right now."

"Oh, I'll show how you can be sure I am who I am," Kerchek said.

The male minotaur reached into his side pouch, which put the Mane Six on extra alert as they readied themselves for whatever. Kerchek ended up pulling out a golden locket, which he opened up to reveal a picture inside. It was of him with a female minotaur and a young child.

"That use to be my family," Kerchek said. "We were as happy as could be. Then came this whole psycho cult of Isarem's that just rejoices in the idea of killing everyone... And he somehow got them to agree that was a good thing, too, along with every other minotaur on this island. I know, I checked and made sure.

"I lost my family because of this. My son grew up into one of these whacked out screw jobs who go along with this mess and this is all my wife has time for. She don't even look at me anymore. I tried so many times to convince myself this was the right thing, that everyone else was seeing something I wasn't. But all I see is that this whole killing for everyone's own good is completely wrong and I want to see it go down in flames."

"Why didn't you ever try before?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"How could I?" Kerchek asserted. "I was only one bull and a low ranking one at that. Anytime I brought up the idea this was wrong to any of the others, they always gave me the dirty eye. I think I almost got killed for it one time until they decided death was too good for me. You know, because dying is such a wonderful thing!

"Even if it is, I know the way they're going about it is wrong. This philosophy is wrong, this religion is wrong, the monsters are wrong, Isarem is wrong, Khaos whoever and Dark whatever are definitely wrong. It's all wrong and it's gotta be stopped, it has got to end. So I'm asking you again, if you intend to try and stop Isarem, please let me help you in anyway I can."

The Mane Six all turned to one another with some looking like they not only believed the minotaur, but actually felt somewhat sorry for him. They all still had an air of suspicion, not completely trusting this bull that called himself Kerchek. The only one who seemed to still fully not trust him was Rainbow Dash, who wasn't afraid to let everyone know it.

"I still say we take out this turkey," Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "We can't leave anything to chance."

"Rainbow!" Rarity said in a shocked tone. "How could you be so heartless!"

"No, she has a point," Applejack said. "I'm still on the fence about it myself."

"Well, so am I, but..."

"No, they're right," Kerchek said, interrupting Rarity. "I understand their apprehensions towards me right now. That's why I'm willing to sacrifice myself and let you take me out if you see so fit."

"Huh?" the Mane Six said as they looked in surprise.

"Yes, I'm giving you permission to finish me," Kerchek said, his tone sounding as serious as could be. He then got down on his knees and held his hands behind his head. "You can go ahead and do it now if you want. But I must strongly request that you please let me help out someway before you end me."

The Mane Six all looked to each other again and this time none of them looked so sure about what to do. Even Rainbow Dash wasn't sure how to handle the situation. She didn't know whether or not she could actually put down someone so willing to give themselves up like that.

"Are... you really on the level?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I swear on the family this cult took from me," Kerchek said.

There was a moment of quiet pause where everyone just stood with thoughtful looks on their faces.

"I think he's telling the truth," Rainbow Dash said as she turned to the other ponies.

"I think he is, too," Fluttershy said.

"Me, too," Rarity said.

"Me, three, four, and five," Pinkie Pie said.

"I can tell you for a fact that I know he is," Applejack followed up.

"Then it's settled," Twilight Sparkle said. "Kerchek, clearly this evil cult has hurt you in a big way. We wish to rectify that along with all the other evils perpetrated by these vile beings and put an end to their plans."

"What can I do to help?" Kerchek asked.

"Well, first," Twilight Sparkle said, "can you tell us if there's any place else they keep pony prisoners besides the mine?"

"No, that's the only place," Kerchek said. "Why don't I just draw you a map of the tunnels so you can find your way around. I can mark off specific areas you'd want to go to."

"Sounds good to me," Applejack said.

"Anybody got a pen and paper?" Kerchek asked. The minotaur was caught off guard when the items he requested suddenly appeared in front of him floating in mid-air. "Oh, well... thanks, that's very helpful."

The surprised minotaur took the pen and paper and quickly drew out the map. He then handed it over to Twilight, who took it in her levitation magic.

"Thank you, Kerchek," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah... no problem," Kerchek said. "So then you really are magic ponies in magical disguises like I suspected, huh?"

"Yeah," Pinkie Pie said. "We're incognito, undercover, wolves in sheep's clothing. Or in this case, we're the sheep, they're the-"

"Pinkie Pie, stop it," Rarity demanded.

Kerchek lightly chuckled.

"Well, in this case she is right about being amongst wolves," Kerchek said. "And I ain't just talking about the twig dogs. Seriously, you need to be careful going around here. If they discover who you all really are and why you're here, they will kill you in the most horrible of ways."

"Yeah, we kind of got that message from out past experiences with them," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Right," Kerchek responded.

"What's this laboratory here?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she pointed to the circled part on her map.

"That's where Isarem is taking the Alpha Stones right now," Kerchek said. "That is one of the most important areas of this place. Sometimes I think Isarem considers it more important than the temple. That's where all the alien stuff we have is."

"That's the equipment he's going to use to make a new monster?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yes," Kerchek answered. "He's also gonna connect the machines up to the Alpha Stones so that they can give it even more power. The want to make it a sure thing that whatever they create will be powerful enough to wipe out the whole planet."

"We gotta make sure that doesn't happen," Applejack said.

"If they succeed in creating this monster," Rarity said, "I'm afraid that even Godzilla wouldn't be enough to stop something like that."

"Godzilla?" Kerchek asked. "That's the big monster outside helping the spiky one fight our guys?"

"That's right," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I've heard stories about that thing," Kerchek went on. "From what I've heard... it seems real impressive. But you must stop Isarem from creating this new beast or you're right, your Godzilla and that spiky monster even together won't be able to handle it. It's being given only one instinct: to kill and destroy all it sees."

"With all that power, I'm sure it could, too," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Then we need to hurry up and get going while we still have a chance," Pinkie Pie said.

"Yes, yes, please, stop them while you still can," Kerchek said.

"Thank you for all your help, Kerchek," Twilight Sparkle said. "And... thanks for reminding me that this isn't what all minotaurs are like. This is just an isolated group of whack jobs that escaped the asylum."

"Thanks for reminding us all," Fluttershy said.

"It was my most sincere honor," Kerchek said. "And they didn't escape the asylum... they took it over. That's sure what this place feels like. I can't wait to see it go down."

"You may not want to be here for that," Twilight Sparkle said.

"What do you mean?" Kerchek asked.

"She means if everything goes right, this whole place is gonna blow," Rainbow Dash said.

"So you might want to get out of here while you still can," Fluttershy said.

"Fluttershy's right," Twilight Sparkle said. "Leave this place and head for Seaside Hoof. All the ponies on the island not enslaved are there. Tell them to send you to Thunder Jack and tell them that Princess Twilight Sparkle sent you."

"Well... okay," Kerchek said. "I don't know how well they'll take to me, but I'll do it."

"Trust me," Twilight Sparkle said, "so long as they know we sent you, you shouldn't have too much of a problem."

"No promises, though," Rainbow Dash said. Some of the other mares turned to the pegasus mare and gave her slightly dark looks. "What?! Are you guys always gonna look at me like that after I say something?!"

"Yep," the rest of the mares said.

"Kerchek, is there anyone or anything you might want to take with you?" Twilight asked.

"Nope," Kerchek said as he shook his head.

"Are you sure?" Twilight Sparkle asked further.

"There's literally nothing left here that I want," Kerchek said. "Everything was taken from me and twisted by this cult and frankly, I hope it all goes up in flames."

"That's all I needed to know," Twilight Sparkle said. "Come on, girls, we've gotta go. Thanks again, Kerchek, and good luck."

"Good luck to you, too, ponies," Kerchek called as the Mane Six took off. "You're gonna need it."

So the Mane six were on the run once again. They moved as fast as they could in hopes they wouldn't be too late to stop the evil deeds Isarem and his death worshiping cult were planning. Though the Mane Six moved on, none of them felt like their hearts were completely into finishing the mission the way they knew they had to. Rainbow Dash, despite all her bravado from before, was crying silent tears. To think so many had to be wiped out in order to protect the entire planet.

While Rainbow Dash may have been the one to point it out, deep down she didn't like it anymore than her friends did. All of them would go through with doing it, though. Too much was at stake and they were tired of the weight of so many and so much hanging over their heads. The Mane Six were ready to end it all and save the Earth one more time.

"So, you still got that map from Kerchek, right?" Applejack asked.

"Yep," Twilight Sparkle said. "Just follow me and I'll navigate it so we can find the lab. Once we're there, we'll find a quiet spot to set up some explosives. When we get far enough, I'll set it off and while it distracts everyone, we'll grab the Alpha Stones. Then I'll use their power to let all Tartarus break loose."

"I think we may have to stand back for that, y'all," Applejack said.

"As if," Rainbow Dash said. "She may get the large part of the action, but I'm still biting off of a bit of minotaur backside for me to kick all by myself."

"Whatever floats your boat, darling," Rarity said.

"It's gonna get wild in there, guaranteed," Twilight Sparkle said. "Are you all sure you're ready for what's gonna be coming?"

"We're going to have to be," Fluttershy said.

The others looked to the mare in surprise, but eventually shook it off and proceeded forth. As they zigged and zagged their way through the many channels of tunnels, the Mane Six came across several minotaurs and timberwolves. It made them very uneasy, especially when the timberwolves would sniff and growl at them. Most of the time, however, they would just get a smack by the bull in charge of them who would then tell them to shut up. Sometimes those minotaurs would give the Mane Six wondering looks, though.

Luckily, all of the minotaurs around the mares seemed to be caught up in a rush themselves. Every minotaur they saw was moving at rapid paces, whether running around, working fast with large tools. Whatever they were doing, they did it at break neck speeds. That suited the Mane Six just fine since it made them stick out less with everyone also moving rapidly. Plus that meant they were all probably too busy to notice any small details out of the ordinary.

Still, with so many moving around them at such speeds, it did sort of make it harder for the Mane Six move about the crowd. The ponies' luck seemed get better, for they followed Kerchek's map to a particularly large cave opening. Upon entering it and going around a bend in the path, the Mane Six's eyes were treated to a catching sight. All of them still knew right away that the large opening they were looking through led into the laboratory. It was far too different looking to be anything else.

There was still a lot of stone around, mostly on the ceiling and patched through the walls here and there. The rest of the room was entirely covered in metal. There were giant, shiny steel panels fused together to make a floor. Equally large panels made the walls of the laboratory, which was filled with all sorts of technological equipment. There were computer consoles, the likes of which were far beyond even human technology.

Also there were several large computer screens and other giant pieces of tech all spread throughout the lab. There was a lot of scaffolding around, too, with several levels of bridges and other structures minotaurs in white coats and hard hats walked across. Many more minotaurs were walking along the actual floor of the lab and some even drove over it with mini-karts and forklifts. Perhaps one of the most eye catching sights of all was an enormous yellow glowing, egg-shaped object that stood right in the middle of the lab. It was over a hundred meters tall and looked almost like it was made out some form of glass.

The strange object was held on a large platform by a metal frame that was built into the top of it and out into the sides of said platform. The laboratory itself was a great sight altogether, but this strange piece of machinery was the absolute scene stealer.

"Wow," the Mane Six all said together.

"Oh... my... goodness," Rarity said.

"Would you just get a load of this place?" Rainbow Dash said. "It's like all the stuff they found in Roswell got delivered here."

"Talk about special delivery," Pinkie Pie said.

"I ain't ever seen anything close to this in my whole life," Applejack said. "Except... when we was all trapped in that spaceship under the ocean that one time."

"I was gonna say..." Fluttershy said.

"We... can't let this distract us, girls," Twilight Sparkle said. "I know it's tempting to just... stare... at it... forever... B- but, we're on a mission here! We need to find the Alpha Stones."

"And how are we suppose to do that?" Rainbow Dash asked. "This place is so big."

"Start looking fast then," Applejack said.

"And for Celestia's sake, keep your voices down," Twilight Sparkle said. "We're in deep enough as it is without someone over hearing our overtly feminine pony voices coming out of big gruff minotaurs."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Rainbow Dash said. "I'll zip the lip."

"Now, we all need to head in and stay together," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Wouldn't we cover more ground if we split up?" Rarity asked.

"Scary novels, like Pinkie Pie said, remember?" Applejack said.

"Where is Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy asked.

The other mares looked around in alarm when they realized the pink furred Earth pony was no longer with them.

"Oh, where did she run off to now?" Twilight Sparkle said in a panicked whisper.

"For someone who says stick together, she sure runs off a lot," Rarity muttered.

"Did it have to be now?" Twilight Sparkle moaned. "We have to stick together."

"Tell Pinkie Pie that after we get _way_ over there where she is," Applejack said as she pointed.

Twilight and the others looked to see Pinkie Pie far away sneaking through the laboratory. The way she was tip-toeing across the floor on all four almost looked like a spider walking on its legs.

"Pinkie," Twilight Sparkle whispered. "Pinkie, come back here, we need to stick together... _Pinkie Pie!..._ If I get my hooves on that pony... Come on, girls."

The Mane Six walked after Pinkie Pie, moving as fast as they thought they could without being noticed. As they moved, they continued to look around at the amazing sight that was the minotaurs cult's laboratory. It was amazing enough looking at everything from off to the side, but now they were right in the middle of it. The Mane Six weren't taken out of their trance until they heard some familiar voices nearby.

"I've heard that snotty, snide type of voice before," Rarity said. "It belongs to a lot of ponies I've worked with, but this particular brand belongs to-"

"Khaos Fury," Twilight Sparkle said.

Everypony looked to one of the computer consoles nearby next to the egg shaped device. Sure enough, standing in front of it were Khaos Fury, her brother Dark Lightning, and several minotaurs, including Isarem.

"We got to get closer," Twilight Sparkle said as she waved for the others to follow her.

"What about Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy asked.

She never got a response, for the others kept heading for the console. Along the way, a mini-kart was driving by with workers' lab coats and hard hats on it. With a fast hoof, Applejack quickly snatched enough clothes for all of the ReMane Five to wear. They quietly and casually walked up to the console as they listened in on what was being said amongst Isarem's group.

"Once again, that was a great ceremony today, Lord Isarem, sir."

"Thank you, Dark Lightning, but it's time to move onto more important things," Isarem insisted. "What can you tell me about the energy siphon device, is it ready?"

"Yes, my lord," Dark Lightning said. "We finished construction two days ago. We haven't had the time to properly test it, though."

"We have no more time for tests," Isarem said sternly. "It's too late, the die is cast, and the hour is nigh. We must begin final operations now."

"We knew you would say that, lord," Khaos Fury said. "That's why we went ahead with interfacing the device with the kaiju generator's systems, see?"

Khaos Fury pointed ahead a nine foot tall, box shaped machine. Its large cables connected it to the platform of the giant glowing egg machine that could only be the kaiju generator.

"All we have to do is put the Alpha Stones inside, my lord," Dark Lightning insisted.

"Then we start the process of creating the kaiju with the generator," Khaos Fury said. "We punch in the command for the siphon to feed the stones' power into the generator and we have an instant god among insects. Not even the ponies' pets outside will be able to match up to this creature's might. None of them will have a hope of stopping this new kaiju."

"Now, now, Khaos, remember we're not doing this for malicious," Isarem said. "We're doing this to liberate everyone around the world from... well, the world. More so, the absolute evil of living such a fragile life on such a fragile planet. This is the best way we can do it, so... we have no choice."

"Of course, my lord, I apologize," Khaos Fury said. "It's just... we've been at this for so long. It just gets frustrating sometimes."

"I understand, my dear," Isarem said as he gently ran a hand down Khaos' head. "You've done well for me, you and your brother have. Everyone here has done fantastic with putting their best efforts into this operation. We didn't always succeed, but it was all worth it to get to this point. Those that fell... well, they got their ultimate reward for doing the best they could.

"We can take solace in knowing we will join them soon. Before that, though, I just want to make sure you got everything else right, too. You did, didn't you?"

"Yes, sir," Dark Lightning said. "We've gathered all the appropriate DNA samples we feel will make the most capable kaiju for this purpose. We've given it what we think is the best overall design it could have to perform its task. And we've set the computer to program it with all the instincts you specified. This includes extra emphasis on the instinct you wanted it to have the most."

"To seek out and kill every living thing it sees and destroy everything else along the way," Khaos Fury said. "All the data has been fed into the computers. All we have to do is flick the right switches, push the appropriate buttons and that'll be all she wrote. Oh, we also have to put the Alpha Stones into the siphon machine of course."

"Of course," Isarem said with a chuckle, which the others joined in on. "Splendid, truly and absolutely splendid. You have all done well. I shall return to my chambers. Once you are done here, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning, join me so that we may participate in a final group prayer."

"Yes, Lord Isarem," Khaos and Dark said at the same time.

"Fantastic," Isarem said. "To the rest of you and all others, it was a pleasure knowing you in this life. I sincerely look forward to knowing you all in the next. I'm sure it'll be far better for us than this ever was. I shall see you all in Paradise's shining light."

" _In Paradise's light!_ " the rest of the lab said in unison.

It freaked out the ReMane Five who all looked around in a panic. Once they realized there was no immediate danger, they got a hold of themselves. The mares took a quick look around to make sure no one was paying them any mind before slowly stepping away from the console the unicorn twins were at. They watched Isarem walk away for a few moments before turning back to one another.

"You there!" Khaos Fury called out. The ReMane Five looked and saw the gray furred mare pointing to a minotaur. "Bring forth the Alpha Stones so that Dark Lightning and I may set them within the energy siphon."

"Yes, General Khaos, ma'am," the minotaur said.

He then pulled away a sheet to reveal the blue, purple, and green Alpha Stones all sitting upon a metal roller in glass cases. The ReMane Five looked on intently as the minotaur strolled the roller over to Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning who used their magic to remove the stones from their cases. They levitated the stones with them as they made their way over to energy siphon.

"Okay, new plan, we go over and get the Alpha Stones now," Twilight Sparkle said.

"What about our explosives?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"What about finding Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy asked.

"I know this sounds bad, but those stones have to be priority number one," Twilight Sparkle said. "Once we have them, we can do anything we want, literally anything. We can teleport Pinkie Pie back to us and teleport our explosives anywhere we want and then set them off. We can fight with the stones, transport hostages safely, we can do anything. But that's only if we go get those stones right now."

"We're kind of out in the open here, Twilight," Applejack said. "There's a lot of minotaurs in here, plus Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning. If we give ourselves away now, we're gonna have to deal with all of that."

"Yes, but they're spread out," Twilight Sparkle said. "We can deal with any who are close if we have to, provided the number of opposition is reasonable. Once we get the Alpha Stones, though, we won't have to worry about that anymore. Can't you all understand that?"

The other mares looked to each other one last time before simply shrugging. None of them could find a truly good reason to argue with Twilight. Or at least one they thought would change her mind.

"Alright, Twilight, lead the way," Applejack whispered.

"Good," Twilight Sparkle said. "Just walk over to the energy siphon as casually as you can. Only pick up the pace if you feel like you need to. That goes double if you feel the need to go on the attack, okay?"

Everypony agreed and with that, the ReMane Five made their way towards the machine that Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning were at. They watched as the unicorn twins opened up small compartments in the machine. The hollow ports contained platforms specifically meant to fit the Alpha Stones. From where the ReMane Five stood, it looked as though the unicorn twins placed the stones inside and shut the doors to the compartments before walking away. Twilight Sparkle took one quick look at her squad, put a hoof to her mouth in a shushing motion, and then used the hoof to motion for her friends to follow.

As calmly and as quietly as they could, the ReMane Five walked up to the energy siphon machine while trying to look as casual as they could. It seemed to be working, for none of the workers around them in the lab were paying much attention to them. Even the minotaurs at the consoles in front of the energy siphon didn't paid much attention, with all their focus being on their screens. When the ReMane Five reached the machine, they looked around to make sure they still weren't being noticed. Once they saw that the coast was clear, Twilight Sparkle slowly moved in on the machine.

Her eyes were dead set on the doors to the compartments she believed the Alpha Stones were placed in. It felt like the weight of the world was pressing down on Twilight Sparkle. Her whole body trembled while sweat trickled from her brow. Despite everything she was going through, Twilight reached up a hoof and opened up the middle compartment. There was a sudden flash of light, the likes of which Twilight Sparkle was actually expecting.

From her past experiences with an Alpha Stone, she knew they always let off a intense glow. She flung her other hoof into the port as fast as she could to reach for the Alpha Stone inside. A huge problem arose when the light cleared and Twilight realized she wasn't feeling anything inside the empty space of the siphon machine. The ReMane Five couldn't keep themselves from gasping when they looked inside to see the Alpha Stone they thought was in there actually wasn't. Twilight Sparkle couldn't stop herself from opening the other ports.

There was no flash this time, but those ports were also empty. All three of the Alpha Stones were gone... or weren't even put inside the machine to begin with. That was when the ReMane Five looked out and realized all the eyes of all the minotaurs in the lab were now focusing completely on them. Some looked surprised, some looked alarmed, some looked angry, some looked confused. Most were a combination of all those feelings as they stared at the ReMane Five.

"Something tells me were not disguised anymore," Applejack said fearfully.

"Please... don't be so honest this time, AJ," Rainbow Dash said in a shaky voice.

"Were you girls looking for these?!" a familiar mare's voice rang out.

Suddenly three glowing lights of different colors appeared and got the ReMane Five's attention. They looked off to the side to see all three of the Alpha Stones floating in front of the evilly grinning Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning.

" _No!_ " Twilight Sparkle screamed in horror.

She, nor any of her friends, had anytime to say or do anything else. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning shot multiple beams into the stones in front of them. Then those same attacks came out as far more powerful beams, which then hit the ReMane Five with enough force to knock them off their feet and put them out cold.

"Well, looks like you were right, sis," Dark Lightning said.

"I knew those _minotaurs_ seemed strange," Khaos Fury boasted proudly. "Ever since I saw them out of the corner of my eye and heard them whispering off to the side. What minotaur has ever whispered anything in their lives?"

"Yep, fair enough," Dark Lightning said. "Anyways, the disguise collapsing spell worked like a charm."

"As did that knockout spell," Khaos Fury said. "Using all three stones was probably a bit much. But it never hurts to be sure something's going to work right the first time."

"Right, so now what do we do with them?" Dark Lightning asked.

"What do you think, Dark Lightning?" Khaos Fury asked. She then turned to a few minotaurs off to the side. "Hey, you bunch, grab a roller and some restraints. Cuff them all and collar the magic ones... I'm sure Lord Isarem would just love to meet the outsiders who have been giving us such trouble the lat few days."

* * *

 **MEANWHILE:**

Godzilla had been in a complete and utter panic ever since Hedorah climbed up on his back. The revolting blob's sludgy body substance was spreading all over the king of monster's hide, burning everything it touched. On top of that, Godzilla was having the hardest time staying on his feet while trying to balance both his own body weight and the added load of Hedorah's slimy mass. Luckily the reptilian kaiju was managing to do so as he stomped his feet and flailed his arm out at the air. He tried shaking Hedorah off him and ocassionally using his hands to rip Hedorah off, but with no luck.

This was especially bad for Godzilla since another monster had taken notice of his blight. Godzilla's ears picked up the animalistic calls of Solomon and looked to see the beast standing nearby. A wickedly sinister grin was plastered over the face of the winged kaiju. He had only just gotten up after suffering a painful assault by Godzilla. Seeing his foe was in as a bad predicament as he was brought sick satisfaction to Solomon's heart.

With a great roar Solomon rushed at Godzilla to take advantage of his dire situation. The gargoyle kaiju slashed his claws across Godzilla's face a great multitude of times. Each time Godzilla was struck, he went to shriek in agony, but was cut off by another slash. Blood flew from every fresh new gash left across Godzilla's face, head, and neck. After a certain number of claw swipes, Solomon eventually switched to straight right punches into Godzilla's kisser.

Solomon displayed the full prowess of his ability as a puncher, hitting faster and harder than any could imagine. Godzilla felt each and everyone of the blows, his face paying the ultimate price. Solomon must've threw at least thirteen or fourteen punches before he stopped to kick his right foot into the side of Godzilla's head. The evil skull faced monster roared out with sadistic joy as he took pleasure in his foe's suffering. It would prove to be a fatal mistake for the giant gargoyle.

Underneath Hedorah's blobby body, Godzilla's spikes lit up with blue burning energy as he charged up. Godzilla blasted his atomic breath directly into Solomon's face and then moved it all over his body. Solomon cried out as he stumbled back several feet. That particular blast of Godzilla's atomic breath felt like it was the most powerful Solomon had taken yet. When Godzilla ceased fire, Solomon actually had to keep himself from dropping to a knee, he was in such pain.

Hedorah was feeling it as well, having felt the burning intensity of Godzilla's spikes charging up. Both evil monsters let out pain filled versions of their respective calls as they tried to fight through the hurt they felt courtesy of Godzilla. Solomon looked to his opponent in anger as his body heaved heavily. The winged kaiju let out a huge roar as he threw his arms back and fired six shots of his energy orbs at Godzilla. Each ball of power erupted with a large, fiery explosion once they hit home.

Unfortunately, not all of them hit Godzilla, for some orbs actually hit Hedorah, causing him pain just like they did the atomic dragon. Hedorah wailed in both anguish and anger at Solomon for his poor aim. Godzilla's roar was only a short one before he fired his atomic breath yet again. His aim, unlike Solomon's, was on point, hitting the gargoyle-like kaiju directly in the chest. Once again, both evil kaiju felt the painful effects of Godzilla's power, Solomon from the breath and Hedorah from the spikes.

As soon as Godzilla ceased fire, Solomon dropped to a knee as he struggled to keep from falling completely to the ground. He couldn't believe the hard time Godzilla was managing to give both kaiju. It was like his power somehow increased exponentially since the last time they fought together. That didn't matter to the gargoyle, for all thoughts were pushed into the back of Solomon's mind by the fierce anger he was feeling. His furious scowl aimed at Godzilla was like that of a psychopath who was determined to get his victim at any cost.

That's exactly what Solomon intended, for he refused to be shown up by Godzilla. Solomon roared as he spread his wings and prepared for flight. At the same time, Hedorah draped a slimy arm over Godzilla's head, letting his corrosive ooze flow all over the kaiju king. Godzilla roared out in defiance, despite feeling extreme anguish. Solomon flapped his wings and took to the air, going up a few feet before aiming at Godzilla.

Solomon had his claws ready to tear into Godzilla like he had a few moments previously. What he didn't know was Godzilla was planning something rather big for both him and Hedorah. Though he had a hard time seeing because of Hedorah, Godzilla could still make out Solomon coming his way. This gave Godzilla an idea, which he put into action with the lighting of his maple leaf shaped back spikes. Instantly Hedorah started wailing as he felt the intensity of the spikes' burning power going into his body.

Godzilla waited for just the right moment when Solomon was up close and personal with him. When that moment finally came, Godzilla unleashed all the energy he was building up in one big burst. Godzilla's monster sized nuclear pulse sent both Hedorah and Solomon flying off in separate direction, leaving a painful impact on them both. When the burning wave of power disappeared, a cloud of smoke covered the areas it had extended to. When it started to clear, Godzilla was revealed to be hunched over as he heavily breathed in and out.

Godzilla had to take advantage of the momentary cease fire and collect himself. He was tired and he was in a lot of pain, though he'd never admit it. Solomon and Hedorah were both giving him a harder time than even he expected and he had anticipated a lot. Godzilla was still feeling the effects of the fight taking their toll on him when his ears picked up movement from another. When Godzilla looked up, it made him want to groan seeing that it was Solomon who was slowly getting back to his feet.

Godzilla quickly checked behind him to see what the situation was with Hedorah. From what he saw, it looked like the smog monster had been splattered all over the place. But Godzilla also saw that the biggest parts of Hedorah were trying to recombined and reform into his previous shape. The blob of pollution's eyes were already formed by the time Godzilla turned back to Solomon. The gargoyle-like monster was standing again, but had to work to keep himself situated on his feet.

Solomon let out a heavy breath as he felt himself getting more comfortable standing once more. Then Solomon's eyes fell upon Godzilla allowing him to see the kaiju's own hate felt gaze. The two monsters glared at each other as intensely as ever. Both of them were determined to finish this fight and to come out of it as the victor. The two kaiju threw back their arms as they roared as loudly at each other as they could.

Godzilla got the next bit of offense, firing his atomic breath into Solomon's face and then aiming it down his front. The king of monsters fired a second shot of his beam, which was aimed into Solomon's right shoulder and then all over him. Godzilla made this blast last a few seconds longer as he wanted to make Solomon feel every ounce of pain he could. Every moment Godzilla's atomic blast was burning into Solomon's being was a moment of great agony. When it was finally over, Solomon checked to make sure he still had his whole body after suffering such an exchange.

Once he was sure he was in one piece, the gargoyle monster snarled at Godzilla before letting loose his energy orbs. Seven or so balls of explosive power struck all over Godzilla's body, each blow causing him fiery pain. Godzilla's whole body shuddered every time a shot hit him and sent pain through his whole being. It wasn't enough to keep Godzilla from blasting another shot of his atomic breath at Solomon. Just like every time before, the beam burned Solomon considerably while also igniting several explosions across his body.

Surprisingly, when Godzilla ceased fire again, Solomon was already prepared to start shooting back in retaliation. The skull faced kaiju's orbs struck Godzilla with as mighty a force as ever, making the kaiju king stumble back a bit. He was an alpha predator, true, but he was still capable of feeling immense amounts of pain. Solomon took advantage by spreading out his wings and flapping them to take to the air. As Solomon took himself higher into the sky, he also carried himself in Godzilla's direction.

Once Godzilla was no longer blinded by the pain he felt, he looked to see Solomon flying many hundreds of meters above him. Instantly Solomon rained down more of his energy orbs at Godzilla, making him scream as they exploded across his torso. With his wings spread out behind him to help break his fall, Solomon allowed himself to fall downward at Godzilla. Once he was close enough, the devilishly clever monster kicked his left foot into Godzilla's chest, nearly knocking him off his feet. Godzilla managed to stay standing, but now his arms were crossed over his aching sternum while Solomon stood there and laughed in his face.

The demonic titan was caught off guard by a well placed uppercut delivered to his jaw by Godzilla. After spitting out a tooth, Solomon fought through the aching pain he felt and slashed his claws across Godzilla's face. The nuclear leviathan responded in kind and eventually it lead to a duel of the slashing claws. Solomon's were sharper and he swung them faster, but Godzilla seemed to be the physically superior opponent strength-wise. After several moments of back and forth slashing, Godzilla closed his fists and threw rapid fire punches like no one's business.

Solomon found himself unable to hit back, for the furious hooks, body shots, and haymakers Godzilla threw were so mighty. Eventually Godzilla stopped long enough to roar in Solomon's face as if to impose his dominance vocally. That turned out to be a lapse in judgement, for Godzilla was met with both an uppercut and several shots of Solomon's energy orbs. The evil monster then spread his wings open again and flew up several meters. Then Solomon again dropped down as he swung his right fist into Godzilla's face almost like a Superman punch.

Solomon quickly shot three orbs directly into Godzilla's face before wrapping his arms around the stunned beast. Godzilla was unable to do anything before Solomon twerked his hips and threw Godzilla up with a belly-to-belly overhead suplex. The shrieking kaiju flew several yards through the air before crashing a good distance away. Godzilla hit the ground almost like a small falling meteor from space. Solomon turned to stare at the fallen monster as he wildly roared in satisfaction.

He was so happy too have Godzilla laying on the ground looking so helpless he could barely stand it. What made it even better was how vulnerable Godzilla was to receiving more punishment, which Solomon had every intention to inflict. The gargoyle slowly prowled towards Godzilla like a predator moving in to inflict the final killing blow on his injured prey. That was exactly how the situation felt to Solomon, who got more excited with each step he took. Only too late did he realize there was something making a rumbling noise behind him.

Just as soon as Solomon's ears picked up the noise did the rolling ball of spikes making it smash into the back of his legs. Solomon shrieked as his legs flew out from under him and he was sent falling hard onto his back. The ball unraveled to reveal Anguirus, who landed safely on all fours. The courageous kaiju of might howled out defiantly to let all know he would not stay quietly on the sidelines. Instead of following up on his attack, Anguirus' eyes fell upon Godzilla.

He looked to see the kaiju king had already been pushing himself back up onto his feet. Apparently he stopped to stare at the results of what Anguirus had done. Clearly he was impressed, for his eyes were filled with amazement as he gazed at the spiky shelled kaiju. Anguirus offered Godzilla a quick smile and a wink before his ears picked up activity and he turned away. Anguirus saw Solomon was already up to his knees and with a snarling howl, the four legged monster charged forth at the demon kaiju.

Anguirus rammed his head and body into Solomon, making him snap back from the impact. The quadrupedal beast was quick to follow up by swinging his front paws across Solomon's face. The blue and gray colored kaiju roared out as he felt the sharp pointed ends of Anguirus' claws pierce and slice across his skin. At the same time, Anguirus also snapped his jaws at Solomon, who tried desperately to avoid them. After an extended amount of time, Anguirus finally shoved his right paw up into Solomon's face as he sunk his teeth into the demon's inner forearm.

Unearthly squeals of agony escaped Solomon's mouth as he felt the incredible power of Anguirus' bite. Standing close by and watching this all was Godzilla, who had just gotten back to his feet. He gazed as Anguirus furiously shook his head about like he was trying to rip Solomon's forearm clean off. All the while Solomon desperately tried to get himself free Godzilla nodded his head in approval. He even let out a soft growl as a small smile crossed his face.

Godzilla found himself actually being proud of Anguirus like he was seeing him walk for the first time. His good feeling didn't last, for he came under attack from red lasers and globs of burning sludge all flying at him. Godzilla roared out as he turned to see Hedorah was now back in action, having snuck up on the kaiju king's left side. Hedorah wailed out as he spat more globs, swung his arms around, and shot more eye beams at Godzilla. The bombardment, while painful, wasn't enough to stop Godzilla from firing back with his atomic breath.

Hedorah squealed as he felt the beam burn away at some of his gooey body. Godzilla stomped up and actually grabbed a hold of Hedorah. He ignored the pain in his hands as he swung Hedorah up against a stone wall, only a small part of the rest of the volcano the monsters battled on. Godzilla then swung his tail into Hedorah's body before ramming into it with his own. Finally Godzilla let loose another blast of his atomic breath and this time he didn't plan on ceasing fire until the smog monster was nothing more than a puddle.


	30. Chapter 30: Allow Me to Introduce Myself

At first all Twilight Sparkle could see was darkness. While she had regain consciousness, functionality had not fully returned to her whole body. Everything slowly started to catch up, though, and eventually Twilight Sparkle's eyes gradually started to flutter open. Even then, there wasn't much difference, with what little light Twilight saw being very blurry to her aching eyes. The alicorn princess moaned as her ears started to pick up faint noises that seemed to be miles away.

As the seconds ticked by, however, the sounds began to become clearer, as did her vision. Despite beginning to wake up more, Twilight Sparkle was still feeling extremely drowsy. It was like she had only gone to sleep three minutes ago via medication and was being forced to awaken early. Such a feeling almost made Twilight Sparkle want to throw up, but she managed to hold it in. She then focused on trying to get her bodily functions to work properly.

After a few more moments, Twilight Sparkle realized she was looking up at the roof of a cave. More than that, it was a tunnel, the top of which was lined by dim lanterns, which explained the light. Twilight soon realized that she was also moving independently of her own will. That was also when she realized some of the noises she heard were actually voices of several individuals talking close by.

"Excuse me, general, I think they're starting to come out of it."

"Fantastic, that means they'll be awake to see their doom up front. I want them to drink in every last moment they have left as they realize how hopeless their position is. That especially goes for that princess tramp that's been a pain in my flank for so long."

Twilight Sparkle's eyes widened as she soon remembered the mission she was apart of when she was knocked out. She also remembered exactly what had happened the last time she was conscious, which was in the minotaurs' laboratory. The alicorn princess then realized in horror who the second voice she heard belonged to. It was then that a familiar, but unwelcomed face came into Twilight Sparkle's view. Khaos Fury smiled down at Twilight like she was a prize the evil unicorn had won in a game.

"Wake up, little princess, wake up."

"Khaos Fury," Twilight Sparkle tiredly moaned out.

"Oh, you remember me," Khaos Fury said mockingly. "I feel so special. I hoped you would remember after all the fun we've had together."

" ' _Fun_ '... that's what you want to call it?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she groggily tried to sit up.

She only managed to rise a few inches before it felt like she was bringing a ton of extra added weight up with her. It was like she somehow picked up thirty or more pounds while she was out. Twilight Sparkle did manage to get up, though, which allowed her to see why it felt like she was carrying more weight. Heavy shackles and chains were attached together and wrapped around all four of her hooves. There was also a large body shackle locked around her that kept Twilight from opening her wings.

Twilight Sparkle also noticed a large metal collar wrapped around her neck. It seemed to be a size too small, for the collar felt extra tight around. Twilight Sparkle also felt like there were several tiny needles lining the inside that were digging into her neck. Both the collar and the body shackle were attached to the restraints on Twilight Sparkle's hooves by chains. Twilight Sparkle was in a near panic upon discovering she was chained up like an abused circus animal.

The princess felt even more disgusted and enraged when she saw her friends wore similar restraints. All of them were still unconscious and were laying sprawled out on a metal roller being pushed by two minotaurs. Twilight Sparkle herself was on that same roller, only she was awake to see the tight, bending tunnel they were being pushed down. She also saw there was a huge escort traveling along with her and her friends. In addition to Khaos Fury and the minotaurs pushing the ReMane Five, Dark Lightning was there with several more minotaurs.

There had to be more than thirty of them with four minotaurs actually pulling along timberwolves, adding to the already tight security. It was clear to see that the ReMane Five were in a very strenuous position and it seemed like there was little chance of them getting out of it.

"Well, hello there, princess," Dark Lightning said as he looked back to Twilight with a big smile on his face. "So good to see you lot are starting to wake up. Now you can see up close what is sure to be an... _explosive_ event."

Twilight Sparkle glared hatefully.

"That's what you think!" Twilight spat defiantly.

She wasn't willing to let her or her still unconscious friends fall prisoner to their enemies so easily, no matter how dire the situation. The alicorn princess tried using her horn's magic to cast a teleportation spell for her and her five knocked out friends. There was a huge problem, however, for only a small spark flashed out from the tip of Twilight's horn. Confused, Twilight Sparkle tried again, only to feel the needles inside her collar dig deeper into her neck.

"Ow!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as she tried to reach a hoof up. She was unable to lift her hoof more than eight inches because of her restraints. "I- My- My neck... What...?"

Everyone around the pained and distressed alicorn pony busted out with mocking laughter. Twilight Sparkle looked around in horror, seeing the sick amusement they all had on their faces.

"You're wasting your time and ours, princess," Khaos Fury said menacingly.

"The needles in that collar around your neck are blocking your magic flow," Dark Lightning said.

"You'll be lucky if you can change a frog into an orange," Khaos Fury carried on. "Now, if I were you, I'd be a good girl and behave so my brother, me, and all our friends here don't have to get rough with you... _Resistance is futile_."

With her last sentence, Khaos Fury's demeanor went from sickeningly upbeat to dark and threatening. Twilight Sparkle looked around to see that the rest of the group gazing at her in the same manner. Well, the timberwolves were no surprise, as they always looked threatening no matter what. But Khaos, Dark, and all the minotaurs around looked like animals that were just as vicious and blood thirsty.

"There's no point in trying to fight us now, princess," Dark Lightning said. "Your magic is being suppressed and you are surrounded by your worst nightmares."

"So you might as well get comfy for right now," Khaos Fury hissed. "I promise you where you're going will be far less pleasant."

Twilight Sparkle wanted so much to fight her way out of the desperate spot she was in. She wanted to think of a way to outsmart all those around her and make a great escape with her friends. Twilight Sparkle's mind raced as she tried to think of how she and her friends could get away safely so they could continue their mission. But Twilight was drawing a blank and she knew deep down that she wouldn't be able to do anything. That is, she couldn't do something without putting herself and her friends in great danger.

The situation would've actually been worse since she couldn't use her magic, which basically meant she was helpless. Despite not wanting to give in to such vile, despicable beings, Twilight Sparkle could only hang her head to break eye contact with those around her.

"There, now that's better," Khaos Fury said as she flashed a smile of perverse pleasure.

"You have chosen wisely, Your Highness," Dark Lightning said. He then turned to one of the minotaurs in the group. "Surelious... be a dear and wake up our other guests. We want all of them to be wide awake so they can see just what the end will look like for them."

Twilight Sparkle turned her gaze to where Dark Lightning was looking and instantly picked a familiar face out of the crowd. Right away she recognized the minotaur known as Surelious, who was taller and more muscular than the others. She remembered seeing the pain and suffering he had put her friends through before. There was something different about him, though, for he no longer seemed like an eager soldier. In that moment he looked more like someone angrily dejected who had been treated like a second class citizen all their life.

 _What's going on with him?_ Twilight Sparkle wondered. It didn't take her long to realize what the situation was, having remembered Isarem's words at the ceremony. _He must've really screwed up and lost his rank. Now he has to take orders from Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning. If that's the case, he's certainly not happy about it._

Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning both noticed the large minotaur seemed to be ignoring the orders he was just given. This angered the two ponies greatly with neither one of them being willing to put up with Surelious' insubordination.

" _Private Surelious!_ " Khaos Fury exclaimed loudly. " _What is the meaning of your refusal to comply with Dark Lightning's order?! You had your chance in the driver's seat and you blew it! That's your fault, not his or mine! If you had done what you were suppose to the right way, you'd still be on top, but you mucked it up and landed yourself where you are now!_

"You're ours now, you belong to me and my brother. We can do with you as we see fit and right now we're ordering you to wake those other ponies!"

Surelious snorted with contempt as he looked away. Both Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning looked stunned as if they had suffered the worst of insults.

" _Surelious!_ " Dark Lightning spat out.

" _You two ponies are the lowest scum I've ever seen in my life!_ " Surelious exclaimed as he looked to the two ponies.

"You sure know how to sweet talk a girl, don't you?" Khaos Fury said.

It was clear she was still infuriated despite trying to sound content.

"Neither one of you deserve my help, nor will you get it!" Surelious said before crossing his arms and looking away.

"Oh, really?" Khaos Fury said as she tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.

"Is that your final say on the matter, private?" Dark Lightning inquired. Surelious said nothing, choosing instead to just stand with his arms still crossed. "Very well."

Dark Lightning then nodded to the pair of minotaurs closest to the defiant bull. They complied immediately, each grabbing a hold of Surelious' arms and pulling them back. The outraged warrior struggled to get himself free, but was cut off by several bolts fired from Khaos and Dark's horns. The stinging pain of the rapid paced blasts of lightning forced Surelious to his knees. He then suffered several sever punches to the face before taking a club to the back and stomach, courtesy of other minotaurs in the crowd.

Surelious gasped out a heavy breath as he tried to fight against the immense pain he felt running through him. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning both walked up to the fallen bull with no signs of fear whatsoever. Khaos Fury even placed a hoof under Surelious' chin and pushed his head up so she could look him in the eye.

"Clearly what we have here is failure to communicate," Dark Lightning said.

"Like I said, you're ours now, you fool," Khaos Fury taunted. "Look around you. You're not surrounded by friends anymore. These are not your forces. They, just like you, belong to my brother and I.

"They're ours to order around and do with as we please. If we tell them to beat you until every bone in your body is broken, they will. So now I ask you... are you gonna follow the orders you're given or are we gonna have more... _misunderstandings_?"

Surelious looked away from Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning's mocking stares. Instead he saw the faces of all the other minotaurs who stared at him like he was public enemy number one. Deep down Surelious knew that Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning were right about being in complete control. He didn't want to admit it, but those two ponies had the ear of every minotaur in the volcano, including, most importantly, Isarem's. Surelious had suffered great disgrace in the face of a mission and was now having to pay for it.

He still refused to speak, though, as he looked back to Khaos and Dark to see them both smiling.

"Looks like he's coming around, sis," Dark Lightning said.

"That's better," Khaos Fury said almost like a mother cooing her child. Her demeanor quickly turned to a more militant authority. "Now do as I say and use that water you've been carrying all this time to wake those ponies!"

Surelious still said nothing, but, with great reluctance, nodded his head before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Release him," Dark Lightning said.

After the two minotaurs holding Surelious did as they were told, the massive bull was slow to get back to his hooves. He was still feeling the after effects of the harsh beating he had suffered. Surelious was still able to move and get around, though, as he demonstrated by walking over to where he had apparently left a giant bucket. He grabbed the handle and walked in closer to the roller the ReMane Five were being kept on. When he stopped, Surelious turned and his eyes unexpectedly locked one Twilight Sparkle's.

The violet coated alicorn had been watching while the larger bull was being assaulted. The entire time she watched, though, it was with horror filled eyes. Despite what Surelious had put her friends through, Twilight still couldn't help but be horrified when she saw what he was being put through. Heck, Twilight Sparkle even found herself feeling sorry for Surelious despite being sure he had done worse to others. Surelious could see how Twilight Sparkle was feeling by the look in her eyes.

Surelious even swore he saw the ghost of her lips moving as if she were silently saying, "I'm sorry". The mightiest of bulls was taken aback by the possibility, but knew he had to ignore it or risk taking another beating. With that in mind, Surelious hoisted the bucket at the four ponies still unconscious. It turned out that the bucket was filled with cold, somewhat dirty water that splashed all over the mares, including Twilight, who was caught by the wave. Instantly the other mares' eyes shot opened as they all sprung up in sitting positions and let out shrill screams.

Uproarious laughter filled the air, all supplied by Khaos Fury, Dark Lightning, and the majority of minotaurs. They all got a kick out of the wet humiliation they put the ReMane Five through. Twilight Sparkle was doing her absolute best to calm down her friends, all of whom were acting like mice cornered by a cat.

" _You know, there are other ways you could've gone about doing that?!_ " Twilight Sparkle shouted angrily.

"I know... but that one was the funniest!" Dark Lightning said in between laughs. "Wakey, wakey, your lives are at stakey."

"Sure, yuck it up now!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Because by the time I'm finished with you all, you'll wish you never met me!" Rainbow Dash went to spread her wings, only to meet resistance by a metal body shackle wrapped around her. "Hey, what gives?!"

"Oh, poor baby didn't realize her friends and her were shackled in chains," Khaos Fury said mockingly.

"Yep, we tied you all up accordingly," Dark Lightning said. "Body restraints for the ponies with wings. Extra thick hoof shackles for the Earth ponies and ponies with similar physical prowess. And, of course, magic suppressing collars for the ponies with horns."

"In other words, you're all trapped like rats," Khaos Fury said.

"So don't try any funny business or you'll regret it," Dark Lightning sternly insisted.

The ReMane Five all silently looked to one another, but they knew deep down none of them had an answer about what to do.

"What are you gonna do to us?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, Dark Lightning and I had discussed killing you right away," Khaos Fury said. " _But_.. then he convinced me it would be best if we introduced you to the bull in charge."

"The guy running the show," Dark Lightning said. "That is part of the reason why you all came, right? You wanted to know who's big cheese around here?"

"Or were you planning on just blowing us all up with those bombs of yours right away?" Khaos Fury asked. "Oh, for your information, those have been confiscated. Tell me, did you already know about the hundreds of ponies we already have here and were just gonna set off your bombs anyway?... I guess the answer doesn't really matter since we're all about to be dust."

"How can you be so calm saying something like that?!" Rarity said almost in outrage.

"Relax, my little pretty," Khaos Fury said. "It's all for the greater good."

"The greater good," the majority of minotaurs chanted together in an unsettling manner.

"I love it when they do that," Khaos Fury said with a chuckle.

"So," Twilight Sparkle said in disgust, "you really don't care at all that this Isarem character is trying to kill off the entire population of the whole planet?"

"No, not really," Khaos Fury said.

"How could someone get so mixed up in the head that they'd think that was a good idea?" Applejack asked with clear frustration.

"You know, rather than tell you ourselves," Dark Lightning began.

"Maybe you should hear it from the source," Khaos Fury finished. "Now get moving, your free ride is over. You all walk from here."

Khaos Fury pointed a hoof forward, which was followed by the minotaurs forcing the ReMane Five off the roller. The two that were rolling it along then took off, leaving everyone else to carry onward to Isarem's chamber. Twilight Sparkle and all her friends looked around to one another, seeing clear signs of hesitation. A few light shoves from the minotaurs behind them told the mares they had no choice. With more reluctance than ever before, the ReMane Five eventually began walking down the bending tunnel, followed by their escorts.

Only a few seconds went by without any talking. It may not have lasted long, but there was obvious tension in the air. The situation was practically begging for someone to start speaking.

"So what do you think this Isarem guy is gonna be like on a one-on-one level?" Rainbow Dash whispered to her friends.

"He's absolutely great," one of the minotaurs said brightly.

He was quickly cut off by a small bolt of attack magic launched into his chest. The bull let out a short yelp of pain as he grabbed where he was hit.

"No fraternizing with the prisoners!" Khaos Fury said sternly. Her eyes then fell upon the mares behind her. "And you five, shut up. No talking for any of you. You're lucky I'm letting you live this long."

"Isn't using death as a threat against what this cult's religion teaches?" Fluttershy let out quietly.

"Didn't I tell you brats to shut it?!" Khaos Fury said like a wicked step mother as she raised a hoof.

Fluttershy shuddered as she lifted a front leg to shield herself. Instantly all of the frightened pegasus' friends gathered around her in defensive positions.

"Back off, creep!" Twilight Sparkle demanded.

"Yeah, you may have us outmatched, but if you hurt Fluttershy, that won't matter," Rainbow Dash said.

"We'll take you all on until our very last breath!" Rarity warned.

"Hmm, admirable spirit," Dark Lightning said. "Wrong group to be showing it to."

"Look, let's just keep moving," Khaos Fury said. "There's time enough for punishment later when they finally come face-to-face with Isarem. I'm quite certain he won't be so forgiving to a group that's given us become such a huge thorn in the little time they've been on _our_ island."

The smuggest of smirks crossed Khaos Fury's face as she turned and the walk down the tunnel resumed.

"Fluttershy's still right," Twilight Sparkle said. "You threatening us with death goes against this topsy turvy cult's ideals that death is a good thing."

"It may be to us, but the idea of dying still scares you," Khaos Fury said. "I'm using your fear and your ignorance to manipulate you into doing what I want. Clearly it's working or else you wouldn't be walking with us right now."

"It's not like we have much of a choice," Applejack said. "And what's this talk of ignorance? Is it because we don't have the same beliefs about getting into an afterlife as you do? If so that only proves you're the ignorant ones. All of us already know this whole killing everyone thing ain't the way to go. We wouldn't have been put here in the first place if it wasn't for a reason."

"Spoken like a truly blind fool," Khaos Fury said. "That is one of life's greatest lies and the fact that you can't see it is truly the saddest thing."

"Pity," Dark Lightning said.

"What's one of the greatest lies in life?" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"Life," Dark Lightning said. "Or to be more precise, this utterly fragile version of life full of hardships. If this was the way it was meant to be, there wouldn't be something better beyond this life."

"There isn't, not for you toads at least," Twilight Sparkle spat. "If you were so savvy on the afterlife as you claimed you were, you'd know this wouldn't be the way to go about getting to it. There's a special place for psychotic cultists like you so full of evil."

"Cultists?" Khaos Fury said as though she had suffered a harsh insult. "No, no, no, we aren't some sort of backwards goofs that get together who think they know better because they follow blind faith in a statue. No, we know our way is just because there are those of us that have walked the path of immortality. They walked it only to have it taken from them. All we want to do is give it back to them and share it with everyone else, too.

"So I ask you, how could that be so bad?"

"Because of the way you're going about it," Twilight Sparkle insisted. "You're taking the choice away from so many others. Have you ever even considered that everyone else may not want to die the way you all do?! If you make these kinds of choices for yourselves, that's one thing, but to force your beliefs upon others is just wrong! That's especially if it costs them their lives, the lives they choose to have!"

"We already know others may not want to ascend with us," Khaos Fury said. "But we all know when they do, they're all gonna thank us. We'll be heroes, idols to be worshiped in their eyes."

"No, you won't!" Twilight Sparkle said. "None of you will be joining them up above! The only place you're all gonna go is down below and it'll be far more than six feet! You'll burn for your idiotic religious ideals that killing the whole world is a good idea!"

"You asked for it!" Khaos Fury shrieked out.

The unicorn turned around and release several bolts of lightning from her magic horn. Twilight Sparkle cried out in pain and agony as electrical currents ran through ever part of her being. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all rushed to aid their friend going through the painful torture of electrocution. All of the pony mares were met by the clubs of the many minotaurs around them. The ponies tried to fight through it, but their being tied in chains, the numbers of the minotaurs, and the strength of their club swings was too much.

There was no way Fluttershy, Rarity, or even Rainbow Dash, and Applejack could overcome such one sided odds. All of them suffered a horrible beat down while Twilight Sparkle continued to be on the receiving end of the shocking bolts from Khaos Fury's horn. After a certain amount of time, Dark Lightning came over to his sister and put a hoof on her shoulder.

"I think she's had enough, Khaos," Dark Lightning said. But upon seeing the lustful look on Khaos Fury's face that, Dark could tell she had no intentions of stopping, which worried him greatly. "Come on, Khaos, we agreed we wanted to bring them all to Isarem alive. She's not gonna be alive if you keep shocking her like this, she won't be. Now, I said she's had enough, Khaos...

"Did you hear what I said?! _She's had enough... Khaos Fury!_ "

Finally the psychotic gray unicorn heeded her brother's words and ceased fire of her electric blasts. Twilight Sparkle instantly dropped to the ground, breathing heavily as her entire body trembled. Khaos Fury looked on both angry that she couldn't finish the deed, but satisfied with the pain she had caused the violet alicorn mare. The evil pony trotted up to Twilight and forced her hoof under her chin to lift her head off the ground.

" _Look at me!_ " Khaos Fury demanded with an possessed-sounding voice. Twilight Sparkle's eyes weakly fluttered open and looked to the unicorn standing over her. "Now, I won't put up with anymore of your blasphemy. If I hear one more word out of you insulting our ways... I won't kill you, but by the time I'm done, you'll wish you were dead. Is that clear?"

Twilight Sparkle only let out a soft moan, for that was all she could vocalize. Every inch of her was still feeling the unbelievable amount of pain from the lighting blasts. In some ways it almost felt like she was still on the receiving end of them. Khaos Fury's body trembled with anger before she finally let out a scream and slipped her hoof out from under Twilight's chin. The alicorn princess's head fell to the ground instantly.

"Come on, Khaos, we've got work to do!" Dark Lightning demanded.

"Fine!" Khaos Fury said. She then turned back to the fallen Twilight Sparkle. "I wouldn't bring up any of what you just said to Isarem if I were you. You think I was harsh? Just try and speak one sentence against our cause to him."

"You bunch," Dark Lightning said to the minotaurs, "get these mares back on their hooves so we can get this over with already."

Several minotaurs reached out and grabbed a hold of all the ponies on the ground. The other mares had watched in horror almost the entire time Khaos Fury had Twilight Sparkle at her mercy. All of them were dealing with pain of their own after the thrashing they took. It made them realize they couldn't help themselves, each other, or Twilight Sparkle and it crushed them. It wasn't made any better watching the minotaurs try to force Twilight Sparkle up.

They'd stand her up and she would instantly start falling again, so someone would have to catch her and try again. Eventually, after several tries, Twilight seemed to be able to stand or more so stumble. She could stay on her hooves, which was enough for the unicorn twins.

"Close enough," Khaos Fury said.

"Alright, let's move it!" Dark Lightning barked.

The minotaurs started moving along and forced the ReMane Five to do the same. Twilight Sparkle almost fell a few times, but her friends would always gather around her and help. They'd get Twilight back on her hooves and helped her keep moving onward. While the other four may not have been able to help as much as they wanted, it was still the least they could do for poor Twilight. Their journey came to an abrupt stop, however, when the group came to the end of the tunnel.

There stood a large, thick, medieval-looking door surrounded by eight armed minotaur guards. They all stood at attention upon seeing Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning coming their way along with their squad.

"We're here to see Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury said.

"It has to do with a... _pest control problem_ ," Dark Lightning said as he looked back to the ReMane Five.

"Of course, go right in at once," one of the guards at the door said.

Khaos Fury used her horn's magic to slowly pull open the giant door. Then Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning both turned to the ReMane Five with extra wicked grins on their faces.

"If I were you fillies, I'd be pretty concerned right about now," Dark Lightning said.

"I'd be shaking in my horseshoes," Khaos Fury added.

"Kinda already looks like you are," Rainbow Dash said as she tilted her head and her eyes looked downward. "You poor little kids afraid Daddy's gonna pull out the belt on you?"

"Heh, act as brave as you want, my big mouthed friend," Dark Lightning said. "It'll be the last time you wear such smugness on your face or how any bravado left in your voice."

"Bring them along now," Khaos Fury said. "But leave the dogs outside in the yard. It's gonna be crowded in there as it is."

The minotaurs holding the chains of the timberwolves nodded in compliance. They stayed where they were while the rest of the posse made their way into Isarem's chamber. The ReMane Five were forced inside by the minotaurs escorting them. Twilight and the others found themselves inside a wider open space of a room with very little decoration to it. There were sharp pointed rocks hanging from the ceiling and in random places along the ground and walls.

This was pretty much the norm for just most of the other open areas the ponies' had seen in the volcano. The room was illuminated by a flickering and flashing light, the source of which could not be seen. It did, however, help all to see far on the other side of the room, a section of ground elevated above the rest atop a few large steps. Atop this raised speck of land was a large stone desk with a great big throne to match. Also there was what seemed to be a crystal ball perched atop a stand made of stone.

Nothing in that room looked anymore inviting than any other, dark, damp, part of the catacombs within the volcano. The whole group walked in further to the room before Khaos Fury signaled with a wave of her hoof. Instantly the minotaur guards forced the ReMane Five to stop dead in their tracks as the unicorn twins turned to them.

"You'll wait here until you're called on," Khaos Fury said sternly. "I'm warning you pony brats right now. No funny business or it will be the last mistake you ever make."

The ReMane Five said nothing, letting their glares do all their talking for them. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning merely sneered at their captives before turning away and walking out to the middle of the room.

"May Paradise shine its light upon you, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning said together as they knelt down to a knee.

The minotaur guards repeated the statement as they also bowed while making the ReMane Five do the same.

"And may Paradise shine its light upon you all as well, my friends," a voice called out from across the room.

The ReMane Five knew whoever said that was sitting at the throne and desk, hidden from sight of everyone else. The throne pulled out from behind the desk a little, giving the ReMane Five a better look at the horn tips sticking out above it. The giant stone chair turned slowly to reveal the grand master himself, that being Isarem. That moment was the closest any of the ReMane Five had ever been to the bull in charge up to that point. Because there were so close, they could see several details they hadn't before.

For one thing, Isarem seemed shorter than the other bulls they had seen. He was by no means small, but the other males of his species seemed to be eight or nine feet tall while Isarem looked to be about as tall as Celestia. His body was very well built physically, but Isarem didn't seem as big and bulky as those around him. He was somewhat slimmer, leaner, almost like someone who wouldn't mind going in between boxing and foot racing as professions. Either way, Isarem was a sight to behold and would probably be more so if the ceremonial robe he was still wearing didn't cover him up so much.

The robe was mostly white, but had a gold top sewn into it with several different color gems embedded in it. Isarem's horns were actually curved slightly outward from his forehead almost like the horns of Lucifer himself. They looked to be about as long as Celestia's horn, if only slightly longer. His fur was dark blue, only slightly darker than Luna's and his face was slightly more flat than a typical minotaur's. His nose didn't stick out too much at all and, of course, he had the long black mane of hair the majority of the bulls working under him did.

Isarem may have stood out from the other bulls in his compound, but there was no doubt to the ReMane Five he was just as dangerous, if not more so. The cult master also had this threatening air about him despite trying to appear calm, presentable, and even friendly.

"Welcome, my dear friends," Isarem said, his smile looking as warm as his voice sounded. "It's great to see you again so soon. I can only guess it is because you have finally finished your work. That is the reason, isn't it? If so, I must say you finished up sooner than I expected.

"That'd be very impressive, so I hope the answer is 'yes'."

"Uh... not exactly, my lord," Dark Lightning said.

"But there's a good reason for that!" Khaos Fury added.

"Oh?" Isarem said with only the tiniest tinge of disappointment. "What is that?"

"Well, before we could start the final operation," Dark Lightning began.

"We found some spies within our ranks," Khaos Fury finished.

"Spies you say?" Isarem asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, my lord, intruders," Khaos Fury said. "More than that, they're the outsider that came here from Equestria to help the ponies who have been fighting against us."

"Then they're the ones that brought that new Godzilla kaiju?" Isarem asked.

"Yes, sir, Lord Isarem, they are," Dark Lightning said.

"How did they sneak in?" Isarem asked. "Our stations are all on high alert because of the fight going on outside."

"They used magical disguises, sir," Khaos Fury explained. "But I got suspicious of them and used a disguise canceling spell and uncovered their identity. Then we captured them and brought them straight to you."

"Ah, well done, my faithful friends," Isarem said.

"Thank you, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning said together.

"Bring forth the prisoners," Khaos Fury said as she turned to those behind her.

"Hold on, my friends," Isarem said as he raised a hand. "They've been through a lot, had to take in just as much. They know of our purpose, I assume?"

"Yes, my lord," Dark Lightning said.

"Then let's try to be a bit more sensitive to their position," Isarem said. His eyes then looked beyond Dark and Khaos towards the ReMane Five. "Come now, don't be shy, my little ponies. Step into the light. Take your time, though.

"I know it all looks bad from where you're standing, but just know it's going to be alright. No one's going to hurt you from here on out."

The ReMane Five were all taken aback by just how genuinely nice Isarem was coming off to them. His tone, his facial expression, his body language, his entire demeanor. It was like they were surprise guests at an event he was hosting or something. Khaos Fury, Dark Lightning, and even some of the minotaurs looked equally astonished.

"Lord Isarem, are you-?"

A stern look from the master bull was all it took to silence Khaos Fury, who quickly broke eye contact. Isarem looked back to the pony mares and resumed his welcoming gestures and attitude.

"Come now, I swear I'll do my best to make you all as comfortable as possible," Isarem said. "I'll make it so all of us will be able to get along. Hopefully I can explain everything to you and we can all get through this on a... _friendlier_ level."

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy all looked to Twilight Sparkle for guidance. All she could do was stare back before slowly stepping forward, to which the other four ponies followed suit. They walked up until they were just behind Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning.

"Yes, now that's better," Isarem said pleasantly. A somewhat upset look then crossed his face. "What's this? Can we please remove the restraints and chains all over these poor ponies, please? They are not our prisoners, they're here as my guests."

"But Lord Isarem-" Dark Lightning started to say.

" _Remove their shackles!_ " Isarem's deep, booming, authoritative voice demanded.

Everyone in that room, including the unicorn twins shuddered fearfully. The ReMane Five were surprised by just how much power and control Isarem had to him, despite seemingly loosing his cool a little bit. It was no wonder so many followed him with that sort of unique charisma. That authority seemed to keep paying off for Isarem since the unicorn twins were now more than willing to obey orders.

"Yes, sir, Lord Isarem, at once," Khaos Fury said.

"Please forgive us, lord," Dark Lightning said. "It's not our place to disobey you or question your authority. We'll have these ponies released of their chains at once."

"Good," Isarem said.

Khaos Fury signaled for some of the minotaurs nearby to carry out Isarem's order. The ReMane Five were actually surprised to find the minotaurs gather around them and tirelessly work to get all their chains and shackles removed. They seemed to hesitate, though, when it came time to remove the body restraints of the winged ponies and the collars of the ponies with horns. One of the minotaurs even turned to Isarem with uncertainty.

"Are you sure you want all their restraints off, my lord?" the minotaur asked.

"Yes, my friend, please do as I have requested right down to the letter," Isarem said in a somewhat impatient voice.

The minotaur nodded before turning back to release the ponies of their remaining restraints. Isarem got somewhat suspicious when he saw the minotaur unlocking Twilight Sparkle's collar from around her neck. It almost seemed like he was whispering something to her.

"I do hope you're not threatening my guests," Isarem said with a tone of warning.

"Of course not, my lord," the minotaur said as he turned and smiled brightly. "I was only following orders."

The minotaur then turned around and resumed what he was doing. Twilight Sparkle was the last one with any sort of restraints on her, that being her magic inhibiting collar. With what seemed like great reluctance, the minotaur slipped the key he held into the spot on the collar where it was meant to fit. A second later and the collar was off Twilight's neck and now laying on the ground. The ReMane Five had seen and felt it all happen, but they still couldn't believe it.

They were standing within the lair of not just any minotaur, but the one in charge of everything. The five mares were completely surrounded by many potential adversaries, including Isarem himself. Yet they weren't caged up or anything and even had what chains they were wearing removed at Isarem's own command. Besides that, Isarem was acting as if he had given them written invitations to come to the cult's base. All of the ReMane Five knew, however, that under the surface the danger was far from gone.

Twilight and the others looked to see almost all those around them were extremely tense. The minotaurs, Khaos Fury, and Dark Lightning all stood like they were ready to pounce on the ReMane Five like hungry lions. Isarem took note of all this and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"No, no, no, please stop all this, my friends," Isarem said. "As I told you before, these mares are my guests. There's no need to take up arms."

Despite their master's words, the minotaurs still held their weapons at the ready so they could jump into battle at anytime. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning wanted nothing more than to blast the ReMane Five to pieces with their offensive magic. Khaos even gave Twilight possibly the darkest glare the alicorn mare had ever received.

"Don't make me have to insist," Isarem said, with his unique air of authority in his voice.

That was when everyone knew they had absolutely no choice left but to back down.

"Yes, Lord Isarem," Khaos Fury said.

The unicorn twins and the minotaur guards all backed off, but not before Khaos Fury gave a final look of contempt to Twilight Sparkle.

"There, that's better now, isn't it?" Isarem said as he stood up from his throne. No one answered the head bull as he began walking down to the same level as the others in his quarters. "So, these are the equines that have caused you two so much trouble, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning, hmm? Let me see... an alicorn, a unicorn, two pegasi, and an earth pony. If nothing else, there's at least variety amongst their ranks."

"But please don't forget, my lord," Khaos Fury said, "these same foreigners have been a headache to you as well the past several days."

"That's right," Dark Lightning said. "They truly are the mares from Equestria."

"Yes, I know," Isarem said as he stopped in front of the unicorn twins while still looking at the ReMane Five. So you all came here from the mainland so far away? And you did it to help so many you saw as being treated so unjustly as to call for revolution? That's very admirable of you young fillies, truly a courageous and selfless act. I can tell just by looking at you that this isn't the first time you've done something like this in the name of helping others.

"Clearly you ponies have done many great deeds and accomplished many feats that will assure you high posts upon crossing through the Light above into Paradise. Tell me please, exactly what are your names, my dears?"

The ReMane Five said nothing, instead turning to gaze at one another. All of them looked to be very uneasy and not at all certain about their situation. Several seconds went by where no one said or did anything. Despite how much he tried to hide it, the silence was eating away at Isarem's patience.

"Please, go on, my little ponies," Isarem said in the stern voice of an abusive step father trying to hide the evil being he was underneath. "Do it... or I'll be forced to insist."

Everyone gasped as Isarem took a step forward and twitched his right hand slightly. The ReMane Five were frightened to by this invisible power Isarem seemed to have on anyone around him.

"M- M- My name is Fluttershy."

The other mares looked in surprise to see that the most timid of their group was the first to speak up. Isarem smiled warmly to the yellow pegasus pony.

" 'Fluttershy'," Isarem cooed, "such a pretty name for suck a pretty pony."

A small tremor of fear and disgust ran through Fluttershy as she looked away. To the others, that was their cue to go on and take Isarem's focus off their friend.

"My name is Rarity."

"I'm Applejack, sir," the orange Earth pony said as she removed her hat and put it to her chest.

"Name's Rainbow Dash," the blue coated pegasus said without any kind of attitude she'd usually have.

"And I am Princess Twilight Sparkle."

For some reason, that final introduction seemed to force a slightly confused look to cross Isarem's face.

" 'Princess'?" Isarem let out questioningly. "Did you say 'princess'? Did she say 'princess'?"

Isarem looked around to all his subjects, all of whom confirmed what Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yes, my lord, it's true," Khaos Fury said. "Your ears did not deceive you. She does claim to be a princess."

"Huh, that's strange," Isarem said as he looked to Twilight Sparkle with new interest. "I mean, it makes sense you're a princess given that you're an alicorn and all. But last I recalled, there was only one princess in Equestria. I think her name was Celestia and from what I remember, she was in charge of raising and setting both the sun and the moon. That is, in addition to ruling over the land you call Equestria of course."

"Sorry to tell you... _Isarem_ , but your information is incredibly outdated," Twilight sparkle said.

Everyone else was surprised to actually hear a tiny speck of defiance in the alicorn's voice. Even more surprising than that to all the others was that Isarem only seemed amused by it.

"It's true, we don't exactly keep up with the times on the mainland," Isarem said between small laughs. "That's not exactly easy for any of us, especially with what we're doing here. I assume you all know what we on the island here have been working on?"

"Yes... we know," Twilight Sparkle said, her voice conveying a deep seeded anger. Slowly the fear on her face faded away into an angry glare. "We know exactly what you psychos have been doing?!"

The raise of volume and emotion in Twilight's voice caught the minotaur soldiers and the unicorn twins off guard, making them flinch. All of them then quickly prepared themselves for an assault.

"Who do you think you are?" Khaos Fury demanded.

"Now, now, dear, Khaos Fury," Isarem said calmly. "Let our royal guest air out her grievances. If we're to get past our differences, we must first confront them."

"Differences?" Twilight Sparkle asked in outrage. "Is that what you call all that's happened? You gathered a whole army's worth of minotaurs, enough to conquer a small country, and brainwashed them all into believing all your nonsense! Then you used them to oppress and enslave all the ponies here on this island that used to be your closest friends! You started taking them away from their homes, from their families and forcing them to work in the mines or face torture if they didn't do it!

"And it was all so they could find some power rocks to help you kill the whole world! _Then you try to act like the ponies here were the unjust ones when they decided they weren't going to take it anymore! They went out and found their own home to escape your oppression, but you wouldn't let it be! It became a war when the ponies of Willowbrook decided to fight back and rightfully so because of how evil you sick, demented monsters were and still are to this day! You let all of this happen because of an absolutely ridiculous and down right disgusting idea that if you kill everyone, it'll be better for them!_

" _You're nuts, Isarem, do you hear me?! You are absolutely crazy to the highest meaning of the word!_ "

" _That's it!_ " Khaos Fury called out. " _I'm not gonna sit here and let you talk to Isarem like that! Maybe he can take it, but I can't and I wont! Prepare to meet your doom!_ "

" _Don't_ lay a hoof on her, Khaos!" Isarem demanded as he raised a hand. The gray coated mare stopped dead in her tracks and looked to her master in surprise. "Khaos, if you and your brother aren't going to be any help in making this a more productive first meeting, maybe you two should return to the lab and finish up your work. I assume none has progressed since you two found these mares?"

"No, sir," Khaos Fury hesitantly admitted. "We told them not to do anything while we weren't there. We wanted to make sure this current situation was dealt with as soon as possible."

"Consider it dealt with, Khaos Fury," Isarem said. "Now you and Dark Lightning may go and finish up your work in the lab. You may only return after it is handled."

"B- B- But Isarem-"

" _Do not argue with me, Khaos Fury!_ " Isarem exclaimed in a thunderously booming voice. " _I may be happier with you now than I have been, but don't think you can go around questioning me! I still haven't forgotten all the times you screwed up before! If you wish to keep making up for it, get down to the lab and finish my Mons-Ahgar!_ "

"But what if they get out of hand while we're gone, my lord?!" Khaos Fury asked.

"I'll hit them extra hard for you," Isarem said dismissively. "It's irrelevant, because I already know that since I'm actually going out of my way to sit down and talk with these ponies they will understand. They'll see the Light and come crawling to my side just like you and your brother sought me out those years ago... Now, for the last time... get out of here."

The quieter, yet still menacing voice Isarem used for his last sentence convinced Khaos Fury that she had to leave. She didn't want to go at all, but she dared not defy the bull running the show. Khaos took a quick glance at Twilight Sparkle, flashing her a dark look, to which Isarem rolled his eyes.

"Fine, keep half of the guards here if you feel so strongly about it," Isarem said in annoyance. "You really shouldn't be worried, though, I can handle this situation myself."

"Huh?" Khaos Fury said in confusion. "Oh, right, your- your safety. Yeah, that- that's what I'm worried about. I just... don't want anything to happen to you, my lord."

"Nothing will," Isarem said reassuringly. "And even if it does, it's only a stepping stone on the path to Paradise, my child."

"Yes, my lord," Khaos Fury said as she slightly bowed her head. The mare then turned to her brother. "Come along, Dark Lightning, we've got bigger fish to fry."

"Very well, my sister," Dark Lightning said. " _Let's move out!_ "

A good chunk of the minotaurs began walking along with the unicorn twins, leaving eighteen of the large soldiers behind in Isarem's chamber. The majority of those departing headed out the door with no hesitation whatsoever. Khaos Fury, however, hung back to glare one final time at Twilight, who was watching the departing group leave along with the other four pony mares at her side.

"Enjoy your little _chat, princess_ ," Khaos Fury said, spitting out the last word.

With that, the gray furred unicorn pony walked out into the tunnel, slamming the door behind her. The ReMane Five slowly turned from the door back to Isarem. They saw many hostile expressions from those minotaurs still around them that were acting as security. About the only one who had an inviting look of any kind was Isarem himself. He appeared to have an amused smile on his face.

"That girl," Isarem said between chuckles. "She's so sure something's going to happen and a fight will break out. But, of course, we all know nothing like that's gonna happen, right? Still, it is admirable how much she's concerned for me. Just goes to show what a loyal servant she is."

The ReMane Five looked stunned with disbelief and to a point almost amusement.

"Wait... are you serious?" Rainbow Dash blurted out.

"I think he is," Rarity said.

"You do know that's not why Khaos wanted to stay, right?" Applejack asked.

"I beg your pardon?" Isarem said with slight annoyance in his voice.

"Khaos Fury didn't want to be here if a fight breaks out so she could protect you," Applejack said bluntly. "She wanted to be here for the fight so she could take us out, no other reason. That goes especially for Twilight. For some reason ever since we got here, Khaos Fury's had her sights set directly on Twilight. I don't know why, but she's made it an obsession for them to fight every chance she gets."

"It's true," Fluttershy said.

"Maybe," Rarity suggested, "it's because Twilight's a powerful alicorn princess and having her around makes Khaos Fury insecure about her own magical abilities."

Isarem remained silent until his eyes fell upon Twilight Sparkle.

"Is this true... princess?" Isarem asked.

"Yes... it seems to be the case," Twilight Sparkle replied. "Since first laying eyes on me, it's like she's a piece of metal and I'm a magnet that attracts her brand of psychotic rage."

"Hmm," Isarem said as he looked on thoughtfully. "Well... I know it seems like that being on an opposing side, but I can assure you that couldn't be further from the truth. Khaos Fury is a loyal follower in our cause and just wants to fully dedicate herself to it. If that includes taking on others that would fight against us, then she puts her all into it like the rest of us do."

"You don't get it do you?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, taking everyone by surprise with the raised volume in her voice. "That pony's crazy! Not like you all crazy, but a more sadistic crazy. She takes pleasure in causing harm to others, especially me apparently. Your soldiers here, they're just playing their part like soldiers do while you're just a false, misguided prophet!

"She's only using your _cause_ to satisfy her psychotic needs to hurt, maim, and kill! How you could be so blind to it amazes me! Then again, you think killing the world is a good idea, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised you couldn't see something so obvious! Another thing you've proven to be blind to is that _it's wrong to kill others!_ "

" _It's very unorthodox for guests to insult their hosts!_ " Isarem's voice boomed menacingly. " _Further more, who do you think you are coming in here and saying things like that?!_ I don't mean about Khaos Fury, I can at least understand your confusion about that. What I mean is who are you to come in here saying I'm a false and misguided prophet?! You don't even know the fully story of what we're doing here!

"We're not _senselessly killing innocent ponies_ as you might believe being on the outside looking in."

"Oh, we know why," Rainbow Dash said, butting her way in. "We caught your little performance in that temple of yours. You think that by destroying life all across the planet, everyone, including you will have a little slice of paradise waiting for them on the other side!"

"Oh, not just a little slice, child," Isarem said. "No, for many years we have introduced others to the full experience that truly is Paradise. What we want to do is bring that bliss to the rest of the world, too. We want to shed them of their mortal forms so they can spend eternity above in happiness."

"Yeah, there's just one thing wrong with that," Twilight Sparkle said.

" _It's evil!_ " Rainbow Dash said. "You may call it shedding them or whatever, but you're still killing them."

"And no matter how you slice it, that's still wrong!" Applejack said.

"How can you not realize that for yourself?!" Rarity asked in outrage.

Isarem's whole body shook as he tried to fight back the frustration building up inside of him.

"Let's all try to calm down" Isarem insisted. "Let's just calm down and pull back our emotions... before they lead us down a road we regret. Don't you think that's what's wise... princess?"

Isarem took a moment to have a chuckle, his face plastered with a big smile all the while. The ReMane Five all looked at him in confusion. Even some of the minotaur guards seemed uncertain about their leader's behavior.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty, I'm not laughing at you," Isarem said after getting a hold of himself. "It's just that... I can't believe I actually have a princess of Equestria here in my domain. It makes me glad I didn't change out of my ceremonial robe right away. Usually I'm dressed... _less appropriately_ for company. It's such a thrill not only to discover another alicorn princes of Equestria, but to have her here in our sanctuary.

"I can't begin to tell you what an honor it is to have a princess of Equestria here in our neck of the woods... With all of her friends who I'm sure are simply fantastic of course. So are there anymore alicorn princesses in Equestria besides you and Celestia?"

"There's four of us," Twilight Sparkle answered with clear contempt.

"Whoa, really, four?!" Isarem exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, with a fifth on the way," Twilight Sparkle said with the same contempt as before.

"A fifth?!" Isarem said.

"My niece," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'd very much like for her to be born and grow up in a world where she can have a good life."

"Of course, I'm sure you would," Isarem said. "Wow, I just can't believe it, five alicorn princesses! I must really be out of whack with what's happening outside this island."

"Yeah, here's another newsflash," Rainbow Dash said. "Ponies actually like their lives outside of this island and they want to keep 'em! They do _not_ want to have them taken away by a mad bull like you."

"Your friend is quite the mouthy one, Princess Twilight Sparkle," Isarem said.

"That's just princess to you," Twilight Sparkle said with hostility.

"Moving on," Isarem said with a grumble. "I'm curious as to what need there could possibly be for so many princesses to appear to run a single kingdom at once. From what I heard it was doing just fine with one, but then here come all these others out of thin air. How does something like that even happen and what purpose could that possibly serve ? What about you, princess, what role do you play in the hierarchy of Equestria?"

"I'm... the princess of friendship," Twilight Sparkle hesitantly answered.

Isarem raised a single eyebrow as he looked on in confusion.

"I'm sorry, what?" Isarem let out as he held a hand to his ear. " Did you just say that in Equestria, you're the princess of friendship? I'm not sure I completely understand. From what I understand, this Princess Celestia in Equestria raises and lowers both the sun and the moon. She's had to do both since her sister disappeared years ago or something while also running the country as a royal monarch, I get that.

"But what could you possibly mean when you say you are the 'princess of friendship'? Friendship isn't a tangible concept that can be ruled over like a whole country can. I mean, do you decide who becomes friends with whom? Do you control the friendships of Equestria? Is anyone who's friends with someone else your subject or what? I'm sorry, it's just that it doesn't make sense to me."

"No, it's not like that at all!" Twilight Sparkle spat from her mouth. "Friendship plays a big part in the harmony that keeps Equestria running. I would assume it would be the same anywhere else, but I've been tasked with keeping the friendships of Equestria in tact as peacefully as possible. I've even helped to make new friendships along the way. I don't order ponies to be friends or force past friends to be friends again.

"I just try to help point them in that direction with the help of my own friends."

"So if they help you, why aren't they friendship princesses, too?" Isarem asked.

"They're my royal friendship council," Twilight Sparkle said. "They aid me just like a regular royal council would. All of them earned that right by sticking with me through the best and worst of times just like true friends would! And, yes, I do occasionally help with running the country when needed as well. But keeping the friendships of Equestria in tact is my number one priority because of how important the vast majority of them are in keeping our country running.

"Friendship and harmony are the absolute most important things where we come from, something I'm sure you wouldn't know about."

"On the contrary, my dear," Isarem said. "I myself am no stranger to the concept of friendship. Quite the opposite, I actually love friendship, I admire it. The friendship's I've made in my life are actually what got me to where I am at now. It was me and all my friends working together that made it possible for us to reach this point."

"Yeah, we saw a lot of that _working together friendship_ for ourselves," Applejack said. "With how friendly you've treated the ponies on this island, enslaving them, torturing them, and slaughtering them in battle and all that. Why, it's no wonder they think so highly of you as they do."

Isarem seemed taken aback by what the southern Earth pony had said.

"I admit it is highly... _regrettable_ what we have put these ponies through," Isarem said.

" _Regrettable?!_ " the ReMane Five all exclaimed together.

"Seriously, that's the word you're going to use?!" Rainbow Dash let out.

"You have treated the ponies on this island worse than dirt!" Rarity shouted.

"You turned the town you built with them into a concentration camp!" Twilight Sparkle said. "You made them feel like slaves and then made them slaves by kidnapping them from their homes to dig your mines! Stallions, mares, and foals of all ages forced to dig through hard rock with dangerous tools along with all the other hazards that come with the job! You work them to all hours of the day until either they can't work anymore or... You're _monsters, do you hear me?!_ "

"Then there's all the hardships and heartbreak you put the ponies of Willowbrook through!" Fluttershy screeched out. "You've treated all the ponies on this island worse than any living thing deserves to be treated! They were your closest friends and you betrayed them to become big, dumb, _meanies!_ "

" _Silence!_ " Isarem's voice boomed loudly through the cave, making everyone else jump. "Who do you think you are coming in here and talking to me like that?! Do you think that's what I want?! Do you think I like that we had to go this route? I don't like it, I don't like it one little bit!"

"Then why did you do all that to the ponies of the island?!" Rarity demanded.

" _Because we had no choice!_ " Isarem spat back. "It's true we started taking ponies, but it wasn't to be slaves! At first we tried to offer them to join our righteous cause."

" ' _Righteous_ ', yeah right," Rainbow Dash grumbled.

"And their reaction every time was exactly like yours!" Isarem said as she pointed to Rainbow Dash. "It became apparent very quickly that they wouldn't come to our cause willingly, so we had no choice but to take them by force. That's why we took over and handled Seaside Hoof the way we did! That's why we made mine workers-"

" _Slaves!_ " the ReMane Five exclaimed.

Isarem gave all of the mares a look of animosity.

" _Mine workers_ out of them," Isarem said. "They'll still go to Paradise, they just had to _earn_ their way in is all. We fought the deserter ponies because we couldn't just let them leave our town and give them the possibility to organize against us. That's exactly what they did, too, when they established their _hidden_ village in the Willowing Forest. They established a colony, turned it into an assault base and try to tear down our cause!"

"Because your cause is wrong!" Twilight Sparkle said. "With how evil you minotaurs have become, you left the ponies here no other choice but to rebel and fight back!"

"Y'all still don't get it, do you?!" Applejack asked in a confrontational matter. "The way y'all have been going about this is completely wrong!"

"You can't just decide to take matters into your own hooves... or hands," Rarity said. "You can't decide to take away the lives everyone across the Earth has built for themselves because you think you should! You have no rights to decide that! That right is sacred belonging only to the forces above if there are any."

"Don't you realize what you're doing?!" Twilight Sparkle asked. "You are intentionally and freely doing harm to others that is intended to end their lives."

"Only so they can have a better one," Isarem insisted as he walked in closer to the ReMane Five.

"Who are you to decide that?!" Twilight Sparkle pressed on. "Who are you to decide the lives here on Earth aren't good enough?! Who are you to decide to take away these lives for such an incredibly misguided cause?!"

"Who are you to come here and tell me I'm misguided?!" Isarem insisted as he stared down Twilight. "Who are you to come here and say all of us, all we built, everything is wrong, huh?! What gives you the right?!"

"Common sense!" Twilight Sparkle said. "We're taught not to harm, because it makes others hurt, which is wrong! In trying to kill someone, you could hurt them badly in the process, which is wrong. Killing, taking another life that's not yours is wrong! That's especially for something as cold blooded of a philosophy as life isn't worth living."

"That's why we have to do it!" Isarem said. "Life, this life at least is so fragile. You hear about it all the time. Mass plagues, terrible diseases, innocents badly maimed in some way or another all over the world. There's all sorts of suffering far beyond that as well.

"Whole countries seem to be cursed by famine or intense heats or other hindrances that make them suffer in one way or another. Pain and agony are expected parts of this fragile life that we're suppose to just accept. But we don't have to because of what lies beyond. I've seen and felt it all for myself.

"All the beauty, all the bliss, and all the freedom with the worries of what we had to deal with in this life swept away. That's why I know there's more meant for those that live on this planet. They deserve better and all we want to do is make it so they can live better. That's what Paradise is for."

"But we have to get there in our time!" Twilight Sparkle argued. "We're given life spans for a reason. Even alicorns aren't truly immortal. We live, we age, we all die at some point, but in that life we must become the best we can be before receiving whatever final reward there may be for us. We wouldn't have been given these lives if they weren't to serve a purpose."

"We wouldn't be able to pass on so easily if that wasn't for a purpose," Isarem said.

"Maybe not," Twilight Sparkle said. "But that's not for us to decide right here and right now. If we can't figure out the right reason now, then we'll figure it out when we cross over to the other side. I repeat and stress, though, that it has to be in our time, not an allotted amount of time predetermined by _you!_ "

" _I have figured out why!_ " Isarem insisted. "The only thing holding us back are these meat bags of bodies we have. And then there's also single, closed minded thoughts such as the ones you're speaking right now."

"It's not single minded thinking, it's common sense," Twilight Sparkle insisted. "Of course you can't just walk up and break someone's neck, that'd be wrong. You can't throw someone off a cliff or burn them up in a fire. What about this are you not understanding?"

"What aren't you understanding?!" Isarem spat back. "I'm making it so we don't have to worry about that kind of stuff anymore!"

"What makes you so qualified to make that decision?!" Twilight Sparkle demanded. "Because you appointed yourself?!"

"No, I was chosen by the forces above!" Isarem insisted.

"Prove it!" Twilight Sparkle demanded.

For a moment, the room, went quiet as everyone looked on in anticipation for what would happen next. Isarem seemed to be as calm as ever.

"Very well... I will," Isarem said. "Sit tight and make yourselves comfortable, my little ponies. This will be a tale for the ages. When I'm done you'll finally realize why I was born for the task to ascend the whole population into the Light above."


	31. Chapter 31: Revelations of Death

Dressed up in a lab coat, Khaos Fury made her way to the computer console closest to the kaiju generator. At the mare's side was her similarly dressed brother, Dark Lightning. The black furred stallion looked to be very anxious about the final operations that his team in the lab were undertaking. There was a lot happening all at once with everything at stake, which was why everyone put in their hardest work to the task. Literally all that the minotaurs, the two unicorns, every member of the cult had been working for boiled down to that moment.

Every ounce of pressure one could possibly feel in that situation was pounding down on Dark Lightning. It was especially difficult for him since he was one of the two co-project leaders. He knew if there was any sort of error, big or small, that could effect the final outcome, it would most likely be seen as his fault. Even if he was innocent, he could and probably would get the blame anyways, again, since he was in charge. All that pressure manifested in a multitude of ways, all of which negatively effected Dark Lightning's physical health.

The unicorn stallion's body was trembling like crazy, his bones and muscles all ached like they could break apart, and the areas all over his head and neck felt hot as could be. Dark Lightning felt his heart beating rapidly as well as he tried to wipe away some of the sweat from his brow. Doing that nearly made the pony fall over since his legs were already trembling like they could give out on him. Nothing felt any better when Dark Lightning got up to the console in front of the kaiju generator. If anything, his body felt worse since he was no longer in motion and had to stand still.

Dark Lightning turned to Khaos Fury, only to find she didn't seem to be feeling any of what he did. If anything she seemed to be as mad as a pony could be. Her body shook like a bull ready to charge and the scowl on her face could probably make a lycan as nervous as a squirrel.

"What's with you, Khaos?" Dark Lightning asked, his tone revealing the fragile state he was in. "How could you possibly be mad about something at a time as important as this? Are you upset that we might blow it somehow. All the pressure's getting to you and it's making you mad?"

Khaos Fury said nothing, choosing instead to only look at her brother in silence. Still without answering, she turned her head back to the generator, staring at it just like most of the minotaurs around her did. His sister's refusal to speak was starting to frustrate Dark Lightning, something that was easy to tell by the way he looked at her.

"Well, if it's not that, why are you so-?"

"Because that fool thinks he can take all the glory for himself!" Khaos Fury exclaimed.

The sudden outburst took many by surprise; all those around the same console as Khaos Fury, standing or sitting, jumped in alarm. Even some of the minotaurs working further away took notice. Whether in lab coats or orange jumpsuits, several minotaurs had their eyes on the unicorn mare. This made Dark Lightning feel awkward while Khaos Fury just seemed to get madder.

" _Get back to work!_ " the unicorn twins exclaimed at the same time.

Instantly all focus was taking off the two equines and back on to what everyone was doing before.

"What did you just say?" Dark Lightning whispered as he leaned in closer to his sister.

"That hotshot dull horn thinks he's all that," Khaos Fury groaned through clenched teeth. "Just because all these other flat heads are jumping off a cliff when he tells them to, he thinks he can do whatever he wants. That includes him taking my final chance to settle up with that stuck up alicorn tramp once and for all. He knows a confrontation is inevitable and he wants to take her and those other brats out himself. Well, I'm not just gonna stand here and let him do it."

"You watch your mouth with that kind of talk," Dark Lightning warned. "When we're alone is one thing, but now we're in the middle of where Isarem has eyes, ears, and muscle to flex. None of them will appreciate the way you're talk-"

"I don't care about any of them anymore," Khaos Fury said sternly to her brother. "I couldn't care less about what they think or how they feel. They're all about to be dead anyways, so why should I care? The whole world's gonna end, so what does it matter?"

"Don't forget, though, we're suppose to go right alongside them," Dark Lightning said. "If we want to get away long enough to see the fruits of our labor payoff, then we need to quit doing things that will attract any more attention to ourselves. Let's just do all of this and then teleport before the new kaiju is fully formed just like we planned."

"Fine," Khaos Fury said as she turned to the generator. "But mark my words, the first place I'm going after this is right back to Isarem's chamber. I'm gonna let them all know Khaos' true fury... including _him_.. and especially that _alicorn_."

Dark Lightning looked somewhat concerned at first about what his sister was suggesting. A few moments later he decide to just go along with it since the end seemed to be near anyways.

" _Attention all crews, attention all crews!_ " Dark Lightning called out while using a voice amplifying spell. Immediately all eyes were on him. " _Now hear this! All final preparations should be complete and everything should be in place for the creation of the new kaiju code named Mons-Ahgar! We've given sufficient time for any last minute checkups and adjustments that needed to be made! That means that this operation shouldn't go wrong at all!_

" _So, if it does... know that all responsible bodies will suffer punishment for their incompetence!_ "

" _How are machine and system functionalities?!_ " Khaos Fury asked with the same spell as her brother.

"According to this situation report, all's clear on that front, ma'am," a minotaur holding a clipboard said. "Machines are all operating at full, functioning capacity and the systems are running smoothly."

" _What about the energy cells?_ " Khaos Fury asked.

" _All charged to full capacity, General Khaos!_ " a minotaur from far away called out.

" _Is everything connected together properly?!_ " Khaos Fury asked.

"Yes," a minotaur sitting behind the computer console said. "Even the new Alpha Stone siphon is fully plugged in and working as properly as any other piece of equipment. All monitors on my end show that we are ready to begin final operations at anytime."

"Good," Khaos Fury said. She then put her voice amplifying spell back into effect. " _In that case, be ready on my mark. This is the glorious day we've been waiting for, gents. We best not muck it up or heads will surely roll._ "

All bodies felt the highest doses of adrenaline going through them, making them tremor like crazy. Everyone anxiously awaited the defining moment where word would be given so that they could begin the process of creating the new kaiju. All of them wanted so much for all their hard work to payoff, to see for themselves that they had done good, that all they did wasn't in vain. Tension was thick in the air as all were barely able to contain themselves while they waited for the final moment to jump into action.

" _Activate all devices, now!_ " Khaos Fury called out.

" _Begin operations!_ " Dark Lightning followed up.

All heavy lifting workers went to task as did those behind the computer consoles, punching in all sorts of commands. It wasn't long before one computer worker pushed the final button needed to begin the kaiju making process. Instantly the sounds of machines revving up and energy crackling in the air were heard at their highest volumes. Whatever electric lights were in the lab all started to flash on and off. None paid any attention to this, for they were staring at the large, egg-shaped kaiju generator that was flashing with an even greater intensity.

The giant power cables that connected the energy siphon machine to the kaiju generator even lit up like giant Hearth's Warming lights. While they were shielded to the eyes of everyone around, inside the energy siphon, the green, purple, and blue Alpha Stones were all glowing as bright as they ever had. Only a few of the minotaurs in that lab had been present when the kaiju generator had been used to create new giants of terror so long ago. Even they were feeling heavy anticipation from all the overpowering activity going on. Everyone, even Dark Lighting and Khaos Fury seemed to be taken aback by all that went into creating a brand new kaiju.

At first an extra spark of power that flew out from the cables made all looking on turn away in alarm. Khaos Fury, however, soon looked back to the kaiju generator and forced most of her uncertainty away. All she would allow was an intense glare as she watched the process proceed. She didn't even budge when the whole lab started to tremble like it was being shook around in the hands of a god. The evil mare just stood and stared, waiting for the final product that might just have been the tool to end the world.

* * *

The ReMane Five were anxious as could be, yet remained calm and stationary so they could hear Isarem tell his tale. All of them were more than curious to discover the secret origins of how Isarem discovered his philosophy on death and started his cult. Only a moment ago did the head bull offer to share that very story of how it all came to be. So, despite the nervous itch the mares had, they silently agreed, with no spoken words used whatsoever, to allow the story of how it all happened to be told.

"It pains me that none of you ponies have been able to truly understand our cause as of yet," Isarem said with disappointment and frustration. "Not to worry, though, for you will all understand once my story is told. You'll practically be begging to come join us when the tale is over, I'm sure. All other ponies shunned us in the past, save for Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning. But I just know you'll be the ones I finally get through to.

"How ironic, this island was partially named because of the great stories the ponies here used to tell. Yet here I am with a tale for the ages, the ultimate story to be told. But... where should I begin?... Hmm... well, I suppose I should start with back when I was just a child. It was when I was eight years of age, I do believe.

"Back then life was a lot different for me than it was for most children. I didn't have any friends, nor did I make a large effort to find any. None seemed interested, so I just didn't bother them. Heck, even my own family didn't seem to want to be around me that much, save for summoning me to work in our fields when needed. I kept to myself, mostly, running around and wandering all over the place.

"One day my travels took me to the farthest side of the island. There was this wide open field that looked to be almost untouched. What animals that were there were in short supplies, even the birds. It was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen in my life and I just wanted to be there. So I ran across the field for what seemed like forever.

"It was the happiest time of my life, just running through the grass and flowers, letting the occasional tree pass me by. I didn't want to stop, I felt like I could keep going on for an eternity. But nothing lasts forever, unfortunately and my good time came to a screeching halt. Apparently some weather pegasi had brought in some stray clouds that were just floating over the ocean. They brought those clouds over the island to give us some fresh rain.

"What they didn't know was that those same clouds also contained a good deal of lightning as well. On that same day the pegasi brought those clouds in I was running through the field. And... a stray bolt of lightning struck me down right on top of my head. Then... I fell... I fell forever into a pit of eternal darkness. It seemed as though death had wrapped its cold, icy grip around me and was pulling me into oblivion.

"But then... something wonderful happened. I started to rise... rise up out of the darkness. I don't know what force pulled me up when I was falling down, but it was an amazing feeling. It was like, I was there, but I didn't have a body, yet I still felt I was physically being lifted up by some sort of unseen, invisible force. Then, oh my word... I saw it... I saw... the Light.

"It was absolutely... celestial, even far more beautiful than the field was. I gazed deep into the bright shinning glow of the Light... and I wanted to be there. Sure enough, I soon was, I passed through the Light and... I had found Paradise. It was greater than anything I had ever seen or ever experienced, both before or after. Words could never truly do justice to what it was like being in Paradise that day."

Isarem's demeanor changed from being peaceful and happy to that of someone who was bitter and angry at the whole world. "But then... as soon as I had it all... it seemed like it was taken away just as quickly. I felt myself falling again and I was falling fast. It started off slow like I was being cradled downward, but then it felt like the arms holding me let me go. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, I wanted to say, 'No!'

"I tried stretching out my arms, but I had none, nor the rest of my body to do what I wanted or the voice to say what I wanted. All I could do was watch as everything I had come to love in such a short amount of time got further away from me. I fell like an injured bird out of the sky and then... I hit ground with a force I couldn't fathom. It sent a jolt through me so great I shot up into a sitting position and heaved out heavy breaths as my heart beat rapidly. It took me several seconds to realize the things I was feeling.

"The heartbeats, the breathing, my hand on my chest, my body sitting up. Then I looked around me... I was back... back here on the island. I was in Seaside Hoof at a hospital surrounded by my family, the pegasi that found me laying in the field, and the doctors who revived me. Apparently I was legally dead for seven minutes, but it was insisted by my father that the doctors try to revive me. He still needed me to help work the crops in the field, which was why he was so desperate that I survive.

"On that day, I grew to resent and despise... everyone and everything in life, especially my father and all others involved in my _resurrection_. I despised them all so much because they had taken... Paradise away from me when I had it so close in the palm of my hand. For once in my existence, I had finally known peace. I was the absolute happiest I had ever been and it seemed like that feeling wasn't going to go away... but it did. In fact, that feeling was pulled out of my grasp and taken far away from me to where I couldn't reach it again.

"Why?... Why had fate been so cruel as to show me Paradise only for it to be gone as soon as I had it? Why was I forced to go back to an existence where the only thing that mattered about me was my arms, my legs, and my back? Why was I back living a life where my body only mattered, but I, me, myself, my heart and my soul didn't matter? For several years I asked that question and in all that time I kept resenting everyone and seemingly hated the whole world for Paradise being lost to me."

"And when did that lead you to creating this cult?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

Isarem let a small half smile of amusement cross his face.

"Cult isn't the word I would use to describe us... but I'll tell you," Isarem said. "What led to that was when I went to... therapy." The ReMane Five all looked on in confusion. "Yes, I was actually sent to therapy to deal with the _trauma_ of the _near death experience_ I went through since it was having such a _negative effect_ on me. I resisted at first, I didn't feel like talking to anyone about anything and I was like that for a good while.

"That's probably why they had me sent to see a shrink, that and me... _trying to get back to Paradise_ a few different occasions. But like I said, I tried so hard to fight against being forced to talk to anyone... Eventually, though, I broke. I honestly don't know what it was, but something seemed... inviting. Actually, I do know, it was the shrink they set me up with.

"He acted like he actually cared and wanted to hear every single thing I had to say. He seemed so nice, so calm, so attentive. It was almost like he was the family member I didn't know I had. Eventually I spilled my guts and told him everything I've told you ponies up to this point. What's so amazing about it, though, was that... I wasn't the first to come to him with a story such as mine.

"The first minotaur he knew with a story like mine was... himself. Yes, he had experienced death and what happened to me was exactly what happened to him down to the littlest detail. He, too, was revived and wondered for years why he had Paradise taken from him. He ended up becoming a psychologist and... he actually found others who had gone through the same experience we had. I was beyond astonished to hear I was not as alone as I previously felt.

"In fact, I was so overjoyed, I nearly got up and started singing and dancing. Instead, I worked with the doctor and gathered together those others who had gone through the experience. We formed the biggest rally we could and tried to figure out why we had been brought into Paradise only to be so cruelly cast back out. That was when I realized... it had to be for a purpose. The best I could figure was that we had to spread the word, the good news, let others know there was something better beyond this hard life we've been forced to go through.

"A fragile life that could be filled with so many cruel twists of fate couldn't have been something we had to endure. Surely getting to Paradise faster was the right way to go. We had to do something about it beyond just spreading the word. Everyone agreed and we also agreed we needed a leader to help us do it. I naturally wanted the doctor who brought us together to lead us, but instead, he insisted that I lead our group to the final task of bringing all life into Paradise. I had my doubts about what the doctor was suggesting and still felt it should be him... but, much to my surprise, everyone else rallied around his idea.

"The decision was unanimous with everyone giving their vote of confidence to me. There was smiling, cheering, pep talks, all that. I was admittedly overwhelmed at first, but eventually agreed to lead our cause, Paradise's cause. In time our message spread like wildfire amongst our kind and it wasn't long before we were united as a species. It wasn't too much later when some of us found these hidden caverns during an island scouting mission.

"We were looking to expand our operations outside the limits of Seaside Hoof. If you're going to go big, go as big as you can, right? It was a shock, to say the least, for us to discover these caves were here. Apparently they belonged to a race that once lived on this island long before any of us minotaurs or the ponies settled here. Best we can guess, that same group also built that village the deserter ponies ended up taking over.

"If I had to guess, the village was their home and these caves were maybe a monastery or a work plant or something. Either way, we agreed this was a good place to start our operations properly. That pretty much led us to where we're at right now, about ready to share with all the world the true beauty that is Paradise."

Isarem took a pause as he stared off in silence. The ReMane Five looked to one another, all of them appearing to be very disturbed by the tale they had just been told. All of them seemed even more unsettled when it looked like Isarem was getting a little emotional. He had that sort of glint in his eyes as he stared with an expression filled with so many different feelings.

"You know, I still have the scar where the lightning bolt struck me," Isarem said.

He brought a hand up to his head and moved away some of his fur. The ReMane Five looked to see that, indeed, there were still clear signs Isarem had been struck in that part of his cranium. The head bull saw the astonished looks on the ponies' faces and let a small smile cross his as he lowered his hand, letting the fur fall back in place.

"You know... I don't even remember that doctor's name," Isarem said. "It all started so long ago and... he ascended back into Paradise almost right after we started putting our plans into effect. I guess he knew... he wasn't much longer for this world. That was probably why he asked me to lead us instead. I almost felt... sad that he had left so soon after we started such a revolutionary goal as ours.

"But... I realized I was being selfish."

"It's not selfish to miss someone you care about," Fluttershy said.

"Oh, but it is when something so much better is waiting for him on the other side," Isarem said. "He was even closer to being a father to me than my actual father was... And... it seemed like a lot to go through without him, being leader and all. I knew I had to do it, though, for him, for us, all of us across the world. We need something better than what we have now and I am going to see to it that we get it.

"I am personally going to make sure all of us will be able to ascend... into Paradise."

Suddenly a large tremor started to shake the whole cave, putting the ReMane Five and most of the minotaurs around them on high alert. Isarem was the only one who was calm and actually even had a big smile on his face.

"No need to fret, everyone," Isarem said as he put up a hand. "It's just the equipment in the lab being put to work. Final operations and the creation of Mons-Ahgar have... begun."

"Mons-Ahgar?" Rainbow Dash said questioningly as she raised an eyebrow.

"You mentioned that word before," Fluttershy said.

"Is that what you decided to call this new kaiju you're creating?" Rarity asked.

"Yes, my dear," Isarem answered. "In ancient minotaur dialect, it means 'great hope'. I find it to be rather appropriate given the beast's purpose."

"It's certainly... _ironic_ , that's for sure," Rarity said.

"Yeah, ironic as in it totally doesn't match the situation at all!" Rainbow Dash spat out. "If anything, you making monsters to kill everyone on the planet is the exact opposite of a great hope, you nut job!"

Isarem turned a cold, threatening stare at the pegasus pony. Rainbow Dash didn't want to admit it, but it did give her a slight shiver of discomfort. Though all of the mares were on talking terms and even spoke out against Isarem, they still had a deep seeded fear of him. They couldn't help themselves, for every little thing he did just exuded a larger than life personality hiding underneath and waiting to breakout. It almost looked like it would, though there was a saving grace for the ReMane Five.

His attention was taken by a stray minotaur guard in the background who seemed to be walking around aimlessly. This confused Isarem, who recognized the minotaur as the one he had reprimanded while he was removing Twilight Sparkle's shackles.

"You there!" Isarem called out as he pointed.

All eyes were on the minotaur who stopped dead in his tracks. He looked like a deer caught in headlights as he gazed back at everyone.

"Did you mean me, Lord Isarem?" the minotaur said nervously as he pointed to himself.

"Yes, what are you doing just skulking around like that?" Isarem demanded.

"I... guess I'm just nervous is all," the minotaur said. "Maybe a little excited, too."

"Well, please try to contain yourself, soldier," Isarem said. His words would've sounded calm if his tone weren't so frustrated. "I know this is a huge moment in more ways than one, but we still have to keep a hold of ourselves. Just stand in line with the others, please."

"Yes, my lord," the minotaur said as he bowed his head. "Again, sorry about that."

"It's alright, just see to it you keep your word," Isarem said as he watched the minotaur take a position next to Surelious.

Isarem kept his stare on the minotaur before turning to his former general. Surelious saw the deep resentment and disappointment the master of minotaurs had on his face. Ever since the mission earlier that morning, it was the only way Isarem would look at the bull he once held in such high regard. Every time, Surelious would feel an internal wave of sadness and despair wash over him and that moment was no exception.

"I don't like that it turned out this way, Surelious," Isarem said coldly. "I had such high hopes for you, but then you turned me against my top generals, made me demote them, then made me give you their position. It's clear now you weren't worthy of it. You really are just a meathead I never should've had faith in as a leader just like Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury said... But, that's okay, we must forgive lesser beings of their trespasses.

"There will still be Paradise for all... I just don't think you've quite deserved it. You're an absolute disgrace to our cause, Surelious."

The largest of all the minotaurs merely looked away, though he appeared to be trying to stifle back tears.

"Isarem... I need to know something," Twilight Sparkle's voice called out. Isarem set his sights on the alicorn princess, who stood tall as she looked him head on. "What drew you to the idea of using a kaiju to destroy the whole world? Exactly what chain of events led to you obtaining the kaiju you have and then making a new one specifically for the purpose of destroying all life?"

"What, didn't you hear me before?" Isarem asked. "I thought you said you were all at that ceremony earlier today... Well, I guess I can tell you in more detail, I suppose. Not too long ago, a few of our fishing boats picked up some sort of object floating in the ocean while they were out trying to get a catch. It was a giant orb or some kind made of a metal not found anywhere on this world.

"Inside it were several strange-looking beings who begged us for help. They were brought before me where they identified themselves as Devonians. Right away they tried to feed us a story about only wanting to seek friendship amongst our ranks. We didn't buy it for one second."

"Did they mention how they came to be here?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Eh, they said their ship crashed in the ocean several thousand years ago," Isarem said. "I didn't believe it at first because I didn't think anything could have a lifespan that long in this miserable existence. I wouldn't want anything to have to stay here that long either, it just sounds like torture. They said they were explorers from another world sent to seek out others to form a united federation of planets or some hogwash like that. We all knew instantly that they were full of it.

"Nothing about them seemed genuine... but they still intrigued me, so we played along. We kept them hidden from the ponies on the island and vice-versa. The whole process of transferring them and their assets to these caverns was kept a complete secret. Almost no one with four hooves ever found out about it. We kept a close eye on them the whole time, even when they didn't know it.

"They kept up the whole friendly act, but I could see right through their lies. My suspicions were proven true by my spies who let me know the Devonians were planning to double cross us and try to take over. Those same spies helped us take the Devonians down later when we took control back from them."

"Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning," Twilight Sparkle said with disdain.

"The only two in our ranks we kept hidden from the Devonians the entire time," Isarem said. "They were so desperate, rushing into everything they did, it was pretty pathetic. It actually relieved me that we could put an end to their miserable existence, which seemed even worse than a usual life of terrible trials and tribulations. Before that, we allowed them to set up all their equipment and use it to develop... _assets_ we would later appropriate and use to aid us in our cause. As gratitude, we set them on the path to immortality in Paradise above.

"I was rather happy we could repay them in such a grand way as ending their miserable lives and giving them better ones. I know they have found peace and will thank us for it when we join them."

"Those assets you were talking about," Twilight Sparkle said. "You meant the kaiju the Devonians made while they were on the island, didn't you?"

"And all the machines they had, too, especially the ones used to make the kaiju," Isarem said. "But overall, yes, everything the Devonians revealed to us in the time they thought we were their slaves. Every piece of their technology fascinated us all. Even Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning, who were hiding in the shadows that whole time, were amazed by the advances in science the Devonians had. They were miles above and beyond anything we had on this planet.

"Heck, they were even able to use their machines to create life and gigantic life at that. It was truly beyond anything I had ever seen. There was Solomon, the large gargoyle, Hedorah, the blob of sludge, Kamoebas, the giant turtle, and even that spiky shelled creature you all now call Anguirus."

"Then, it's true," Fluttershy said. "He really was created by Devonian technology."

"Oh, yes," Isarem answered.

"And you say they were created here in these caves?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yes, I do believe that's what I'm saying," Isarem said.

"So that's why there wasn't any record of them," Twilight Sparkle muttered to herself. "They were made after the original invasion."

"I would've liked for you to have seen all four of them together," Isarem said. "Heck, we probably would've finished our task and been in Paradise now if I still had them together. As a unit, I know there would be nothing you all could do to stop them."

The ReMane Five all let dark looks cross their faces.

"Don't count on it, chump," Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath.

"Alas, it was not to be," Isarem said. "As you know, the deserters wrestled one of my pets away from me and another... went astray."

"The one called Kamoebas, I presume?" Rarity asked.

"Yes, very good, my dear," Isarem said. "Well, in truth, he was lost to us a sort time ago. His command chip went out and we weren't able to get him back."

"Command chip?" Rarity sad questioningly.

"Yes, my dear," Isarem said. "All of our kaiju have command chips implanted in their brains. It's how we can control them so easily. Yet another of the many amazing gifts of the Devonians."

"I see," Rarity said.

"How horrible," Fluttershy let out.

"Aren't you curious as to how I knew about Kamoebas?" Rarity quickly asked.

"Oh, that's an easy one," Isarem said. "I know Kamoebas' travels eventually took him to the shores of Equestria, where you're from. Not hard to believe that kind of news travels fast, especially to ponies as clearly important to your country as you."

"Oh, well, um- actually-"

"Wow, even now it's so unbelievable," Isarem said, cutting off Rarity. "At first, I couldn't even begin to comprehend the true power of the science the Devonians had at their hands. They could generate so much power, make machines that made other machines. And, of course, like I said, they were able to make what is, without a doubt, the most powerful beings walking this fake world. I wondered if there was anything the Devonians couldn't do.

"It was actually ridiculous everything the Devonians had created that we on this planet never figured out for ourselves. For a moment, it actually made me question a lot of the things I was so sure of before. It made me wonder if it was the right call playing along with the Devonians. It even made me wonder if the philosophies about Paradise and the eternal life beyond were as had been taught for so long among our ranks. But eventually, me, my teachings, and our cause were proven just when Khaos and Dark led the charge to take back control and send the Devonians to the other side.

"Those two ponies, as quick witted and reliant as their minds are, soon figured out the majority of the science the Devonians left behind for us to use. It was actually quite amazing and it made me admire and trust them all the more. True, they've slipped up here and there, but their efforts have overall proven to be fruitful. I mean, we're here, aren't we? We have an army, two great and powerful monsters, and three of the four legendary Alpha Stones, sources of power the likes of which were unthinkable before."

"And you said you found out about the Alpha Stones in these caves?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Why, yes," Isarem said as he then pointed. "That desk and throne were here when we found this place. Inside the drawers of the desk were notes pertaining to the stones and the group that lived on this island before we did."

"Who were these others?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"A whole race of alicorns," Isarem answered.

The ReMane Five all gasped in complete and utter amazement. The head bull's last sentence seemed to rush at them and hit like a gusting wave that nearly knocked them over.

"D- D- Did you say a- a- a- a whole race... of a- alicorns?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes, there were thousands of them," Isarem said. "The notes didn't say what happened to them or anything, but they did say the alicorns created the Alpha Stones as an experimental energy source. They would hold massive amounts of energy and be self replenishing so that no matter what they would always have power. Apparently the alicorns all combined their magics together as a race for each stone's creation."

"So you decided the stones would be a good aid in helping to create a new kaiju?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yes, as soon as I realized a kaiju would be the way to go," Isarem said. "I needed something big and powerful that would act as a beacon, a sign that this world was not the right way. Then that same sign would be the thing to show them what the right way was. What would be better for that task than something as big, powerful, and even god-like as a kaiju? I knew the Alpha Stones could be the thing to ensure the kaiju would have sufficient power to carry out the one purpose it was created for.

"According to the notes, the Alpha Stones had all been lost by a near island destroying event and that at least three were still in these caverns somewhere. I had been looking for them ever since."

"You mean taking ponies and forcing them to do it for you," Applejack said.

Isarem glared darkly at the southern mare with frustration.

"You know, you ponies seem to have a bad habit of insulting those above you," Isarem said coldly. "Perhaps I may need to teach you to keep quiet and respect your betters if this keeps up."

"How did you react when the Willowbrook ponies found one of the stones?" Twilight Sparkle asked, quickly trying to change the subject.

"What do you think, I was devastated," Isarem said. "The blow was even worse when they used it to turn one of my kaiju against us. I didn't even know that was possible. Then again, no one really knows what the Alpha Stones are truly capable of, do they? At least not anyone on this current plain of existence as far as I know.

"Either way it was still more than frustrating that they managed to take one of my greatest weapons away from me."

"What an awful way to talk about a living creature," Fluttershy said, anger slightly slipping into her tone. "Anguirus isn't just someone's tool to be used and to say that is just horrible."

"Absolutely revolting," Rarity said.

"What do you care?" Isarem asked. "All of them are artificial imitations of life anyways. They're just creations that came from a science lab experiment. They're hollow shells that came out of a test tube. They have no souls, therefore they aren't worth caring for."

"That's not true!" Fluttershy said, sounding more forceful than she had since meeting Isarem. She caught herself, though, and automatically went back to being meek. "At... At least not all of them."

"I assume you're referring to the traitor?" Isarem said. "That would be the one you call Anguirus. You know, it still amazes me that the deserter ponies managed to take him away from me. It was a shame because in terms of just outer appearances, he was one of my favorites. But I guess the Alpha Stones are just that powerful.

"How else would the ponies be able to control Anguirus the way they do?"

"You think the ponies of Willowbrook were using the green stone to control Anguirus?" Applejack asked.

"They had to of," Isarem said. "There couldn't be any other logical explanation as to how Anguirus would turn on us. He still has the chip in his mind and it still functions. That beast just seems to be able to ignore it. That shouldn't be possible, according to my science division.

"So, yes, it was most definitely the deserter ponies using the Alpha Stone to control my monster."

"Then answer me this, good sir," Rarity said as she walked up closer. "If that's the case and the Willowbrook ponies were using the Alpha Stone to control Anguirus, then why is he outside fighting right now? Why is he fighting alongside Godzilla, our friend against those vile beasts of yours? You have the green Alpha Stone, should you not be able to control him?"

A look of sudden shock crossed Isarem's face as though what Rarity said was the last thing in the world he expected. Slowly the head bull's mood went from surprise to frustration. He clinched his fists tightly as his body started to shake. The expression on his face almost looked like it could kill a baby bird if it looked right into his eyes. Rarity couldn't believe she had flustered the head bull into such a state.

It was very unnerving for her, even making the white unicorn slowly back up a few steps. The ReMane Five all stood and watched with fearful uncertainty as they waited for what Isarem would eventually do next. But then, much to everyone's surprise, and great relief, Isarem got a hold of himself. He took several deep breaths as he worked extra hard to calm himself down.

"I see now," Isarem said as a small smile crossed his face. "So it wasn't Anguirus you were referring to as having a soul."

"Huh?" the five pony mares let out in confusion.

They looked to one another with disbelief. They couldn't believe how Isarem was ignoring the point Rarity brought up.

"Yes, it was that monster you brought along with you," Isarem said. "I believe _Godzilla_ is the name you gave it? My, such a wonderfully powerful name. Then again, I guess it fits for what is clearly a powerful creature. You may not know it, but I have seen for myself what this beast of yours is capable of.

"The strength, the focus, the intelligence, the tenacity, the power. I couldn't believe you ponies had access to a weapon that would be that great. The fights he put up against my own beasts were great spectacles for the eyes to behold. So yes, I think you chose his name rather well."

"We didn't give his name to him," Twilight Sparkle said while still seeming a bit taken aback. "He chose the name for himself. Are you seriously going to ignore what Rarity-"

"What do you mean he chose the name for himself?" Isarem asked.

"Ask Fluttershy, she knows more about G than any of us," Rainbow Dash said. Fluttershy looked to her in horrified disbelief to which Rainbow Dash responded with a look of alarm. "I mean- that's just how it sounds. Fluttershy asked Godzilla to pick a name and he picked that one."

"Just like he chose to be good," Applejack added.

"What are you talking about?" Isarem asked. "How can a giant lizard pick a name or to be good? Kaiju can't make decisions for themselves. They are mindless, soulless, hallow animal bodies to be controlled with machines."

"That's not true!" Fluttershy spat out in anger as she stood up tall.

"How dare you?!" Isarem said in outrage. "I've seen detailed records kept by the Devonians of past kaiju that both those fish faces made and kaiju used against them when they originally came to this world. All of them were tools being used by masters just like the kaiju I control, just like you're somehow controlling this Godzilla of yours. Now, you will answer this question and you will do so truthfully! Where did this Godzilla come from and how are you controlling it?

"There's absolutely no mention of it in any of the records detailing the Devonians' past here on this planet or the detailed biographies of the kaiju they originally brought with them. So how did you get a creature like this and, more importantly, how do you get it to do what you want? Did you find other surviving Devonians and have them make a new monster?"

The ReMane Five looked to each other once more. This time, however, their disbelief slowly turned into smiles of amusement. Isarem's predator-like eyes saw this and he instantly felt his inner rage starting to boil again.

"Wow, just... just, wow," Rainbow Dash said with a chuckle as she put a hoof to her head.

"You really have no idea, do you?" Applejack asked.

" _What?!_ " Isarem bellowed.

"Girls, I don't think he does," Rarity said.

"Well then, allow us to explain," Twilight Sparkle said. "You know those kaiju you say you have biographies on? Do the names, Geon, Shriek, Flamela, Behemoth, and Gabara all sound familiar?"

Isarem's eyes widened in shock.

"Well, we've seen all those kaiju," Applejack said. "All eleven of those vicious rascals were reawakened by a mad pony who tried to use them to take over the world."

"But then we used a spell to summon a kaiju pure of heart!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"That was when I first met Godzilla!" Fluttershy asserted. "I met him before anypony else as soon as he came through the portal. He saved my life, treated me kind, and let me know he loved me! _He loved me of his own free will! And he used that same free will, free heart, free spirit to decide to protect us from those eleven kaiju and all other threats!_ "

"And," Twilight Sparkle stepped in, "he used all that free will, good heart, beautiful spirit and all his power to defeat almost all eleven of those kaiju by himself!"

" _What?!_ " Isarem shouted in utter amazement.

"Godzilla had some help, but either way he won!" Rarity said. "He did everything he did because _he_ wanted to! There's no secret control of Godzilla! He just does what he wants to!"

"We get Godzilla to do what we want, because it's what he wants!" Applejack said with a confident smirk.

"And he wants to stop you from killing the world, too!" Twilight Sparkle said. "He knows it's wrong just like we do! That's why he, just like us, will fight until the very last breath to make sure you psychotic, thick headed, dull horns won't win!"

Isarem's eyes widened to the point where it almost seemed certain they would burst out of their sockets.

"Yeah, that's right, buddy, drink it in!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Big G threw down with eleven freaking kaiju and took them out by himself! Oh and fun fact: He even made turtle soup out of your Kamoebas buddy! We were all there and watched him do it for himself! In fact, he and Anguirus are outside right now kicking the snot out of Solomon and Hedorah!

"I know they're gonna win because together, much like us, they're just that awesome!"

Finally Isarem could take no more. He threw his head back and let out the loudest scream any of the others had ever heard. It was a cry of anger, frustration, stress, and even anxiety, all mixed into one and bordering on becoming complete insanity. Everyone prepared themselves for what may come next. Which ever side it was, the ReMane Five or the minotaurs, all stood at the ready.

Much to everyone's surprise, however, Isarem turned away and ran up the steps back to the spot where his throne and desk were. Instead of going directly to them, though, he ran to the stone stand his crystal ball was perched on.

" _We'll just see how awesome these beasts are!_ " Isarem yelled. "Gaze into my crystal ball, for it shows out monsters locked in mortal combat! It is how I've seen these wretched beasts of yours perform the feats they have! But I know no matter what they do, our cause is just and it will be proven so with their defeat! Godzilla and Anguirus cannot and will not win!

"Don't _let those fowl animals defeat you, Solomon, nor you, Hedorah! Please, do not let them win! Prove we are just! You must not let the blasphemy and outrage these foolish ponies speak be proven true!_ "

The ReMane Five all looked more closely at the crystal ball than they had since coming into the room.

"Hey, do y'all see something inside that glass ball thingy?" Applejack asked.

"Why, yes," Rarity said in surprise. "It does appear as though there is some kind of... image within the crystal ball."

"It looks like it's moving, too," Fluttershy said.

The ReMane Five all looked amongst their ranks and despite their hesitations, ultimately made a silent decision. Twilight and the others slowly and cautiously approached the steps that led up to Isarem and his crystal ball. All of the minotaur guards grunted with stern warnings as they raised their weapons. The ReMane Five all stopped and looked to the guards before looking back to one another and resuming their slow approach. Even the guards seemed curious, for they brought up the rear as everyone got closer to Isarem.

The ReMane Five were on the steps when they stopped and gasped in shock.

"It can't be," Twilight Sparkle let out.

"Then why am I seeing it with my own eyes?" Applejack asked. "Sorry to argue, just trying to be honest. And honestly... th- this is bizarre."

Within the crystal ball was a magically projected image of the massive kaiju fight going on outside. From what the ponies saw, it looked like Godzilla and Anguirus managed to separate their two opponents and had them on the ropes. Despite seeing it for themselves, none of the ReMane Five could believe it was even possible. How could they be seeing all of what was taking place outside within an object such as a crystal ball? One of them seemed to be able to get over it fairly quickly, however.

Rainbow Dash's astonishment turned into a look of fierce determination as her posture changed to that of a pony on edge, ready for the fight.

" _You go, Big G!_ " Rainbow Dash shouted as loud as she could. " _You, too, Anguirus! Both of you show those evil mother buckers why we have right on our side and why we're the ones who are gonna win! You both got this in your back pockets! You can do it, you can win!_ "

Pretty soon all five mares were shouting and cheering at the top of their lungs much to the further aggravation of Isarem.

* * *

The fight was still on, but it was more desperate than ever for the kaiju under the control of the death worshiping minotaur cult. The two had been divided and seemed to be nearing defeat at the claws of their adversaries. Solomon was still on his knees trying desperately to pull his right forearm out of Anguirus' fang filled mouth. Unfortunately for the fallen kaiju, the four legged, spike covered monster's jaws were clamped down like they were pieces of metal drawn to a powerful magnet. Every time Solomon tried to tug his arm free, it felt more like it was being ripped into two.

No matter what, Solomon couldn't get his arm free and it wasn't helped by Anguirus shoving his front right paw into the gargoyle's face. This held him back and hindered Solomon's sight somewhat while also keeping him from attacking like he regularly would. Anguirus took full advantage, tugging and pulling at Solomon's arm while also trying to bite deeper and deeper. If nothing else could be said for the quadruped of courage, he may have had the most powerful bite of any kaiju out there. Solomon would certainly agree with the situation he was in, though he may not have admitted it out loud.

Hedorah, the smog monster was in an even worse situation than his cohort was. The monstrous blob of pollution's back was pinned against a stone wall while he took the full force of Godzilla's atomic blast. The beam of incredibly searing power burned right through Hedorah's gooey body, boiling it, making it bubble, and even melted it. It had been like that for several moments and Hedorah was more desperate than he had ever been in his life. He knew that if Godzilla's assault kept up the way it did, he would soon be nothing more than a puddle.

Hedorah had to think of something fast, but his options seemed limited. He couldn't reach Godzilla to attack him physically and none of his projectile attacks would be able to reach the mighty kaiju either. Or at least it only seemed that way at first. Hedorah thought it over and while he knew he couldn't spit globs or acidic sludge or use his heat vision, he had figured out something he could do. It was a risky attempt, as there was no guarantee it would work since Hedorah couldn't see to aim, but he had to try something.

With only desperate hope his idea would work, Hedorah aimlessly flung one of his melting arms forward. Several large pieces of Hedorah's goop flew through the air in several directions. One such glob, a particularly large one, actually ended up flying directly into Godzilla's left eye. Instantly Godzilla's beam dissipated as the glow from his back spines faded away. The king of monsters cried out in misery as he raised his hands to his sizzling eye.

At long last, Hedorah was finally free of the burning, boiling, melting torment the mighty Godzilla had put him through. It wasn't enough for Hedorah, for he knew if Godzilla recovered, the giant saurian would go on the offensive again and probably end him. The blob of pollution had no intentions of letting that happen, plus he greatly wanted revenge for what Godzilla put him through. With a great, gurgling wail, Hedorah charged forward and rammed his blobby exterior into Godzilla. The kaiju king was forced to stumble back a few steps or risk toppling over altogether.

Before Godzilla could recover, Hedorah swung his slimy right arm across his face, followed close by his left arm. Then Hedorah charged forward and rammed into Godzilla yet again, making him back up several more steps. Hedorah seemed to go crazy as he flung his arms all through the air, slinging forth several pieces of his burning sludge that made up his body. He also shot the globs from a little hole that acted in that instance as his mouth while shooting his heat vision. All of this was aimed directly at Godzilla, who took the majority of the smog monster's wild assault.

Hedorah then released a puff of poison gas from his mouth with the cloud covering the upper part of Godzilla's body. He coughed and gagged on the toxic fumes as he struggled for a fresh breath of air. Before he could move out of the poison cloud, the sick filth that was Hedorah rammed into his body yet again. This time Hedorah draped himself over Godzilla like he was trying to completely envelop his foe's fleshy body with his own slimy mass. Godzilla fought as hard as he could to get Hedorah off him without much luck as he felt the sludge kaiju's goop start to burn his body.

At the same time Godzilla was having trouble, Anguirus seemed to be doing okay for himself. His mistake came, though, when his ears picked up the cries of Godzilla. He could hear the pain his friend was going through, which upset Anguirus to the point that he temporarily took his eyes off Solomon. The spiky shelled kaiju try to see what was happening to his friend, which may not have been so wise. With Anguirus' attention partially shifted to trying to get a look at Godzilla's situation, Solomon saw an opportunity to get out of his predicament.

The gargoyle kaiju instantly went for it, swinging his free arm to knock Anguirus' paw out of his face. Then Solomon took aim and fired an energy orb from his mouth directly into his would be tormentor's features. The resulting explosion instantly forced Anguirus to release his bite as he howled in agony and grabbed his front paws to the smoking spot where he was hit. Solomon tenderly rubbed and stroked his bleeding, lacerated forearm as he stared in horror. Slowly, the titan of terror turned his now scowling face to Anguirus before letting out a roar of anger and going on the offensive.

Solomon begun with a left backhand blow, followed by a right uppercut. Then Solomon swung his claws across Anguirus' face a few times before throwing a right hook. The demonic-looking kaiju quickly followed up with a left uppercut swung up into Anguirus' face, followed by an open claw strike swung in a similar manner. After shooting several energy orbs into Anguirus' face and body, Solomon got himself back up to his feet. Even though he knew he shouldn't, Solomon couldn't help but take a moment to recuperate, even if it only last two or three seconds.

That seemed to be all he needed, for the winged demon's eyes fell onto Anguirus and instantly lit up like wildfire. Solomon's temper, fueled by his hatred of the spike covered kaiju, boiled to the point of no return. He kicked his lift foot up into the quadruped's face before firing energy orbs all up and down his body. Lucky for Anguirus, his protective shell absorbed the majority of the blasts from the energy projectiles. This left him feeling good enough to actually leap at Solomon like a lion pouncing on its prey.

Solomon was ready for him, though, actually catching Anguirus and flipping him into a judo-styled hip toss. Anguirus sailed for a few meters before his back crashed into the ground. Amazingly, the four legged beast of tenacity rolled back onto his feet almost instantly before charging and leaping at Solomon once more. Just like before, though, Solomon had an answer, starting with him backing up a bit and crouching as he held his hands out in front of him. Solomon seemed to be waiting for the last possible moment when Anguirus was right up in his face to strike.

When the time came, Solomon rolled backwards onto the ground and kicked his foot upward. With the combined force of Solomon's hands and foot pushing against him, Anguirus was sent flipping and flying over the demonic kaiju. As soon as Solomon heard Anguirus crash into the ground, he rolled up to a knee and spread out his wings. The spiky shelled quadruped matched his opponent's roll, managing to get back on all fours at the exact same time. Then came the seconds of silence where the two battling titans of power just glared at each other like gunslingers in a shootout.

Solomon ended up firing a large a volley of energy orbs at Anguirus before taking to the air. The dinosaur-like kaiju did his absolute best to shake off the pain from the explosive assault he had received. He then looked up to see Solomon getting higher into the air while also carrying himself forward in Anguirus' direction. Despite the horrific appearance Solomon had when flying, Anguirus was not afraid at all and even roared a challenge to his elevated foe. He didn't wait at all for the challenge to be answered before leaping high into the air.

The gargoyle-like monster was surprised by his opponent's boldness, but was still prepared for it. Solomon answered the act of bravery the way he had answered Anguirus several times before. He fired several of his energy orbs at Anguirus, most which hit home. Anguirus howled in pain, only to receive more punishment when Solomon swung his feet into the spike covered kaiju's exposed underbelly. The vulnerable quadruped felt the air escape his body before he the started falling from the sky.

This time when Anguirus crashed into the ground, he didn't get up right away. He laid there on his back as his legs kicked up at the air and he groaned in agony. The fallen kaiju soaked in every last ounce of the pain that came as a result of Solomon's hard-hitting offense. He didn't have any time to recuperate, for Solomon's assault seemed to keep coming. Multiple blasts of the demonic gargoyle's energy orbs crashed down into Anguirus' exposed underbelly, setting off several fiery explosions.

The searing pain Anguirus felt was soon followed by Solomon's feet crashing down into his rib area. As Anguirus gasped out and choked on a howl he tried to release, Solomon roared out a devilish howl of his own before flapping his wings. His body started lifting into the air again, only to have Solomon let himself fall again, crashing his feet down onto Anguirus once more. Another rush of anguish flowed through Anguirus' body, making him groan like he was on his deathbed. Solomon cackled with sick delight as he again lifted himself up into the air to slam his feet down on Anguirus a third time.

This time, however, Anguirus was ready for him. Once Solomon allowed himself to start falling, Anguirus quickly rolled onto his belly, despite it hurting him to do so. It didn't hurt nearly as much as Solomon's feet did when they sunk into the razor sharp spikes that were littered all over the four legged kaiju's shell. Instantly the demonic beast let out a high pitched squeal as he jumped into the air and was sent rolling across the ground. After a few moments, Solomon stopped rolling and grabbed at his badly injured feet, seeing blood from the wounds wash onto his hands.

It was several more moments before Solomon felt he was ready to try getting back on his feet, despite them still hurting a great deal. Solomon forced himself up to a knee before he tried placing his feet back underneath him. The results were a very stinging pain being added onto what Solomon was already feeling from the wounds in the bottom of his soles. Though it agonized him, Solomon forced himself to fight through it and pushed himself back up to a standing position. As much as his feet hurt, though, no other pain could compare to that Solomon felt when he saw Anguirus was already standing once more and waiting for him.

Much like Solomon, however, Anguirus seemed to be having a hard time standing as well. Both monsters couldn't seem to stay up properly, looking very shaky on their feet, and nearly even slipped a few times. Lucky for both tenacious kaiju, they managed to catch themselves, staring each other down with intense glares all the while. Both Solomon and Anguirus finally let out their own respective roars before charging forth to attack. Anguirus actually leapt through the air to try and tackle Solomon from above.

The gargoyle-like kaiju was ready for him, though, responding with a barrage of his energy orbs that dropped Anguirus out of the air. Solomon caught his falling foe by wrapping his arms under and over Anguirus' front legs. Then he spun around, changing positions with his foe before tossing him up and over with a belly-to-belly overhead suplex. Solomon rolled back up to his feet, but was beyond distraught to see Anguirus was trying to do the same. The four legged monster was much slower about it, but eventually he did get up again, much to Solomon's ire.

The demonic beast actually found himself letting out fits of frustration as he roared furiously while swinging his arms around and kicking his feet up in anger. Anguirus shook his head around to try and regain his focus and equilibrium. The courageous kaiju then sneered at Solomon as he lightly growled in a predatory manner. Solomon answered this with a growl of his own before Anguirus released a howl and swung his spike covered tail into his foe's side. The blow nearly knocked the wind out of Solomon, it was so powerful.

There was also the extra added pain from Anguirus' tail spikes sinking into his rib cage. That made it all the more surprising when Solomon managed to get a gold of Anguirus' tail. Anguirus' eyes widened in alarm as he felt himself being lifted off the ground and high up into the air. Solomon swung Anguirus down on his back with amazingly brute force. As the ground shook, Anguirus felt himself getting lifted up into the air yet again, much to his horror.

This time Solomon slammed him down on his belly with even more force than before. Finally the demonic monster swung Anguirus around a multitude of times before releasing Anguirus's tail and letting him fly through the air. Solomon watched Anguirus go for several yards as he howled in distress. Finally Solomon added even more to Anguirus' dire situation by releasing the most energy orbs he had ever fired in a single volley. Every single one of the projectiles hit their target, exploding against Anguirus' hide upon contact.

Shortly after that, Anguirus crashed into the ground, the impact was so great, it caused the entire area where Solomon stood to shake. It almost felt like the rocky ground underneath his feet would collapse in a heap. Luckily for Solomon, that didn't happen and he was able to stay standing, albeit gingerly, on his still aching feet as he looked on at the fallen Anguirus. A sick grin of satisfaction crossed the demon kaiju's face as his red eyes gazed in glory at his fallen foe. Solomon had been wanting to see Anguirus the way he was for a long time, that being a fallen, broken down, shell.

Many times Solomon had beaten Anguirus down until it seemed like he shouldn't have been able to get back up again. Yet still, the stubborn, strong willed kaiju would always get up one more time than expected and ask for more while still trying to dish it out himself. Of all the fights Solomon had to endure from Anguirus, this was by far the longest and greatest fight of them all. It was also the most embarrassing and insulting to Solomon because he felt himself to be far superior to the foe he faced. But here Anguirus ends up giving him what might have been the fight of his life up to that point.

Still, Solomon was able to take comfort in knowing he seemed to have pulled off the final assault that would put Anguirus down for good. He wasn't moving at all and from where Solomon stood, it didn't seem like he was breathing either. Solomon lifted his head into the air and roared loudly in triumph as he beat his fists into his chest like a gorilla might do. The winged demon's victory celebration was cut off when he got a bright reminder that he still had one other opponent to deal with. A flash of bright, blue light caught Solomon's attention, making him look to see Godzilla releasing his nuclear pulse.

The entire time Solomon and Anguirus had been fighting, Hedorah had managed to keep his slimy body draped over Godzilla like the world's worst blanket. Godzilla had fought tooth and claw to try and rip himself free of Hedorah's enveloping embrace, but it proved to be futile. What made it worse was the acidic, sludge Hedorah was made of had almost completely engulfed Godzilla, covering all, but his tail. The great kaiju among kaiju was desperate for a way out when his mind stumbled upon using one of his greater, yet lesser used surprise attacks. It worked wonders, for Hedorah was sent splattering into the side of a stone wall by the wave of burning power.

Several pieces of Hedorah's body flew all across the area, while the main part of him was boiling, bubbling, and melting. The smog monster found himself in more pain than he had experienced in his whole life. He was scorched beyond all reason and he was starting to feel like little more than a giant puddle. Even worse was that his body seemed to be having a lot of trouble trying to regain the form it had assumed throughout the whole fight. Where at one point Hedorah had towered over even Godzilla, now he couldn't even reach the kaiju king's chest.

Godzilla had taken a few moments to catch his breath, standing hunched over as smoke flowed off his burnt body. After that, Godzilla slowly stood up straight, making his fierce, predatory eyes look deep into the large, fearful eyes of his opponent. Godzilla wasted no time in announcing his next attack before releasing a blast of his atomic breath. Hedorah wailed in agony as the immensely powerful beam of searing energy scorched through his gooey exterior. Godzilla actually found himself stomping closer as if it would somehow make the beam hurt more; either that of he didn't care about the risks.

Remembering what happened last time, Godzilla moved his atomic beam over across Hedorah's right arm. It only took a few seconds before the appendage was burnt clear off and sent splattering to the ground. Hedorah cried both in pain and terror as he realized his days were close to being numbered. In a final desperate act, the smog monster fired his eye rays at Godzilla. Both beams made direct contact with the nuclear leviathan's body, instantly igniting explosions across his hide.

While the beams did hurt, they mostly seemed to further the anger of the mighty beast of atomic energy. Godzilla's glare seemed to be asking Hedorah if he really thought anything the sludge blob could do would save him. This only served to increase the fear of death that Hedorah felt expanding within him. Godzilla decided to take care of Hedorah's heat vision, letting out a short roar before firing his atomic breath into the smog monster's right eye. Instantly, Hedorah's blood red orb exploded in a burst of fire and gooey fluids that splattered all over the place.

Hedorah was now partially blind, but that unspeakable horror wasn't even second to the anguish he felt from taking Godzilla's truly amazing blast of power. Godzilla took notice of the crying blob trying to slink his way off the stone wall he was stuck on in hopes he could make a clean getaway. The king of monsters quickly shut that down by stomping up even closer to Hedorah and swinging his tail into the smog monster. The force of the blow sent Hedorah splattering back into the side of the stone wall, exactly where he did not want to be. Godzilla looked into the one good eye Hedorah had left and roared loudly before swinging his closed fist right through it.

More of Hedorah's bodily fluids were sent spluttering all over the place. As Hedorah started to cry even more, Godzilla instantly felt his hand and arm start to burn. It didn't matter to him, though, for he had Hedorah on the ropes. Knowing he was so close to victory was more than enough to get Godzilla to block out the pain he felt. In fact, Godzilla even managed to force himself to dig his hand deeper into Hedorah's eye socket, which led to an amazing discovery.

A look of surprise crossed Godzilla's face as his eyes widened. His hand actually felt something hard, solid, far more tangible hiding within the slimy body of his blob-like adversary. Godzilla wasted no time in digging his free hand into Hedorah's other eye socket. Both mighty mitts of the kaiju king reached until they both had a firm grasp of what felt like an orbicular object. Then Godzilla began tugging and pulling as hard as he could to release the hidden thing, whatever it may be, from Hedorah's inner body.

Godzilla even pushed a foot against Hedorah's body to help give more strength to his pull. It took a lot more time and strength than it seemed like it should, but eventually Godzilla was able to rip the thing he had a firm hold of from Hedorah's head. When Godzilla looked to see what it was, all he saw was a slime covered orb that was white in color. This greatly confused the kaiju king, who even had to tilt his head as he looked down at the item he held. It looked to be nothing important at all, not even an egg, so why was it hidden in Hedorah's body?

Godzilla didn't even get two seconds to wonder about it before the highest, shrillest screams he'd ever heard in his life started to echo all over the area. He looked to see Hedorah shaking himself around as his body started to slump down into the puddle he had feared becoming. The once fear inducing kaiju desperately reached the only arm he had left up for the orb as the rest of his body melted into a formless pile. Godzilla's upper lip flared up in a sneer as he shot his atomic breath down and eradicated Hedorah's arm. Now knowing that the orb was important to Hedorah, the king of monsters knew what he had to do.

Godzilla's spikes lit up bright and blue before he fired his atomic blast down and completely destroyed the orb. Then Godzilla let lifted his now free hands up as he looked down at the bubbling puddle that used to be Hedorah. Except for the gurgling that came of the sludge's bubbling, there were no other sounds or activity. It was clear Hedorah would not be reforming, not without the orb that had been holding him together. Now victorious over the defeated smog monster, Godzilla wanted so much to let out a roar announcing his win.

The kaiju king found himself unable to even attempt to try it, however. He was extremely tired and every inch of his body ached with pain of many different kinds. It almost felt like Godzilla's body would cave in on itself or at the very least, his legs would give out and he'd topple over. Godzilla refused to let the latter happen, forcing his legs to keep him standing while trying to stay balanced where he was. To fall after such a hard fought victory was a sign of weakness as far as Godzilla was concerned and he refused to let himself look weak as long as he could help it.

Unfortunately it was made harder for him to do so, for several energy orbs came falling down from the sky upon him. Godzilla cried out as the balls of explosive power ignited fiery blasts all over and around him. Slowly Godzilla lifted his head to the sky just in time to see Solomon falling down towards him. The demonic titan shrieked out like an other worldly entity as he dropped down and slammed his fists upon the top of Godzilla's head. The dinosaur-like monster was clearly stunned as he rocked and reeled like he was about to fall.

That was what Solomon was expecting after his grand assault rather than Godzilla swinging his right fist across his face, which was what actually happened. Both monsters managed to get out a roar before they wrapped their arms around each other and began struggling and wrestling. They moved and thrashed about like the most aggressive sumo wrestlers of all time, even going so far as to club a free fist into each other. After several moments of this hostile embrace, Godzilla broke it up by swinging his arms back, forcing Solomon to do the same. Then Godzilla swiped his right hand claws down the left side of Solomon's chest before ramming his head into the winged monster's.

The collision of noggins seemed to rock Solomon to the point where he had to catch himself from stumbling. He placed his right palm up to his head for just a moment before sneaking a swing of his left fist into the side of Godzilla's face. The two warring monsters roared at each other once more before wrapping their arms around each other again. The aggressive wrestling match resumed as they two monsters stomped around wildly, trying to knock the other down all the while. When the two stopped stomping for a bit, Solomon tried a new tactic as he rammed his left knee into Godzilla's side three consecutive times.

The groans and the weakening of Godzilla's guard indicated that Solomon's strategy worked and gave him an opening. Solomon swung his right fist up into Godzilla's lower jaw for an uppercut. Solomon then let out a quick roar before wrapping his arms around Godzilla and then popping his hips to help throw the great saurian over his head. Instead of just being driven into the ground as was typical of a belly-to-belly suplex, Godzilla actually sailed a few kilometers through air. The helpless kaiju shrieked out before his body collided with the ground.

The sound of the collision and the rumbling it caused in the ground told Solomon his attack had worked. Slowly the winged monster got back up to his feet and looked to see Godzilla lying on the ground in pain. It didn't look like he'd be ready to get back up again very soon either, which suited Solomon just fine. The wicked demon let a sadistic grin beam across his face as he slowly moved in on the fallen Godzilla. Though he may have gone through a lot and even lost an ally, Solomon still felt like he was on top in that moment.

The giant gargoyle that was Solomon was ready to finally put an end to Godzilla once and for all.


	32. Chapter 32: Worry Warts

TJ, Moon Bright, Muse, and Firefly all sat close to one another in one of the many abandoned structures within the town of Seaside Hoof. All four of them were sitting hotter and more nervous than a lobster on its way into the pot of boiling water. Not one of them felt an ounce of comfort sitting around like they were. The feeling was the same all throughout the town now completely filled with ponies. There wasn't a single minotaur to be seen, but still the equines within Seaside Hoof were deeply unsettled.

All of them had gone through extremely traumatic events, several of them very recently. They had suffer physical and mental tortures of all kind and had to put up with them for many a year. Heck, TJ, Muse, Moon Bright, and Firefly were among a large group that had just lost their home in a terrible battle. Many had been either severely injured during the course of that fight, with the foursome being amongst those that needed to seek medical treatment. Since coming to Seaside Hoof, they were finally able to get it, but even then it wasn't enough to ease their emotional nerves.

It was because as they sat there, the fate of their lives and the lives of all those around the world were hanging in the balance. Those who had caused the ponies of Pony Tale Island so much misery were working to spread their reign of terror even further and the foursome knew it. The menace that was the island's minotaur population, the same species that had settled with the ponies on the island so long ago, were the evil culprits. As sinister as they were, the minotaurs had done so many evil, horrible things, the likes of which one could write horror stories about. It seemed like it would never be enough; the ponies of the island could feel within their very souls that the minotaurs were up to no good at that very same moment.

The only speck of hope the ponies had of the psychotic bulls being stopped was sadly also another source of distress for them. A brave group of ponies and two giant monsters were out there fighting off the minotaurs and what evil plans they may have been cooking up. Despite any sort of differences, especially with how different the monsters were, this brave team of freedom fighters had to come to be such good friend to all the islander ponies. All these brave individuals had even come to be like family to a good chunk of the islanders and at least one of them actually was. Firefly's long lost daughter was among the brave warriors who were out there fighting the minotaurs themselves.

Also among them were several ponies Muse would be glad to call her girl group. For TJ, the feelings he had for a certain pony amongst those out there fighting against the minotaurs ran far deeper. They had all personally volunteered their services to go fight the minotaurs head on before they could unleash any more of their evil plans. It was not just to protect the island, but everything else that stretched far beyond its shores. That group of ponies and the monsters with them had gone through missions like that many times in the past, but that didn't ease the ponies of the island at all.

The bonds the visiting ponies and their kaiju companions had made were too strong for the islanders not to worry about them. They were so loving and caring and compassionate, it couldn't be any other way. That's why it pained all of the islander ponies to know they had to leave them to fight alone for their fate. Many, including TJ, Muse, Moon Bright, and Firefly felt they never should've let them go alone, but in reality there was really nothing they could do. None of them were in a position to do anything or at least that's how they felt after the awful thrashing they had taken that morning, which also cost them their village.

TJ would occasionally get up, walk outside, and look to the lone volcano of the island. It was far away with several miles of forest separating it from the town, but it was still very easy to see. The massive mountain stood up high above any and all other points on the island, almost making it stick out like a sore thumb. It was discovered that within that it was within that very same volcano was where the minotaurs' true base of operation was hidden. The group of ponies and the two accompanying kaiju had gone there to put a final end to any and all of the evil plans the minotaurs were cooking up in there.

As brave as that was, the ponies and the two kaiju were still going into one of the most dangerous environments of all to battle one of the most evil forces of all. Besides a lava filled volcano with thousands of minotaurs inside, they had giant monsters of their own they were ready to set loose against any and all invaders. On top of that, they had at least two powerful sources of energy that seemed to top all others that the ponies knew of. So while the six ponies and the two kaiju's courage was to be greatly admired, it was still an unnerving thought of what they must've been dealing with. Every single pony in Seaside Hoof was greatly worried both about the bigger situation and the ponies and kaiju that were trying to deal with it.

TJ looked on at the volcano in worry for several moments before he turned and went back inside the small building again. Ordinarily it was a restaurant, but now all the structures were being used as shelters and medical compounds for all who needed them. Except for the medical team that was working on them, only TJ, Firefly, Moon Bright, and Muse occupied the eating establishment. The others watched as TJ slumped back over to the table he was sitting at before, seeing his still worried facial expression. All of them wore matching looks, but of them all, TJ seemed to be the most distressed for their friends.

Everyone knew that a big part of this was that among those fighting at the volcano was a particular mare. She was the leader of those going to fight and the same pony TJ had grown deep, strong feelings for over the last few days. He had not said it, but ever since the tan furred Earth pony had laid eyes on that mare, he thought she was the most beautiful thing on Earth. All those closest to him were easily able to tell how he felt and none of them really blamed him either. They all understood and sympathized, for the deep seeded friendships they made with the outsider ponies was all too real for them, too.

"They're gonna be fine, TJ," Muse said from table where she was sitting.

"Try telling me that when you sound more sure, Muse," TJ said to his sister.

Both siblings looked to each other with half smiles on their faces. Their pitiful attempt at putting up a facade didn't last, though, for soon they couldn't even manage the smallest efforts to look partially reassuring. Both of them wore sad and deeply concerned frowns upon their faces. A pony not too far away took notice of the state her children were in.

"Are you two worried about Twilight and the others?" Moon Bright asked, though her voice sounded rather uncertain as well. The two younger ponies looked to their mother and only nodded their heads while still wearing frowns. "Me, too. I actually think all of us are worried about them, including all the other ponies in town."

"Well, of course they are," Muse said. "Without Fluttershy and them fighting for us, there wouldn't be a chance of freedom from this nightmare."

"You know, I didn't just mean that," Moon Bright said. "Those girls have come to mean quite a lot to several of the others on a personal level, not just us... But, yeah, you're still right about what you that. It's a shame there wasn't more we could do to help them."

"But there was," Firefly suddenly chimed in. The others looked to see Firefly hop up from where she was sitting, pacing around like she had hot hooves. "We should've never let them go by themselves!"

"Technically they weren't by themselves," Muse said. "They had each other and Godzilla and Anguirus are with them, too."

"You know what I mean, Muse," Firefly said, sounding more anxious and aggravated than she meant to. Muse looked somewhat hurt by her aunt's impatient reaction to her, but the pink pegasus didn't seem to notice. "We could've sent someone, at least one other pony to go up with them!"

"And I suppose you want that one other pony to be you?" Moon Bright asked.

"You're darn right!" Firefly exclaimed. "I should be out there watching my daughter's back!"

"Rainbow Dash is fully capable of taking care of herself, Firefly," TJ said.

"I don't care, Dashie is still my daughter!" Firefly insisted. "How can you be so calm about this! Your marefriend is up there with them, too! Aren't you the least bit worried about Twilight Sparkle?!"

"Of course I am!" TJ exclaimed aggressively, catching everypony off guard, especially Firefly. "I just said I was, remember?! I'm worried about all of them, but I still trust them to do what they need to! All of us have to do that or else we're just gonna end up wrecking ourselves mentally like what you're doing right now. You're letting how upset and concerned you are make you lash out at everypony."

Firefly stopped and looked around before her eyes fell on Muse. She saw the slight hurt the alicorn filly felt from when she snapped at her. Remorse quickly washed over the pegasus mare's face.

"I'm sorry, Muse," Firefly said.

"It's okay, Firefly, I understand," Muse said. "You only let loose like the rest of us want to."

"Oh, that wasn't letting loose," Firefly said with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, I figured," Muse said with a chuckle of her own. "But still, it's closer than any of us have gotten. I mean, except for TJ's pacing outside and back inside then outside again to check on the volcano."

"We're all doing our absolute best to deal with this situation," Moon Bright said. "I'll tell you all straight up, I'm still a nervous wreck. I want to let it all out in the biggest way possible, but I still won't. Aside from not having the true energy to do it, what TJ said is still true. We need to contain ourselves as best we can and have faith in those fillies and the monsters that accompanied them.

"Those girls... they're pretty resourceful little things. I'm honestly surprised by just what they've been capable of thus far. They've done more in a week than we managed to do in fifty years."

"Yeah," the others agreed as they nodded.

"And don't even get me started on the monster they brought with them," Moon Bright said.

"Dude, Godzilla is just... wow," TJ said. "When I went to Equestria, I honestly didn't think I'd come back with an ally... quite like that, let's say."

"He's really helped Anguirus come out of his shell, too," Muse said. "Since they started hanging out, it really seems like Anguirus is more confident than what it had been. Sure he was always one of the bravest... guys I ever met, going into battle head on and all. But I think before he and Godzilla came together, he doubted whether he could truly protect us or not."

"That certainly isn't the case now," Firefly said. "I saw him during that last battle in Willowbrook this morning. He's just as confident as ever as far as I could tell. Neither he, nor Godzilla hesitated at all in going to fight for us. Their faces were mirror images of each others' in terms of the desire to push on in the fight."

"Just like Twilight and the others want to push on for all of us," TJ said.

"Which is why we have to trust in them," Moon Bright said. "They came here voluntarily to help us for a reason. I don't think it would've been them if they couldn't do it."

The others spoke in agreement at the same time.

"It's true," TJ said with a weaker sounding voice than he had been using. "Still, I'd like to know that they're okay at least."

"Yeah," the others agreed.

It was then that the sounds of a crowd's rising anger was captured by Moon Bright, Firefly, TJ, and Muse's ears. The four ponies and those medical personal working on them all looked to the door of the restaurant as the volume of the crowd noises began to increase. It was starting to sound more and more like a lynch mob. TJ started to move towards the door in caution with Muse and Firefly following close behind him.

"What's going on out there, TJ?" Muse asked.

"I don't know," TJ said.

He then looked to Firefly, only to see that she didn't know what was happening either. TJ started to turn his sights back to the door when a familiar pony came rushing through.

"TJ, Firefly!" the pony exclaimed

"Hard Rock!" TJ and the others responded.

"You guys gotta come quick!" Hard Rock continued on.

"Come where?" Firefly asked.

"To the square!" Hard Rock answered. "There's something going on that requires the leadership's attention!"

"Let's go!" TJ said as he looked to Firefly.

She nodded her head and then they were off.

"Are you going to be okay here if I go, Mom?" Muse asked as she looked back.

"Of course, Muse, go ahead and go with them," Moon Bright said with a smile.

Immediately Muse was out the door after the others. This left Moon Bright to look on with what started as a smile of motherly pride for her child taking more responsibility. But then it slowly faded into an expression of sadness as the older unicorn had to fight back tears in her eyes.

* * *

Muse had managed to, for the most part, catch up with TJ, Firefly, and Hard Rock. TJ being an Earth pony, though, gave him a running speed that was hard to match. Firefly was flying, so there wasn't even any hope of truly catching up with her.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Muse thought out loud.

Still, the young alicorn managed to bring up the rear and even managed to get somewhat closer by switching to flying like her 'aunt' was doing. It wasn't long at all before the four ponies came up to a far bigger group of equines, none of whom seemed to be in the best of moods. There was screaming, yelling, shoving, and general overall aggression. TJ, Firefly, and Muse stopped only for the moment to look to one another before they made their final approach to the mob.

"Muse, I don't want you going into this, but it's not my decision," TJ said as he looked to his sister. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"I'll have to be if I'm gonna be an effective leader someday," Muse said.

"Right," TJ said with a nod of his head.

With that, TJ, Firefly, Hard Rock, and Muse ran into the mob and made their way as best they could through the angry masses. Trying to navigate their way through the crowd was even worse than trying to get through the mosh pit at a death metal concert. The four ponies were tossed around like rag dolls almost the entire time they tried to make their way through the crowd. Along the way they heard cries such as, "Hit him harder!" or "Teach that monster a lesson!" and other similar rants that were shouted out loud. The few things being said that they could make out made TJ and Firefly want to get through the crowd even more so they could see what was going on.

It was becoming too much for Muse, though, who got tossed around the most. She gritted her teeth and growled as she got shoved around a few too many times. Then came the moment where she'd had enough and was ready to do something about it.

" _Alright, everypony, stop!_ " Muse yelled, her voice somehow echoing loudly as her horn glowed.

A illuminated wave of magic spread through the crowd, instantly making everypony freeze in place in a bright glow.

When Muse opened her eyes, she was stunned to see what she had done. She saw the shocked and alarmed looks on the faces of the other ponies in the crowd, the eyes of whom all fell on her. Muse slowly realized she was the only pony who seemed to be able to move. Slowly she made her way through the frozen crowd as she continued to look on at everyone in surprise.

"Did I really do this?" Muse wondered out loud.

"Yes, sis... you really did."

Muse looked to her left in surprise, having been caught off guard that someone else was able to say something. She looked to see her brother, her Aunt Firefly, and Hard Rock all frozen in place, the three of them giving Muse frustrated frowns.

"Oh, my!" Muse said in surprise. "TJ, Firefly, Hard Rock, I'm sorry, I-"

"No, no, you made the right call, Muse," Firefly said.

"Heck if I had known you could do that," TJ added, "I would've asked you to do it before going into the crowd."

"Just try to make sure you don't do it to the ponies you came with next time," Hard Rock said.

"Right, gotcha," Muse replied.

"So... you gonna get us out of this?" Firefly asked somewhat impatiently.

" _Oh_ , right, sorry!" Muse exclaimed.

She then used her horn's magic to release her three companions from the frozen spell the rest of the crowd was still under.

"Thank you, Muse," TJ said while clearly trying to hold back some irritation. "Good job on the spell." TJ gave his sister a quick hug before looking to her with a serious face. "You think you can keep it up?"

"No problem," Muse said with a smile.

"Then let's go!" TJ said.

The four ponies were on the move again, this time having no trouble navigating through the crowd whatsoever. Because of how much easier it was to get through the mass of ponies, it didn't take the foursome long to get to the center of the crowd. There they found a clearing and what TJ, Firefly, Muse, and Hard Rock saw made them all gasp in shock, it was so unexpected and surprising.

"Oh, my word!" Muse let out.

" _Holy cow!_ " Firefly exclaimed.

"Hard Rock," TJ said in a slightly stunned tone, "is that-?"

"It sure looks like it, TJ," Hard Rock said.

TJ and the others looked to one another in puzzlement as if to ask what they saw could be real. Frozen in time were several large Earth pony stallions that had gathered around and had been beating on a single minotaur. TJ couldn't help but bring himself closer to the thrashing his sister's spell had interrupted. From what TJ could make out, the stallions all had looks of absolutely burning hatred on their faces. Clearly they had every intention to put the minotaur they were beating on out of his misery, but not before giving him a hard whooping.

TJ looked down to see that the minotaur's mostly bruised and battered face was filled with complete and utter horror. Seeing the severely injured and blood covered face of the minotaur was making TJ feel something he never expected. TJ never thought the day would come after all he had been through, but somehow, for some reason, he actually found himself feeling pity for the minotaur. At the same time the others came walking in so they could see the minotaur up close. All of them had their own unique reactions to the sight, with Firefly's being complete and total disgust.

"Bleh, gag me with a maggot," Firefly let out with contempt. "The sight of that thing is absolutely disgusting, even like this. If anything, he looks more pathetic... _but_ this is the best I've ever seen one of these toadstools look. Say, Muse, how about you cancel out the spell and let these ponies continue to serve the community by taking out the trash?"

"No, no, wait a minute!" TJ exclaimed urgently. He then looked to his sister with a serious face. "Muse, I want you to bring that minotaur out of the spell. But only do it for him, just like you did for us."

" _What?!_ " Hard Rock and Firefly let out together.

"Are you serious, TJ?!" Firefly shouted. "Are you out of your skull?!"

"I have to agree, TJ," Hard Rock said. "How could you even think about allowing a minotaur such a fair chance like that?!"

"Hey, he came here alone!" TJ explained. "Don't you even want to know why?"

"Uh, no!" Firefly said. "It could be a whole lot of reasons! None of them any good either! So I say we find a good club and give him what all those horn heads got coming to them!"

"Seriously, TJ," Hard Rock said, "just let me and Firefly deal with this if you aren't up to it."

"Would you two hold it for just a second?!" TJ let out in frustration. "Just give me a moment to talk to him! If I don't like what he says or he attacks me, then kick his head in, okay?! One moment is all I'm asking!"

Hard Rock and Firefly looked to each other for a couple seconds before then taking a few steps back.

"You know, I could pull rank on ya," Firefly said. "I am older than you."

"Yeah, but I'm the chief's kid," TJ said smugly.

" _Step kid_ ," Firefly let out.

"I love you, too, Auntie Firefly," TJ said sarcastically. He then turned back to Muse. "Well, Musey, can you do it?"

Muse looked on thoughtfully for a moment before giving her older brother a smile.

"You know, I'm the chief's biological child," Muse said. An annoyed frown crossed TJ's face. "And it is my spell. I could just say no."

"Great, great," TJ said as he rolled his eyes. "Everypony wants to tell me what they are, how _old_ they are-" TJ looked back to Firefly for a second before turning away "-and what they could do. How about you tell me what you're actually going to do now, Muse? Are you gonna do as I asked?"

Muse didn't answer right away; she was still thinking about it.

"Are you sure?" Muse asked. "He is a minotaur after a-"

"I've got eyes, Muse!" TJ said a little impatiently. "I still need to ask him some questions, especially if he just came from that volcano base of theirs. Now are ya gonna do it or what?!"

"Okay, okay, don't have a cow," Muse said with frustration.

"Then give me an unfrozen bull and I want it to go," TJ said like a demanding customer at the drive-thru.

Muse took one look at her brother before shaking her head and proceeding. Her horn started to glow and soon after the aura around the minotaur faded away completely. He fell to the ground as he gasped out severely distressed breaths.

"No, no, please stop!" the minotaur shouted. "I only came here to... Huh?! Wha...?"

The minotaur looked around in like a nervous deer cornered by a jaguar. His chest heaved as he inhaled and exhaled extra heavily. He saw that all of the ponies that had gathered around him in such vehement hatred were now frozen in place. This allowed him to see all the angry and hate filled looks all of them had on their faces aimed at him. He saw how much disdain they had for him while remembering how much pain they caused him.

Realizing how much more harm they all still clearly wanted to do to him made the minotaur shudder in terror. It didn't take the fallen bull long to notice there were ponies nearby that were unfrozen like him and coming closer. The minotaur shuddered as he actually backed away, crawling along the dirty road of the town's main street. The foursome of ponies looked to each other in surprise, for they had never seen a minotaur act this way before.

"P- Please don't kill me," the minotaur managed to say. "Don't hurt me anymore, I'm sorry. I was told to come here!"

"By who?" TJ asked.

"Yeah, who told you to come back here, scumbag?!" Firefly shouted.

"Shut up, Firefly!" TJ demanded as he turned back angrily to his aunt.

Firefly turned away, looking just as angry while TJ turned back to the minotaur and returned to his calm demeanor. TJ saw that the minotaur had black fur, and his face seemed somewhat more like that of a gorilla's. His snout was not so long and prominent as other minotaurs he'd seen. He also had green eyes and black horns that pointed outward and curved away from his head slightly, another trait that seemed to be unique to this particular bull. His arms and body weren't nearly as ripped as the majority of minotaurs TJ had seen either, but his muscles were still clearly visible.

Finally the minotaur looked to be about six feet tall, possibly more or less. TJ couldn't tell with him on the ground. Either way he was nowhere near being the tallest minotaur, a species who's largest recorded member was nine feet tall. Whether that was part of why TJ was so calm and collective with this bull was something he didn't know for sure. All that was certain was that TJ felt so calm and confident with this minotaur that he even bent down to a knee to talk to him face-to-face.

"What's your name?" TJ said in a clam, yet somewhat demanding voice.

"K- K- Kerchek," the minotaur answered.

"And who asked you to come here, Kerchek?" TJ asked.

"P- Princess Twilight Sparkle," the stuttering bull managed to say.

TJ's eyes widened in astonishment before he turned to the other ponies nearby. They all had the exact same looks on their faces with some not even sure if they heard the minotaur before them right. The Earth pony stallion then turned back to Kerchek.

"You said, Twilight Sparkle, the alicorn princess sent you here?!" TJ asked in an urgent voice.

"Yes, she told me to find a pony named Thunder Jack and tell him that," Kerchek went on.

This actually made the other three ponies close by gasp in shock. It was clear to see by the look in TJ's eyes that the wheels in his mind were rolling extra fast as he tried to comprehend what Kerchek was saying.

"I am Thunder Jack," TJ said as he looked to Kerchek with a serious expression.

Now Kerchek's face matched TJ's and the others ponies'.

"Thank goodness," Kerchek said. "I tried asking for you and to tell the others who sent me. But they didn't seem too interested in what I had to say... not that I blame them."

"Okay, what's your story, Mac," Firefly asked, sounding less stand offish than before.

Kerchek could tell she still wasn't too keen on him and clearly had an itch to give him an even worse beat down than he had already received.

"I am a deserter," Kerchek explained as he slowly started to get up.

Muse, Firefly, and Hard Rock all flinched into fighting positions making Kerchek stop part way and look at them in concern. TJ just rolled his eyes at his comrades and actually extended a helping hoof to the minotaur. Kerchek looked in surprise for a moment before he gladly accepted TJ's hoof.

"A deserter, you say?" TJ asked as he pulled Kerchek all the way up.

"Yes, that is correct," Kerchek explained. "I hated everything we were doing. At first I thought it might make some kind of sense. But as time went on, I learned the hard way that wasn't the case. That cult is diabolical, as are their plans for the rest of the world."

"Ha, I knew their plans included the whole world!" Firefly exclaimed.

"Uh, we all did, Auntie," Muse said.

Firefly gave her a deadpanned frown.

"Don't kill my buzz, dear niece," Firefly said.

"Wait, did you say a cult?" Hard Rock asked.

"Yes, I did," Kerchek said. "These minotaurs got the idea that death is a concept to dedicate yourself to religiously. They believe that through death you'll receive immortality."

"Kind of a conflicting concept, wouldn't you say?" Muse asked.

"They believe that there's an afterlife that lasts forever when we're done with this one," Kerchek went on.

"If you were really against these minotaurs for so long, why didn't you come to us sooner?" Firefly asked. "You know, give us information we could use?" Kerchek looked at Firefly bluntly as he held his hands up at his sides and let the ponies stare at his current physical condition. "Okay, you might have a point there, but still."

"It's true, I probably should've come to you sooner," Kerchek said. "But... it was just so hard. They still had something I thought I wanted. I know now that it is gone and out of my reach forever. Besides, it's hard to get away once you get in as deep as I did. I tried to make the best of my time there, though, doing little sabotages here and there wherever I could.

"It was actually because of me that they lost control of Kamoebas."

"Yeah, yeah, but you did say you just came from the volcano base, right?" TJ asked.

"Well, yes," Kerchek responded.

"And you had met up with Twilight Sparkle and her friends who told you to come here?" TJ pressed on.

"Yes, sir, that is exactly what I am saying," Kerchek went on.

TJ then turned to his younger sister.

"Muse, can you teleport us all back to the restaurant?" TJ asked.

"Uh, yeah, I think I can," Muse said. "Why do-?"

"Good, I need you to do that and then release everyone here of your spell," TJ said.

" _What?!_ " Firefly, Hard Rock, and Kerchek exclaimed at the same time.

"You're going to bring him straight to Moon Bright?!" Firefly asked.

"Are you crazy?!" Hard Rock asked.

"The moment these ponies are released of the spell, they'll crucify me!" Kerchek let out.

"Not if you're hidden with us in the restaurant," TJ said. "I need to ask you some questions there. Then I'll have my mother help me get these other ponies off your back and let them know you're on our side. That way you'll be able to walk around fine."

"How can you be so willing to harbor this guy?!" Firefly asked.

"Did you not hear him?!" TJ countered. "He was in contact with Twilight and the others!"

"So?!" Firefly said. "He could still be lying somehow! Maybe they got her name somehow and they sent him to secretly penetrate our ranks. Maybe he set them up somehow before he was sent down here to set us up for disaster, too! What I'm saying is, you can't trust this guy! He could be up to no good!"

"That's why you, me, Muse, and Hard Rock will be there in case he is," TJ said. "Look at him, sure he's big, but he's one of the smaller minotaurs we've ever seen. No offense, Kerchek."

"It's alright," Kerchek said.

"We've all dealt with minotaurs far bigger and successfully so," TJ said. "If he really is a double agent, a spy, whatever and he tries to double cross us, we'll be on him right away. Somehow I get the feeling, though, that it won't come to that."

"Why's that?" Muse asked.

"I don't know," TJ said. "For some reason he just seems trustworthy to me."

"Yeah, because he used your marefreind's name," Firefly said.

"You know, you're suppose to be older than me," TJ said. "Why don't you act like it and grow up. Anyways, I'm in charge here and this is my final decision."

"Whatever," Firefly said.

"Nothing bad's going to happen, Auntie, I promise," TJ said. He then turned to his sister. "Muse, would you be willing to do these spells for me. I mean, you have to break the frozen spell, because... yeah. But would you be willing to teleport us all to where Mom is?"

Muse looked to Kerchek for a moment before turning to Hard Rock, then Firefly, and then back to her older brother.

"I still don't completely trust him yet," Muse said. "But I do trust you, TJ. If you say it'll be okay, I'll put my faith that."

"Even if it means putting your mother in danger?" Firefly asked.

"What, you don't trust us or yourself to keep her safe?" Muse asked as she looked to the pegasus mare with a smirk. Firefly just snorted and looked away as Muse turned back to her brother. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Thank you, Musey," TJ said. The tan furred stallion then turned to the bull standing next to him. "Well, Kerchek, is this something you're willing to do?"

"Absolutely," Kerchek said. "It _is_ part of what I came down here to do after all. Plus, I can tell the princess that sent me here, Twilight Sparkle means a lot to you."

"All of them do," TJ said.

"Yes, but not like she does," Kerchek said with a smile. A light blush crossed TJ's face as a small smile of his own appeared. "I may not be able to tell you exactly how she's doing right now. I can, however, tell you how she was doing last time I left here and the others."

"That's all I can ask for, I guess," TJ said. "Thank you for being so cooperative, Kerchek."

"It is my absolute and sincere honor, Thunder Jack," Kerchek said with a small bow. "Besides, what other choice do I have? Do I stay with a bunch of crackpots in a doomed cause or let myself be taken by the... _welcoming_ crowd you have here?"

"Fair enough," TJ said with a slight chuckle. "You can just call me TJ by the way. Everyone calls me TJ."

"Very well and so shall I hence forth," Kerchek said.

"Alright, Muse, get us out of here," TJ said.

"You got it, bro," Muse said before her horn started to glow.

In the blink of an eye, all five individuals were engulfed in a flash of light that disappeared as quickly as it came. When it was gone, the five were in a different location, specifically the restaurant. Kerchek was initially surprised by the power on display with the spell and how it worked. He was unable to express it, though, since being a recipient of the spell made him feel sick to his stomach. The queasy bull held his arms around his sides before bringing a hand to his mouth to try and keep from puking.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Muse said with an uneasy smile. "Probably should've warned you that teleportation spells can be hard to get used to."

"It's quite alright," Kerchek said before having to try and keep his lunch down yet again.

"Muse, did you dispell the frozen spell on everyone else?" TJ asked.

"Can't you hear the angry shouting from the mob outside?" Muse asked.

They both listened as the sounds outside confirmed what Muse was saying.

"Right, good work, sis," TJ said as he nodded his head in approval.

Suddenly there were several screams heard all over the restaurant. TJ, Kerchek, and the others that accompanied them looked to see the horrified looks on the faces of the other ponies there. None were bigger than Moon Bright's who looked like she had a just seen the Devil himself.

"Mom, everypony, wait," TJ said as he held his front hooves out in front of him. "Just wait for a moment, please? This is Kerchek, he's a defector who just came from the minotaurs' volcano base. He was sent here to us by Twilight and the others."

Everypony gasped in disbelief.

"Really?" Moon Bright asked in astonishment. "Twilight really told a minotaur to come here?"

"A minotaur that _defected_ from their side," TJ explained. "She asked him to specifically come find me here in the town after he helped them in the volcano base."

"Huh, he really helped Twilight and her friends?" Moon Bright asked in amazement.

"Yeah, he did," TJ said before turning to Kerchek. "You did, didn't you?"

"I helped as best I could, yes," Kerchek said before turning to Moon Bright and stepping forward. He bowed down to one knee as he placed his fist over his heart. "Chief Moon Bright, I understand your hesitations. For a little more than fifty years now, the minotaur population on this island has been nothing but grief, and misery for the ponies that also inhabit these lands. I have no excuse for the way my people have treated you ponies, for there is none.

"The minotaurs here have been a scourge to you and will soon be to the world as we know it if they are not stopped, I realize that. Perhaps there was more I could've done to try and help stop them. Now, though, I swear on my life, I will work endlessly try and make things right as far as where I stand. Even if I die while in the process of making up for my own past trials and tribulations, it would be worth it to me. I can't change what my people have done, but if you could see it in your heart to know how genuine I am, it would be worth all the while.

"My name is Kerchek, my people have been nothing but scum on this island, and I only wish to help stop them and get away from their evil myself. But I also want to say I am truly and sincerely sorry for all they have done."

Kerchek bowed his head lower while the rest of the ponies all looked around to one another. TJ looked to be the most convinced of them all with Muse close behind. Clearly, though, she still had reservations, but not nearly to the extent of all the other ponies, especially Firefly. Moon Bright looked to be undecided, for her expression seemed to imply her head was full of thought and contemplation. She looked to everyone else, seeing all their mixed reactions, before setting her eyes on Kerchek.

The bull looked up for only a moment before bowing his head even lower than before. Moon Bright raised an eyebrow as everyone waited in anticipation for how she would respond.

"So you say you want to make amends?" Moon Bright asked. Everyone looked to the unicorn more attentively, included Kerchek himself, who raised his head to gaze at her. "Well, if you truly did help Princess Twilight and her friends like you claim... I would say that's a good place to start."

Everyone looked on, their anticipation increasing by the second. TJ and Kerchek both had matching pairs of eyes filled with hope.

"Does that mean... you accept me?" Kerchek asked.

"Yes... but on very shaky ground," Moon Bright said sternly. "Get up will ya? You look silly bowed down like that."

"Oh, yes, ma'am," Kerchek said as he stood up.

"Crescent, you can't be serious," Firefly said in frustration and disbelief.

"Trust me, Firefly, I know what I'm doing," Moon Bright said. "Plus, if my son and daughter trust this guy, that's good enough for me. But you'll have guard on you the entire time you're amongst us... Kerchek, is it?"

"Yes, ma'am and of course," Kerchek said. "I expect nothing less. You have every right to take any precautions you see fit."

"I know, " Moon Bright said. "Oh, and I'll make sure they don't mess with you any. It looks like you already got a warm enough welcome from some of our more... _emotional_ ponies out in the street."

"Indeed, though I can't say I blame them," Kerchek said as he rubbed a particularly bruised part of his face that was still throbbing in pain. "I admit that in a way I feel like I deserved part of it. But still, taking a whole population's sins out on a single individual is a bit much, don't you think?"

"Do you?" Moon Bright asked as she raised an eyebrow.

Kerchek looked about as defeated as anyone could upon the unicorn's response.

"Point well taken," Kerchek said. "It's true, the countless sins of my people here will never be truly atoned for. Still, the least I can do is try to help atone for my own to an extent."

"Yeah, about that," Firefly said. "You did say you helped Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends when you found them inside, right? How exactly did you help them?"

"Well, I found them huddled in a dark tunnel by themselves," Kerchek started. "It was right after a ceremony several of the minotaurs had just partaken in. I was to come in and help clean up afterwards. It was part of my duties there."

"Ooh, that reminds me," TJ said. "Mom, Kerchek says that the minotaurs on this island are all part of a giant cult of death worshipers. That's what the ceremony was for, right? It was a religious ceremony?"

"That is correct, Thu- I mean, TJ," Kerchek said.

"Wait, what, cult of death worshipers, what?!" Moon Bright exclaimed in confusion. "All the minotaurs on this island are part of a cult?"

"That is correct, Chief Moon Bright," Kerchek replied. "They believe through death we can achieve immortality in a peaceful afterlife our leader calls Paradise."

Moon Bright was still for a moment as she let everything the minotaur said sink in.

"Oh... that explains it," Moon Bright said as she lightly shook her head. "That explains why those minotaurs went so bad... They're completely loony toons."

"Unfortunately, that does seem to be the case," Kerchek replied. "Anyways, I came across the princess and her friends in the tunnel on my way to clean up. They were huddled close together in the darkest part of the tunnel they were in. All of them seemed to have a magical disguise around them that made them look like minotaurs."

"Just like Twilight said she could do," TJ said with a smile.

"They started off quiet enough," Kerchek went on. "But then they got rather loud for individuals in their position. When I found out what they were planning, I hid and listened further until such a time I deemed was appropriate to reveal myself. At first, they wanted to do away with me, which was perfectly understandable. However I was able to convince them to spare me so I could give them details on the compound, including a detailed map of its tunnels.

"I believe they might have been planning to plant their explosives in the laboratory. That was where the science team led by Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning were working. They were in the midst of beginning creation of Isarem's new kaiju."

" _What?!_ " everypony asked together.

"Isarem is our leader's name," Kerchek said somewhat shakily because of the ponies' sudden outburst.

"No, no, no, wait!" Moon Bright said. "Are you saying the minotaurs' are trying to make a new kaiju right now?"

"Why, yes," Kerchek said. "They're using both the technology we appropriated from the Devonians and the Alpha Stones. That is the ones we could find."

"Wait, what?!" Firefly exclaimed loudly.

"You say you have technology from the Devonians?!" TJ asked urgently.

"Uh... yes," Kerchek responded. "I'm actually surprised you know who they are since I didn't really properly explain-"

"How many of the Alpha Stones does the cult have?!" Muse asked urgently.

"Three of four," Kerchek responded.

"And you said they're making a new monster?!" Firefly shouted.

"Clearly this a lot to take in for you all," Kerchek said. "It's not hard to understand why. Also, it's just as clear that I need to go deeper into detail in explaining everything and telling you all... my people's... unfortunately dark backstory."

"Don't leave any detail out!" TJ insisted. "Tell us absolutely everything from the start up to this point now!"

Suddenly the stallion didn't know how to feel. All this new information was giving him mixed reactions and feelings, which started to make him feel physically ill. It wasn't helped that he heard some distant rumbling that he knew could only be coming from the single volcano of Pony Tale Island.

* * *

 **Alright, I feel I need to address something. Yes, this is a shorter chapter and takes away from the main narrative at a crucial point. But I have a reason. This chapter wasn't originally suppose to exist. A friend of mine suggested I do this to address Kerchek's situation, check in with the islanders, and to show what happens when they all meet. Even then it wasn't suppose to be its own chapter. It was suppose to be a smaller part of a bigger chapter, but it ran on so long, I decided I didn't want it as part of what I had planned for the next chapter, so I split them.**

 **I don't regret writing this chapter, though, because I feel this part of the story still needed to be explained. Thanks to you, my friend (you know who you are) for bringing this to my attention. Make me kind of wish I had made a "meanwhile in Equestria" chapter to check in with the regular supporting MLP:FIM cast to see how they were doing. But I felt it would've been too far away from the main plot and also that it's too late to do that now anyways.**

 **Moving on, this will be the last time I do anything like that. From now on, I'm going to write this story exactly as I had planned it to be written from here on out. I want to get this story done and trust me, there's a lot of action-packed stuff coming, which is why I made this its own chapter. Didn't want it getting in the way any more than it already has. Again, still happy I wrote it overall, but I digress. Please look forward to more great stuff I'm sure is to come in future chapters of" THE CURSE OF PONY TALE ISLAND"! Take care, faithful readers!**


	33. Chapter 33: Strike Back

" _Woo-hoo! Yeah!_ "

" _Yeah, alright, G Man! That was awesome!_ "

" _Yee-haw! Way to go there, Ziller!_ "

" _Yes, well done, Godzilla, darling! You put that vile sludge puddle down for good!_ "

" _Yeah, way to go, Godzilla! You did it! You stopped Hedorah! Yeah, woo! I knew you could do it!_ "

These cheers were only a few among many that the ReMane Five happily squealed out loud for all to hear. They had just watched Godzilla defeat Hedorah and were celebrating as much as they could given their situation. In addition to the celebrating mares, Isarem and several minotaur guards flanking him had watched the scenario play out, too. They all watched it happen through Isarem's magic crystal ball. It showed all that was happening with the gigantic kaiju brawl outside the volcano.

Unlike the joyous ponies watching the fight, none of the minotaurs were the least bit happy about the new development. Of them all, Isarem was clearly the one most upset about Hedorah meeting his demise at Godzilla's hands. His whole body convulsed like he was physically ill, his arms bulging as his muscles flexed involuntarily from Isarem's anger. His face conveyed so much hatred and fury, it looked meaner than the most terrifying of timberwolves. Isarem's blood was boiling and he felt like he was about to burst.

Before that could happen, however, the room started to shake with great might, as did the rest of the caverns. Since everyone in the room had started watching the fight on the crystal ball, there had been two more tremors. Each one felt worse than the last, both in might and in that it seemed the tremors were starting to spread deeper through the volcano. This one was by far the worst, for it had a shaking force the likes of which were almost too much to describe.

A few pieces of stone even broke off from the top of the cave ceiling and it sounded like the whole place could rip apart any moment. Everyone had to alternate between trying to stay on their hooves and moving out of the way of falling debris. Trying to do both at the same time in such an unstable environment proved to be just as difficult as it was extremely dangerous. The only one who seemed unaffected in any way was Isarem, who let himself sway from side-to-side as the room continued to shake. He was too distracted by the anger he felt to notice anything else except the now tipping and turning crystal ball.

Finally it became too much for Isarem, who let out a scream as he rushed forth and shoved down the stand the crystal ball stood upon. He tried to make it look like the tremor made him trip and fall, but it was clear his anger drove him to do what he did. Knocking over the stand sent it instantly crashing into the ground, making the crystal ball shatter into pieces. As the shaking started to die down, several took notice at what happened. They all saw a flash of white light escape from the shattered remains of the ball before fading away.

The tremors finally subsided and then completely ceased, allowing the ReMane Five to gather close and consult one another. Some looked only slightly shaking up, others looked downright terrified, and at least one seemed like she would almost cry. Still the tight-knit group managed to calm one another by being caring, attentive, and as loving as if they were all blood relatives.

"Twilight, that shakin's got me worried," Applejack said. "Isn't it likely that if that keeps up, it could make the volcano... blow its top or something?"

Twilight Sparkle hesitated for just a moment as she tried to think of exactly how to answer her friend.

"Maybe," Twilight Sparkle said. "I don't know for sure. I hope not... but at this point I won't discount that anything else bad could happen that could make the situation worse."

" _Hey, we were watchin' that!_ " Rainbow Dash shouted in anger. The other ponies gave closer attention to the shattered pieces of the crystal ball and also saw the angry look of their blue friend. " _Yeah, you ain't as clever as you think you are! I know that wasn't no accident! You just have a stick up your flank because our guy kicked your monster's can!_ "

"Certainly no reason to spoil the broadcast for the rest of us," Rarity said.

"If you don't like the show," Applejack began.

"Maybe you're on the wrong side," Twilight Sparkle finished up.

"I don't know, girls, maybe we all ought to go easy on him," Applejack said. "I mean, it's not everyday you watch your empire start to crumble and one of your best fighters is made to look like a sissy."

Isarem turned his red with anger eyes at Applejack, who merely smirked as she tipped her hat.

"Yeah, AJ's right," Rainbow Dash said. "I mean, here's this guy who thinks his army and him are _so righteous_ and _so high and mighty_. Then we come along and start shaking up what he thinks is a perfect plan. That includes having our monster friends come and bust up his pets. Poor guy might even be embarrassed we're getting to him this bad."

"Aww, does the baby Isarem need to be cuddled?" Rarity asked in a mockingly cooing voice.

"Oh, I think he does," Twilight Sparkle said in the same tone as her unicorn friend. "Maybe he needs a bottle and a nap, too. Should I gets your blanky for you?"

"Maybe what he needs," Fluttershy said while standing tall and defiant, "is to go to the woodshed himself a few times since he's been such a bad boy."

The other four ponies started laughing and openly mocked the minotaur overlord. Isarem stared in both disbelief and great rage, which intensified with each passing moment. His fists were clenched as tightly as ever as he raised them to his sides. Isarem breathed heavily like he was about ready let loose and unleash his wrath upon those that would mock him in his domain. That moment, however, never came to pass and instead, something quite strange happened.

Isarem's body stopped shaking and he stopped breathing so heavily as his face softened a great deal. He lowered his hands and his face actually formed into a smile. Those who saw this happen were caught completely off guard. It was nothing compared to when everyone heard Isarem actually start to laugh. The ReMane Five looked both stunned and maybe even a little disturbed as the volume of Isarem's laughter increased.

It got to the point where Isarem seemed to be near hysteric, his laughs were so loud and frequent. His body language was that of someone who couldn't help but laugh so much, for he seemed so tickled. Even most of the minotaur guards were starting to become concerned for their leader. Lucky for them, Isarem seemed to come out of it as he ceased laughing and let out a sigh while wiping away tears from his eyes.

"Forgive me, all," Isarem said. "It's just so... surprising. That Godzilla creature of yours, ponies... He really is all the things you said he was. I mean, I've seen him fight before and I knew he was powerful.

"I just never could've imagined he was at this level. I never even knew a creature on this plain of living could reach that level. I didn't even think it existed in this realm. This Godzilla... truly is god-like in the greatest of ways."

"You got that right, Mac!" Rainbow Dash said. "That's because he isn't just any old kaiju."

" _He's king of the monsters!_ " the ReMane Five said together.

Isarem slowly nodded his head as he brought up his hand and held his chin between his thumb and index finger. His smile was still very prominent, though he also looked to be deep in thought.

" 'King of the monsters'," Isarem said as he looked down at the ground. After second or two he then turned back to the ReMane Five. "Yes, I think I agree with you girls. He is certainly very deserving of that title. Yes, it suits him very well; he is that impressive of a specimen."

"Yes, he is," Twilight Sparkle agreed. "That's why I know he's gonna wipe the floor with Solomon just like he did with Hedorah!"

"Hmm," Isarem said thoughtfully. "I'm starting to think you may be right, my dear. I mean, Solomon has always been our greatest warrior... But this Godzilla does have me concerned now after seeing what he did to Hedorah."

"Exactly, so you might as well give up while you still have time!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"You're just about out of kaiju," Applejack said. "And when Godzilla beats Solomon, and trust me, he will, you're gonna be up a creek."

"So unless you let us go right now, and release _all_ your prisoners," Twilight Sparkle said, "Godzilla will come in and blow your entire base to _smithereens!_ "

"I think not, dear princess!" Isarem said, letting out a loud cackle afterwards. "I think your monster friend knows you and all our mine workers are still in here! If he is as good hearted as you say, he wouldn't dare try to do anything to this compound while you're still in here!"

"Shoot, he's right!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Now what do we do?" Applejack asked.

"You know what, it doesn't matter," Twilight Sparkle said. "By putting Godzilla in that kind of position, you're giving him an ultimatum. When the time finally does come to decide, he's going to do what is right for the majority overall like he always does. So, even if it means we meet our end, Godzilla will do the right thing and stop you. What we're trying to tell is that it's _done_ , you and your plans are _doomed!_

"There is no throne at the end of this! There is no version of this scenario where you come out on top and do all the things you've been planning to do. You're not going to destroy the world, because you're sure not going to beat Godzilla!"

" _Not so fast, princess big mouth!_ " Isarem shouted. "Have you forgotten what's happening in the lab right now as we speak?! At this very moment, my science team is hard at work in creating the final nail in the coffin, so to speak! We're mere minutes away from seeing the great Mons-Ahgar rise up to help all ascend to the next level high above! Or had you not only forgotten that, but that we're feeding him the greatest power ever seen on this plain to carry out his quest?!

"While it's true Godzilla may be great and powerful and he makes quite the team with Anguirus, it still won't be enough to stop Mons-Ahgar! He will have too much power thanks to the Alpha Stones. Besides, those two have been put through too much by my kaiju already! Heck, I doubt even those two at their full strength would be ale to stop Mons-Ahgar from doing what he _has_ to do! The difference is just too great for any to overcome.

"We have right on our side. It is our fate, our destiny, our righteous cause to help any and all ascend to Paradise above, even misguided foals like you."

"You're the one who's misguided, you dirt bag!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. The other ponies gasped as they watched Twilight actually walk up closer to Isarem, who seemed just surprised. "You think just because you stand there in a robe spouting off a bunch of nonsense trying to justify your evil deeds that it makes you righteous?! _Everything you've done since you formed this cult has been nothing but pure evil, including polluting the minds of others!_ "

Isarem sneered as Twilight Sparkle stopped a few feet in front of him and glared hatefully.

"I see," Isarem said. "You still haven't learned anything, have you? You still don't understand what we're trying to accomplish."

"Oh, I understand, we all do," Twilight Sparkle said. She then looked back to her friends, some of whom nodded while others just glared. "We understand what you think you're doing is right because you've fooled yourself and all your followers into thinking so. But that in fact makes you all the more evil because you can't recognize that taking others' lives from them, especially against their will is completely and totally wrong! We were all put here for a reason, we have a purpose on this planet.

"If that weren't the case, we wouldn't be here. If it wasn't wrong to kill others, the majority would have the impulse to commit the terrible acts of murder and genocide you all perpetrate here. We're taught to hug and love at a young age because that just makes sense. Heck, most of us as babies don't even need to be taught because we just want to on instinct alone. None of us have the sudden urge to maim and rip apart others as soon as we're born because we know it isn't right!

"You stand there high and mighty saying that the innocence you've killed and plan to still kill are for a great cause. Here's a newsflash, there's nothing great about this cause! I don't know how you could possibly have gotten so many to join you, but there's just as many who have rejected you because they're not screwed up in the head!"

"That's probably how you got to this point!" Fluttershy said as she stepped forward a little bit. "That lightning bolt that hit you in the head must've scrambled your brains and removed all sorts of rational thinking."

"No, it isn't just that!" Rarity exclaimed. "It sounds to me like because no one wanted to hug him as a child, he's taking it out on the whole world. He knows he's wrong to do this, but he's lying to himself about it being right and brainwashing others to follow him!"

" _That's not true!_ " Isarem shouted as he held a hand to the spot where his scar on his head was. " _I'm doing important things! I'm doing them because they're the right things! Everyone needs to go to Paradise! It's what's best for all, it is!_ "

"You wanna talk about where you're going when you're done here?" Twilight Sparkle asked coldly. "You're not going through a bright light above past the pearly gates of the kingdom. You and all these minotaurs you've led astray are going to go down far below through a black pit of cold darkness to tortures beyond your comprehension. All of you are going to go straight to Tartarus where you will pay for your crimes against the beauties of living itself!"

" _Shut up!_ " Isarem shouted as he lifted up his free hand.

What happened next was without a doubt one of the single most shocking and horrifying things Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy had ever seen. They watched in utter horror as Isarem swung the back of his hand across the face of Twilight Sparkle. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, which even included the sound of hand smacking face. The same was true when Twilight started spinning through the air and flew back towards her friends, all of whom screamed at the top of their lungs. They ran to where it looked like Twilight was about to crash into the cave floor.

As soon as Twilight Sparkle hit the floor, time sped up back to normal again as she bounced off the unforgiving, unmovable stone ground. The other ponies gathered around their fallen friend and quickly started attending to her. All of them wanted to panic and scream out for Twilight Sparkle. While none of them screamed, all of them still seemed to be rather panicky.

" _Twilight!_ " Applejack let out as she examined her friend. " _Come on, Twilight, talk to me, girl! Please let us know you're alright! Are you okay, Twi?! Please be okay!_ "

The others would alternate from looking to one another back to Twilight, being worried for her all the while. A bit of relief came their way when they all heard Twilight Sparkle moan. They looked to see her open her eyes, which made them all gasp as big grins crossed their faces. Twilight Sparkle looked up to see all her friends before she started pushing herself back up. The friends closest to Twilight Sparkle carefully tried to help her sit up while trying to make sure she was fine.

"Twilight, are you alright?" Rarity asked.

"I... I think so," Twilight Sparkle said. Her eyes lowered into a glare, which was aimed straight ahead. "Baby just threw a tantrum."

The other ponies looked back to Isarem with matching glares. The look on Isarem's face wasn't that much different as he stared right back at the equines. Twilight Sparkle gently rubbed a throbbing bruise on her cheek where she was hit. Then, with more help from her friends, she fully stood up.

"Don't touch her again, freak," Rainbow Dash warned.

"I grow so tired of this," Isarem said. I brought you girls here because I was hoping to spare you from the horrors of what is to come when Mons-Ahgar rises. I wanted to give you a quick and painless ascension. We all know everyone in these caverns will be the first ones to go. I just wanted it to be better for you ponies.

"I was even hoping we might be able to become friends. Guess it just wasn't meant to be. You won't even consider any of our philosophies. You'd rather just be closed minded and hate us."

"We don't want to hate you, Isarem," Twilight Sparkle countered. "Like I said, we all completely understand where you think you're coming from. But of course we can't go with what you're suggesting. Whether you want to get it into your thick skull or not, planet-wide genocide is wrong! This is not the way to show others you care about them, let alone the whole world.

"The way to do that is to extend a loving hoof... or hand in friendship to a stranger and let them know you care and want to do right for them. The magic of friendship has always been a driving force in Equestria. It's why we've been as well off as a nation we have. It's true we've always faced many hardships, but through it all we stuck together and beat 'em! And it was through that friendship, we became the strong, proud, prosperous nation we are.

"That is why life is worth living overall, Isarem. Princess Celestia taught me long ago that the magic of friendship is one of the most important things in the life we live here. And while we're here, we must do our best to spread friendship and make life worth living!"

" _Yeah!_ " the other four mares said together.

Isarem looked at all the ponies like they were talking complete and utter insanity. He almost seemed disgusted by what Twilight had to say.

"Do you know just how empty and meaningless your words are?" Isarem spat at the ReMane Five. "You and Princess Celestia make your followers feel safe by offering white lies. All you just said is mere comforting words, and hollow promises of friendship in a world filled to the brim with chaos, malice, and hate. Don't you know that only harms your followers more?"

"Except you're wrong!" Fluttershy said defiantly as she stepped forward a little. "This is _not_ a world of malice and hate! There are only individuals who allowed themselves to get corrupted into thinking that and spreading those evils, just like you, Isarem! Now you're faced with the real truth, the truth above all others and you're trying to deny it! You hide behind temper tantrums and mean words meant to put us down even though deep inside you know we're right."

"If what you said were true, you'd have _way_ more followers for your cause," Rainbow Dash said. "Instead you have half the island and the nation of Equestria working against you! If there were more who knew of you scuzz buckets right now, they'd be here kicking your cans just like we're going to!"

"Regardless of whether there's paradise above or not, Isarem, you'll never see it," Twilight Sparkle said. "You've done too many evil things, committed all sorts of despicable acts and all in the name of blind faith."

"I've had it with your blasphemy!" Isarem shouted loudly. "You have insulted us, our ways, and our cause for the last time. That love pat I gave you, princess, is nothing compared to what will happen to you now."

"Back off, mother bucker!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she posed herself in front of Twilight. She looked just like a bull getting ready to charge. "It's bad enough you've gone this far without somepony teaching you a lesson for hurting Twilight. Now you're threatening to do worse to her? Oh, that is it!

" _You wanna see a love pat?! I'll show you have we used to give love in my old neighborhood?!_ "

" _Rainbow Dash, no!_ " Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as she desperately reached out a hoof.

It was far too late, for Rainbow Dash was already in Isarem's face, having flown right up to him. Rainbow Dash managed to throw both a right and a left uppercut into Isarem's lower jaw. The ReMane Five gasped in shock while the minotaur guards were preparing to step forth and intervene. That ended up not being necessary, for to everyone surprise, especially Rainbow's, Isarem didn't even budge an inch. The distraught pegasus pony stared both in astonishment and horror as Isarem looked at her as if nothing had happened.

"I assumed as much," Isarem said bluntly.

Desperately, Rainbow Dash tried throwing a right hook into the side of Isarem's face. Her hoof never made contact, for Isarem had managed to catch it in his opened hand. Rainbow Dash looked on in horror, first to her caught hoof and then to Isarem's wickedly grinning face.

"Now, it's my turn!" Isarem shouted.

With that, his free fist came swinging up into Rainbow Dash's face, instantly sending her flying back towards her friends. They tried to grab her, but the speed of her fall ended up sending Rainbow Dash crashing into the others, knocking them to the floor. Isarem let out a big, loud, wicked cackle of amusement from seeing the ponies' collision. The other minotaurs all laughed along while the ponies all recovered and tried to pull themselves up. Twilight Sparkle got up first and glared intensely at the minotaur overlord as her whole body shook with an adrenaline rush.

Finally Twilight let out a scream as she unleashed several blasts of his attack magic at Isarem. Each shot sounded like the blast from a double barrel shotgun and looked to have the same kind of blast force as well. The minotaur guards nearby all lurched forward in reaction like they were about to pounce on the violet coated alicorn. That didn't end up happening because their attention was again taken by Isarem himself. None of the blasts seemed to be effecting him, save for his body flinching only slightly.

When Twilight Sparkle was done, she stared at Isarem in an almost defeated state of feeling. Her glare quickly returned when she saw Isarem smile at her in a mocking sort of way. Isarem then quickly ripped away the tattered remains of his ceremonial robe, revealing his finely tuned athletic body. He wasn't nearly as bulky or muscular as the other minotaurs, but he still looked like a force to be reckoned with. All Isarem had on was a pair of brown leather pants as he began to walk towards the ReMane Five.

The mares all started to step back from the approaching bull, but stopped when they realized they had several more minotaurs waiting behind them.

"Nice try, my little ponies," Isarem said mockingly as he stopped in the middle of the steps. "Unfortunately for you, though, despite my smaller stature, I am the most powerful of all the minotaurs here. While I may not be as big as a lot of my followers, I have easily mopped the floor with them during training sessions. You don't get to be leader of a cause this great without being such a great warrior yourself, you know.

"Besides... I have gone through too many of this world's harsh tortures to be stopped by puny creatures such as you ponies."

All the ponies turned away from Isarem and looked back to their blue pegasus friend, who was still walking unsteadily after the hit she took.

"Rainbow Dash, are you okay?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Sort of... I guess," Rainbow Dash said as she rubbed her jaw. "He's incredible. I mean, he moves like lightning and hits like a wrecking ball."

"And there's plenty more where that came from," Isarem said. "To think I actually wanted to treat you all nice and make the experience of ascension as painless as possible. Huh, what a complete waste. Now, because of your consistent insolence, I will personally see to it that your trip to Paradise is as slow and as painful as can possibly be. If it were up to me, you wouldn't even get to go to Paradise when this is all done.

"Luckily, I have a fine consolation prize in prolonging your suffering. You fillies have no hope now."

"That's where you're wrong, Isarem!" Twilight Sparkle said. "We've been in this situation many times before. It always seems bad at first... but then we find a way to get through it and win the day. Even if we don't and this is the end, the least we're going to do is give you just as hard a time as you want to give us. Also, if we do fall, there will be others to fight back against the evil you're trying to unleash on the world."

"Nothing outside these walls will be able to stop Mons-Ahgar!" Isarem said. "I made sure of it by giving him the greatest power of all!"

"That won't matter!" Twilight Sparkle spat out. "No matter what the odds are, in the end, when it counts the most, good always triumphs over evil. That's why I know even if Mons-Ahgar is born, he will be conquered... just like we're going to stop you all right here and now."

The rest of the ReMane Five all spoke at the same time very vehemently in agreement with their alicorn friend. All of them used their own particularly colorful words to talk down Isarem, saying all sort of things. While inside his blood was boiling with rage, outside Isarem tried to keep a calm demeanor and even yawned like he was uninterested in anything the ponies' had to say.

"You know, at first I admired your commitment and determination," Isarem said as he glared intensely at the ReMane Five. "Now I've grown tired of it all. It's time for this all end." Isarem then looked to his guards and pointed. " _You all!_ Help me in sending these foolish ponies on their way to ascension into Paradise.

"But be sure to be slow, brutal, and calculating. Make it as painful as possible."

The ReMane Five all looked around them as the minotaur force circling them began to close in. All of the bulls seemed ready to take on on the ponies they had surrounded. All of them held their weapons in threatening manners as they evilly grinned. While some of the ponies looked a little shaken, they still seemed pretty ready to face all the minotaurs head on. Twilight Sparkle in particular looked to be ready as she continued to stare a hole through Isarem.

"Fine, Isarem, let's get this over with," Twilight Sparkle said. Then a small smirk crossed her face. "Let's have a blast... _Pinkie Pie, now!_ "

Isarem gasped as his eyes widened. Instantly he turned his sights to the minotaur that had released Twilight from her shackles and had been wandering around his room. The minotaur dove forth and rolled until he was right in the middle of the pony group. Still on one knee, the minotaur looked to Isarem with a giant grin on his face.

" _Surprise!_ " the minotaur let out in a very unfitting, high pitched, feminine squeal of a voice.

Twilight sparkle's horn lit up as a magic barrier surrounded her, the other mares, and the strange minotaur.

Only a second later another result of the princess's magic came in the form of a massive burst of fire that erupted from behind the minotaurs. The tremendous explosion engulfed the whole room, tossing minotaurs into the air as they screamed, Isarem included. The minotaurs hit the ground hard, but some were caught on fire, so they were forced to keep moving to try and roll the flames out. Most of them stopped moving instantly and just laid in place on the ground. The ReMane Five all looked around for several moments to make sure the coast was clear.

The cave had taken a large beating from the explosion and there were still pockets of crackling flames all around. Overall, though, it seemed like it would be safe for Twilight Sparkle to drop her magic barrier.

"I thought Wolfhard said one of these bombs alone could take out a hoofball field," Twilight Sparkle said as she looked around.

"Wait, that was one of Wolfhard's bombs?!" Rainbow Dash asked in surprise.

"Yep," the minotaur said. "Because I wasn't captured, they didn't get a chance to take my bombs away."

" _Pinkie Pie?!_ " Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity all said together.

"Who else were you expecting, Mare Do Well?" the minotaur asked with a giggle and a grin.

"She's still in disguise!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Again, I wasn't captured," the minotaur sang. "Say, Twilight, you mind changing me back to my regular self now? I want everyone to see me as me while I squeeze them in a big group reunion hug!"

"Oh, sure, absolutely," Twilight Sparkle said very enthusiastically.

One flash of Twilight's horn magic later and the minotaur was replaced by an extremely welcomed sight. The hyperactive, over excitable, pink furred Earth pony that was Pinkie Pie had been reunited with her friends. No longer a remaining five, the Mane Six were now together and whole once again.

" _You guys!_ " Pinkie Pie cried out as she stretched her front legs out in front of her. " _Hug me, sisters!_ "

" _Pinkie Pie!_ " the others all screamed as they moved accept their friend's embrace and give her their own.

All of them squeezed one another as tight as possible in their group hug, all of them feeling beyond ecstatic to be together again. They were overcome with so much emotion, all of it pure happiness. It even brought tears to their eyes, which none of them seemed to mind. The other five didn't mind when Pinkie Pie lifted them up and swung them around in the air either. All of them were just too overjoyed to care about anything else in that moment.

It took a little bit, but eventually the group hug was dispersed. All of the Mane Six began talking excitedly at the same time, expressing how happy they were to be reunited, it felt so good. Still, other emotions found a way to creep into the foray as Twilight Sparkle looked to Pinkie Pie with an angry expression.

" _You!_ " Twilight Sparkle shouted as she pointed a hoof to a shocked Pinkie Pie.

"Me?" the pink mare asked as she pointed to herself.

" _Yes, you!_ " Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. " _What were you thinking just running off on your own like that?! Do you have any idea how dangerous and foolish that was?! I mean, you were the one talking about how we should stick together because of some horror books! You could've been found out by someone and been in a world of trouble because you were on your own!_ "

"Technically, you were the ones found out," Pinkie Pie said. "If I had stayed with you, I would've been in the same situation you were. Then I wouldn't have been able to pass myself off as a guard, sneak in with the crowd, and plant the bomb after letting you in on my escape plan."

Twilight Sparkle stared blankly for a moment, as did Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash.

" _That's not the point!_ " Twilight Sparkle let out. "You went off on your own without talking to any of us!"

Pinkie Pie sighed as a look of regret crossed her face.

"Okay, you're right, but I had good reasons," Pinkie Pie said. "I thought it would be a good idea if there was one of us sort of off to the side from the others. That way if one side gets caught, the other could still play undercover. But you're right, I should've tried to tell at least on of you what I was doing. I'm sorry."

As Pinkie Pie lowered her head in shame Twilight Sparkle merely smiled as she placed a hoof on her shoulder. Pinkie Pie looked to her violet friend in surprise.

"I'm just happy you're back," Twilight Sparkle said as she looked into her friend's eyes. "I love you, Pinkie Pie."

"We all do!" Fluttershy exclaimed happily.

With that everypony spoke in happiness once more.

"So that was really one of Wolfhard's bombs?" Rainbow Dash asked after the initial chatter died down.

"Didn't have quite the kick he was promising, did it?" Applejack asked.

"Not nearly," Fluttershy said.

"Well, he did say they weren't properly tested or examined before this, didn't he?" Rarity said.

Everypony else agreed.

"Still, it was a powerful little sucker," Twilight Sparkle said. "I think using the rest of the bombs together could still level this place. We can still do this the way we wanted to if we can find our bombs."

"Special delivery!" Pinkie Pie sang as she reached her front hooves into her mane.

From the puffy, pink afro, she pulled out the other mares' packs of explosives, along with her own. The other mares, while stunned, were ecstatic to see that the friend they had just reunited with had recovered their packs. They all thanked Pinkie Pie greatly as they graciously took back their explosives packs and put them on.

"How did you manage to recover these, Pinkie Pie?!" Rarity asked.

"Before I joined up with your group, I intercepted the guys that took your bombs away," Pinkie Pie explained. "Last I saw, they were all taking a great big Pinkie nap, courtesy of yours truly."

"Way to go, Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow Dash said as she hoof bumped her pink friend.

"Great work, Pinkie," Twilight Sparkle said. "Now we can finally do what we came here to do. We gotta do it fast before they finish making that kaiju in the lab. Come on, everypony, let's go."

"Uh, girls," Fluttershy said in a nervous sounding voice, "we may have a little more trouble with that."

The other mares turned to their friend, but instantly saw what had her so concerned. Despite going through a burst of fire and force that burnt them and sent them flying through the air, the minotaurs were starting to rise. Slowly, but surely, nearly all the bulls that had been tossed about and even scorched severely by the explosion were getting up. The majority of them all moaned and groaned, for they could not hide the great amount of agony they were feeling after what they had went through. Still, the fact that any of them were able to stand, let alone still be alive after such a blast, was beyond unbelievable.

The Mane Six were at a loss as they tried to understand how it was even possible the minotaurs were able to rise up like they were. They had all watched for themselves just how great of an explosion they had seen and what it did to the minotaurs. Or at least it looked like it was a great force of an explosion. Now the Mane Six were all starting to wonder if it truly had as much of an impact as it looked. What was even worse was that the leader, the overlord of minotaurs himself, Isarem was able to make himself stand up after taking such an explosion.

When all was said and done, only three minotaurs were still on the ground. While the majority of those that got up were still reeling from what happened, Isarem was the first to fully stand like nothing had even happened. Despite the signs of the explosion being left on parts of his body, Isarem still stood tall as he glared down at the completely shocked Mane Six.

"Nice try... my little ponies," Isarem said through a strained voice. It was clear he was still feeling the effects of the explosion, but he was trying to put up a facade. "But we minotaurs, unfortunately for you, are a lot tougher than we look. Shocking, isn't it? It'll take more than a firecracker like that to stop us. Now... like I said, men... pound their bones into dust."

The Mane Six looked around them to see that the minotaurs still standing had picked up whatever weapons they could and were starting to close in. Each one of them had intention to murder plastered all over their faces as they snarled and sneered at the Mane Six. While all of the pony mares were concerned a great deal, Twilight Sparkle was still able to think as her mind worked on what to do. First thing done was that she used her magic to teleport the bomb packs off herself and all her friends. The others gasped as they saw the bombs disappear before they reappeared in a dark corner.

"What gives, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"One of them could accidentally go off in the fight," Twilight Sparkle explained. "I mean, it's pretty obvious we're in for a big brawl and a hard time, right?"

"Yeah," the others agreed.

"So at least we'll able to move without worrying about accidentally making one of the bombs explode," Twilight Sparkle said. "Plus, these guys are so ready for death, they might try to set one off themselves if it means stopping us."

"She's right," Fluttershy said.

"Okay, that makes sense, but I do suggest we stop talking about the fight and actually get ready to fight it," Rarity said. "They all certainly look ready."

The unicorn mare pointed a hoof, which the others followed. They saw that the minotaurs were all getting closer and closer. They had swords and spears pointed at the mares while others held clubs and axes among wielding other weapons.

"You have no hope of avoiding this now, ponies," Isarem said. "You might as well not even try to put up a fight. It might go easier for you if you don't... though I doubt it very seriously."

"Alright, girls, listen up," Twilight Sparkle said sternly. "You all keep the others distracted while I go for Isarem. Whatever you do, don't stop. Fight on until either they're all down or your very last breath. You understand?"

"Yes," the others all said.

"You ready for this, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm just gonna pretend I'm playing with Beary," Fluttershy said as her glare intensified. "He loves to wrestle."

"That's the spirit, Flutters," Rainbow Dash said as she briefly smiled. She then turned back to the minotaurs surrounding them. "I love you guys. I love you all so much."

All of the Mane Six spoke at the same time, letting each other know how much love was shared amongst them as a group of friends.

"Alright, enough of this!" Isarem shouted.

" _Let's dance, you sons of heifers!_ " Twilight Sparkle exclaimed loudly.

" _Minotaurs, attack!_ " Isarem commanded.

With that, the fight was on as both sides charged forth at each other like out of control freight trains. As the minotaurs raised their various weapons appropriately, Rarity was actually the first to strike. She fired two laser bolts from her horn before jumping up and twirling through the air. The bolts hit two minotaurs in the chest, making them cry out before they were silenced by Rarity's spinning back hooves kicking them across the face. Rarity landed as the two minotaurs dropped before she went off firing more blasts of attack magic and using her extensive martial arts skills.

She mostly stuck to twirling through the air, kicking minotaurs wherever she could or launching bolts of intense, burning magic lasers at them. From tornado kicks to spinning back hoof kicks and even scissors kicks, Rarity was on fire. About the only times she changed tactics and stopped spinning was to chop at a minotaur's head or neck or buck her back hooves into their faces. After doing such a back buck, she saw a minotaur charging at her and immediately flipped over his head. Along the way, she grabbed his horns and used her momentum to flip him over with her and send him crashing into another minotaur nearby.

Rarity smiled at her handy work before she heard another minotaur charging at her. She looked to see the ax wielding bull coming at her. Just as he was lifting the weapon and before Rarity could do anything, outside interference came. Like a streak of blue light, Rainbow Dash flew in and rapidly threw her front hooves across the minotaur's face at a speed even a world boxing champion couldn't hope to match. After finishing an unbelievably large combo of punches, Rainbow Dash finished with a spinning back hoof kick.

After the minotaur fell, Rainbow Dash turned to Rarity and the two smiled at each other before turning back to the fight.

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash, darling," Rarity called out.

"Good looking out, Rare," Rainbow Dash called back.

The rainbow maned pegasus flew with the speed of a hurricane, being almost too fast for any others to see. She put her speed to good use, taking full advantage of her knowledge of boxing, wrestling, and karate. She would throw all sorts of punching combos across minotaurs' faces and at their mid-sections while also using many different kicks similar to Rarity's. She'd switch it up with all sorts of wrestling take downs, including double legged spine busters, all kinds of suplexes, and many different legs sweeps. Rainbow Dash was untouchable at that moment and she would keep it up for as long as she could.

She was a physically tuned athlete, so she didn't have much to worry about. As she flew past Fluttershy, though, the rainbow maned warrior couldn't help but worry. Fluttershy unusually didn't looked to be too concerned, though. She stared down the minotaur charging at her with little to no fear. Fluttershy quickly flew between the minotaur's legs, allowing him to crash into the bull she had positioned herself in front of.

She looked back to see the minotaur that had been behind her was caught up in the horns of the charging minotaur. Fluttershy quickly flew up and actually kicked the previously charging minotaur in the butt, sending both bulls sprawling to the ground. Fluttershy then looked to see another minotaur coming at her with a sword. Quickly, the yellow furred pegasus positioned herself and actually managed to catch the arm of the incoming minotaur and judo tossed him into two more bulls nearby. Fluttershy looked above the fallen minotaurs to see a particularly large, pointed tipped rock hanging from the roof of the cave.

She flew up and started bucking her back hooves against it. After six or seven bucks, the rock finally gave way and fell down upon the minotaurs below. Fluttershy smiled as she watched the rocks smash into several pieces, all of which covered the fallen minotaurs. It didn't look like any of them would be getting up again, which suited Fluttershy just fine.

The mare smiled even brighter as she clapped her front hooves together.

"Yay!" Fluttershy said. Her eyes then widened before she looked down at her back hooves, which were throbbing in pain. "Ouch."

Meanwhile, Applejack was neck deep in the rumble, running at top speed to avoid the weapons of her enemies. She would ocassionally stop to throw all sorts of punches at any minotaur near to her in incredible combos. Her hooves actually moved faster than Rainbow Dash's did when punching her opponents. After giving one bull a particularly long and painful volley of punches, she slipped between his legs and slid behind him before standing up. She then kicked her rear hooves into the back of his legs, making him howl in pain as he dropped down to his knees.

Applejack then kicked her back hooves into the back of his head, making the minotaur drop completely. She then ran at a minotaur trying to sneak up behind Rarity and Fluttershy. She jumped up and kicked her back hooves into his stomach, making him hunch over as her grabbed at his mid-section. Applejack then back kicked her hooves into his face, dropping the minotaur. The orange fur Earth pony then turned to Rarity and Fluttershy.

They all smiled at each other before turning to take on several minotaurs as a team. They didn't last long, nor did several of the minotaurs trying to take on Pinkie Pie. She was too fast and slippery for any of them to hit. One specific minotaur tried swinging both a club and a battle ax down upon the pink Earth pony, but she would always jump safely out of the way.

"Missed me. Ooh, missed me again. You still can't get me. You're not hitting me at all. Are you even trying?"

Pinkie Pie sang all of this and more mockingly to the minotaur that tried to hit her.

"Is that really the best you got?" Pinkie Pie asked as she stopped for a moment. Instead of answering, the minotaur screamed as he tried unsuccessfully to swing both of his weapons down on the mare. "Well, is that's the best you got, I guess I'm just gonna have to knock your lights out."

Pinkie Pie then jumped up and swung through the air, making her tail slap across the minotaur's face. A loud 'bang' was heard upon contact, as the minotaur's face conveyed a deep sense of pain. Pinkie Pie safely landed on the hooves as the minotaur fell to the ground, having been completely knocked out. The Earth pony then shook her tail around, dropping a bunch of rubble from within it. Those small pieces of rock were all that was left of the stone Pinkie Pie had hid in her tail.

Pinkie Pie giggled for a moment before looking to see a minotaur with his back turned to her and trying to swing a sword at Applejack. Immediately, Pinkie Pie jumped up into the air and kicked one of her rear hooves into the back of the minotaur. He stumbled for a moment before turning to face Pinkie Pie. He scowled as he swung his sword at the pink furred mare, who hurriedly dodged the swipes of the blade. Pinkie Pie waited for an opening where she charged in and punched her hooves across the minotaur's face.

While Pinkie's punches weren't as fast, strong, or even as well thrown as Rainbow Dash's or Applejack's, they still seemed to be effective. It only took her three swings before the minotaur fell. Pinkie Pie then looked down to see some of the pink paint had chipped off the metal gloves that fit neatly around her hooves.

"Ooh, gauntlets painted to look like your actual hooves," Applejack said admiringly. "Nice work, Pinkie Pie."

"You just never know what surprises I have in store," Pinkie Pie said.

Suddenly a minotaur sprang up behind her and nearly swung a club down on the pink pony's head. Luckily Rainbow Dash flew in from the side, kicking her left back hoof across his face, knocking him out instantly. Rainbow Dash then turned to her two Earth pony friends.

"Hows about actually using those surprises instead of talking about them?" Rainbow Dash said in a tired, near breathless voice. "That goes for both of you lazy Earth ponies. _Come on, guys, pick up the pace! Fight!_ "

" _Yes, ma'am!_ " Pinkie Pie and Applejack said together as they saluted.

"Let's show her just how _lazy_ Earth ponies are, Applejack," Pinkie Pie said with a confident smile on her face.

" _Darn tootin'!_ " Applejack exclaimed before she and Pinkie Pie took off back into the fight, Rainbow Dash following close behind.

Two heavily armed minotaurs tried to intercept Twilight Sparkle as she made her way to meet Isarem. Two short beams of attack magic into the bulls' chests instantly made them drop their weapons. The alicorn princess then slashed her glowing horn down on both minotaurs' chests before spinning around and slashing her horn across them. Both minotaurs dropped to the ground allowing Twilight to freely resume her run as she charged at Isarem. The master of minotaurs merely smiled as he lifted her hands and waved Twilight Sparkle forward.

"Come to Papa," Isarem said mockingly.

When Twilight Sparkle was close enough, she tried swinging her horn down upon Isarem. The minotaur overlord was able to dodge the blow, however, and easily dodged several more attempted strikes by Twilight before leaping back a safe distance. Isarem then took a fighting stance as Twilight Sparkle ran to meet him. She fired two blasts of attack magic into his chest before flipping forward and trying to slice her horn into his chest. Isarem safely dodged to the side before kicking his right hoof into Twilight's face followed by a left backhand blow.

Isarem then threw both of his fists across Twilight's face in a right left combo. Despite her pain Twilight Sparkle actually charged forth and swung her horn all around trying to land a hit on Isarem, who managed to successfully dodge them all. Finally Isarem kicked his left hoof into Twilight's chest before following up with a right-left combo of three punches. Then Isarem spun around, swinging the back of his right hoof across Twilight Sparkle's face. The violet alicorn screamed as she grabbed at her aching mouth while Isarem openly laughed at her.

"You know, I must actually thank you for this," Isarem said. Twilight Sparkle lowered her hooves and turned her angry eyes to Isarem. "I've actually been itching for a chance to show off my fighting skills. Want to show the others how good I am because I think they think I've been going soft."

"I'll rip through you like stuffing in a teddy bear!" Twilight Sparkle shouted.

"Ooh, big words," Isarem said. "Can you back them up?"

"Let's find out!" Twilight Sparkle said before shooting one of her shotgun blasts into Isarem's chest.

Twilight Sparkle then leapt forth and tried plunging her horn into Isarem's heart, though he easily dodged to the side. Twilight didn't stop, though, for she proceeded to swing her horn at Isarem from every direction she could think of. But the master of bulls seemed to be two steps ahead of her, easily dodging, ducking, and even spinning out of the way of his opponent's attacks. Finally, after a great many tries on Twilight's part, Isarem struck back, roundhouse kicking his right hoof into the side of her head before moving in closer. He struck her with a massive volley of right and left crosses to the face, all of which felt like they would cave her head in.

The exact number he threw was uncountable before he switched tactics. Isarem moved in closer and struck with a back elbow that knocked Twilight back a few steps. Isarem then snapped forth the back of his left fist to hit Twilight in the face followed quickly by a right uppercut. The master of minotaurs then grabbed the sides of Twilight Sparkle's head and actually swung her through the air, sending her crashing into his throne. Twilight Sparkle fell to the ground as she felt a wave of pain wash over her.

The alicorn princess moaned in agony while wanting so much to scream and cry. While tears did fall from her eyes, Twilight did manage to fight through her anguish and actually pushed herself back up to her hooves. She wasn't allowed a moment's rest, though, for she saw Isarem running at her as he screamed in insanity. When he was close enough, Isarem kicked his left hoof at Twilight Sparkle's head, though she was able to dodge it. The minotaur's mighty hoof ended up hitting the back of his throne, busting out the small section it kicked.

When Isarem turned to Twilight Sparkle, he was surprised by her glowing horn thrusting directly into his chest. Sparks flew from where Isarem was struck as he stumbled back several steps. Twilight Sparkle followed up with two of her shotgun-like blasts of magic from her horn before she charged forth at Isarem. She swung her horn all over the front of Isarem's body, causing sparks to fly wherever it touched. Up and down, left to right, every combination Twilight Sparkle could think of to swing her horn at Isarem she did and they all hit their mark.

It didn't seem to do much good, though, for Isarem countered back with a devastating combination of punches to Twilight's face and chest. Isarem then pulled Twilight Sparkle forward as he drove his knee into her gut. The violet furred pony gasped for breath as she felt it all being forced out of her body, replaced by agonizing pain. Isarem then grabbed Twilight Sparkle by the hair and forced her face down into his stone desk three times. After that, Isarem tossed her through the air back towards the steps.

Isarem was immensely aggravated when he saw Twilight Sparkle push herself up only a few seconds later. Furiously, Isarem ran forth at the rising alicorn, his fists clasped together over his head. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn't get to swing them, for he was blinded by a bright flash of light from Twilight Sparkle's horn. Isarem screamed as he grabbed at his stinging eyes, leaving Twilight an opening to buck her back hooves into the bull's exposed gut. Twilight Sparkle then stood up and shot several blasts of her attack magic at Isarem.

She then started going between swinging of her horn across Isarem's body and punching her front hooves across his face. Twilight Sparkle managed to get in several impressive-looking shots that surely would've dropped a lesser fighter. It didn't seem to be enough to stop Isarem, however, for after taking all those blows, he struck back. With a swing of his leg, Isarem unleashed a devastating roundhouse kick to the side of Twilight Sparkle's head that nearly made her drop to the ground. Isarem then charged forth with a great many right and left crosses that he threw across Twilight Sparkle's face before dropping her with a spinning backhand.

Isarem smiled in satisfaction, but it was short lived, for Twilight Sparkle was already trying to get up again. The minotaur overlord gritted his teeth together before releasing a scream of anger. Isarem then jumped up in an attempt to drop a massive Superman-punch down upon Twilight Sparkle. His fist only met open air, for Twilight Sparkle's horn lit up and a half second later, she was gone. Isarem was so caught off guard by this turn of events, he forgot to secure a safe landing as he dropped back to the ground.

Lucky for him he managed to land on his hooves, albeit in a very uncomfortable manner. Isarem was practically foaming at the mouth as he looked around for where Twilight Sparkle could've gone. He was hit from above by several blasts of attack magic. Isarem turned to see Twilight Sparkle flying down at him. Her horn struck the minotaur in the chest as she flew by, followed by another charging thrust from the other side.

Twilight Sparkle then flew up to Isarem and started jabbing her front hooves into his face. After taking six or seven shots, Isarem managed to get his hands up, first blocking Twilight's punches and then batting her hooves back. Isarem then jumped up and hit Twilight Sparkle with the Superman-punch he missed earlier. The alicorn princess screamed out as she was dropped to the stone floor. She did not go unheard, for there were some third parties nearby who took immediate notice.

Twilight Sparkle's friends were just finishing up with the other minotaurs. They were tough to put down and even tougher to keep there, for they seemed to always get back up for more. The pony mares, however, always fought back hard to put them down again and it finally seemed to payoff. After giving a final burst of effort, the last of the minotaurs dropped to the ground and this time it didn't look like they would get up so fast. Applejack and the others all smiled to one another, but their celebration was cutoff when they heard Twilight Sparkle's scream.

They all turned to see Isarem standing over the fallen form of Princess Twilight Sparkle. Applejack turned to all her other friends, their faces being a mirror of hers. Seeing this, the southern pony knew she didn't need to explain what they had to do.

" _Come on, y'all!_ " Applejack shouted as she waved for the other ponies.

All five mares rushed up to aid their fallen friend. Rarity started the assault with several quick shots of her horn's attack magic. Isarem, who had been closing in on the fallen Twilight, was caught off guard when the blasts struck him. Isarem looked to see a yellow hoof rushing at his face as Fluttershy struck him with a punch while flying by. Before Isarem could do anything, he was taken down when Pinkie Pie and Applejack hoofball tackled him together to the ground.

Both Earth ponies did their best to keep Isarem pinned down as Rainbow Dash closed in. She flew down on top of Isarem's chest in a sitting position with all the force she could muster. Then Rainbow Dash proceeded to swing her front hooves across Isarem's face. As that assault continued on, Fluttershy and Rarity quickly rushed to Twilight Sparkle's side.

"Twilight, are you alright, darling?" Rarity asked worriedly as she dropped down on her knees.

She scooted her hoof under Twilight's head and lifted it up to help her properly examine her friend. Fluttershy knelt down by the violet mare's side to also examine her, having some knowledge of medical care. Twilight Sparkle moaned out as she tried to force her eyes to open all the way. They remained stuck at half open, however, as Twilight Sparkle got herself, albeit slowly, to rise up into a sitting position.

"How are you doing, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked with deep concern. "Do you think you'll make it?"

"I'm... gonna have to," Twilight Sparkle groaned out. Her eyes then fell on Isarem, which made hate plaster itself all over her facial features. "We've gotta stop this maniac for good... Are you with me?"

Fluttershy and Rarity both nodded their heads, though deep down neither felt it was a good idea for Twilight Sparkle to keep fighting. They knew, however, there was nothing they could do to stop her. They knew Twilight Sparkle wouldn't let herself stay on the sideline when wrong was going on and justice needed to be done. They also knew, as much as they hated to think about it, that they would need Twilight's aid if they were to fight Isarem head on. This point was stressed further when Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash were sent flying as Isarem forced himself back up to his hooves.

Twilight Sparkle strained to push herself back up to a standing position, but eventually she managed to pull it off. It almost looked like she was gonna fall again, but Rarity and Fluttershy helped her to stay standing. The three mares looked to each other before taking battle stances and glaring at Isarem.

"Let's do this then," Twilight Sparkle said. "Rarity, _fire!_ "

Both Twilight Sparkle and Rarity released several blasts of their attack magic from their horns. It was almost like the shots from machine guns going off. Isarem would not fall, though, despite it looking like the assault was having some sort of effect. Eventually the assault was proven to be futile, for Isarem managed to properly balance himself and stand tall as he smiled at the ponies shooting at him.

"Ouch... that almost tickles," Isarem said mockingly.

At this both Twilight Sparkle and Rarity ceased fire and ran forth to meet Isarem head on. Isarem seemed ready to face the two, but that was before he realized the two were actually six. The full force of the half-dozen ponies that were the Mane Six all rushed at Isarem. This made the minotaur overlord shift his stance to properly brace himself for the coming conflict. It all came at him at once and the fight was on like it had never been for him before. Isarem had so much to try and handle at the same time, it was insane.

Front hooves were swung for punches, back hooves flew through the air for all kinds of kicks. Elbow and knee strikes were also a danger Isarem had to defend himself from, along with the glowing horns of Twilight and Rarity. Applejack tried using her boxing skills mixed with her bucking abilities as well. She would alternate between going for Isarem's head, chest, stomach, ribs, and even his knees, the last one being done mostly with her bucking.

Pinkie Pie crazily threw her metal covered front hooves at Isarem, looking like she had been fighting all her life. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew all around Isarem in an attempt to confuse him while they both also threw punches wherever they could. Rainbow Dash clearly threw the better blows while also being able to swing all sorts of martial arts kicks at Isarem. Unlike how she flipped and twirled through the air before, Rarity kept mostly on the ground this time, leaving her hooves only ocassionally. She still threw all sorts of attacks at Isarem from many kicks to various parts of his body, to punches, chops, and hoof thrusts while also shooting at him with her horn.

Twilight Sparkle primarily stuck to swinging her horn and firing shots from it at Isarem, though she would occasionally try to punch or kick him. It was an absolute crazy bag of many different fighting styles all tossed in together by six close friends who wanted nothing more than too end Isarem's evil. They all fought with everything in their power to put the master of minotaurs down for good and see that justice was done, that right prevailed. As it turned out, however, despite putting their all into the fight, it seemed like it would take even more than that to bring down Isarem. He seemed to move faster than lighting and was a one bull wrecking crew in terms of his fighting prowess.

While several of the ponies' attacks landed direct hits, Isarem seemed able to merely shake them off. He even managed to dodge and block the majority of his foes' attempted strikes. It seemed more like a performance for him, for he ducked, pulled back, thrust forth, moved side to side, rolled, spun away, and even flipped through the air. Isarem was just too fast and that didn't do the Mane Six any good, especially when he would strike back against them. A jab to the face here, a kick to the side there, an elbow wherever he could get it, knees to the gut, even special attacks like a Superman-punch and a spinning backhand.

Isarem could dish out far more punishment than what the Mane Six were giving him. Each hit felt like a piece of iron slamming against the body, no matter which of the Mane Six took it. Isarem's fists were like cement blocks, his kicks were like a bag of metal pipes being swung. It seemed like anything the Mane Six threw at him, he could give back ten times stronger; or in Fluttershy's case, twenty times. At first Isarem was smiling big at the Mane Six as the fight progressed, but as time went on he appeared to become more frustrated.

He even growled out in anger as he kicked into Fluttershy's gut before grabbing her and throwing her into Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Isarem then jumped into the air, kicking both of his hooves into the faces of Rarity and Applejack, knocking them away. Isarem got a beam of attack magic shot right into his face by Twilight Sparkle. The two ran at each other, but Isarem got the best of the exchange, ducking down and punching rapidly into Twilight's sides before lifting her up into the air. He quickly threw her to the ground, which she hit with a hard thud.

Instantly all of Twilight Sparkle's friends were around her trying to see if she was okay. The alicorn mare looked to see all of her friends were in extremely rough shape, a sight she hated to see beyond all else. Clearly all of them had been roughed up bad by the minotaur overlord and none could take seeing the others in that short of shape. Rather than dwell on it, the Mane Six all turned their sights to Isarem before running at him to resume the fight. The master of bulls was completely flabbergasted that the ponies he fought could keep coming at him despite the beating they took.

Isarem would never admit it, but he actually, in a way admired the Mane Six's. It did still irritate him, though, and he planned to do something about it. Isarem fearlessly ran back into the fray and once again the Mane Six were all over him trying to take the evil minotaur down. A basic repeat performance of the first scrap began, except that it was far more chaotic. The Mane Six all seemed to somehow be moving faster and hitting even harder, though it was clear they were getting tired.

What was also clear was that Isarem was just as willing to step up his game. He seemed to be fighting even more brutally, especially when he started using really harsh roundhouse kicks against the ponies. They all still got up, though, even if it did take some longer than others to rise after certain blows. That was a greater detail a spectator from the side noticed. Of all the minotaurs that got up after the explosion, only one had not put up any sort of offense against the Mane Six or anyone else.

From the shadows, Surelious watched the fight between the Mane Six and Isarem go on. To say he was taken aback by the sight he beheld was putting it lightly. He couldn't believe the fighting power of Isarem, the master of minotaurs. He always knew that his leader was a great warrior in his own right, but he never could've imagined what he saw right then and there. But, surprisingly, that wasn't the thing that caught Surelious' eyes the most.

No, it was actually the Mane Six's tenacity, for all of them were still fighting despite going against a clearly superior opponent. Some of them looked like they were nearing the ends of their ropes, while other looked like they had already reached it a while ago. Yet, despite it all, the six pony mares were still fighting like they were soldiers in an army fighting the war of wars. Surelious saw all the hard work, dedication, determination, and sense of righteousness all the Mane Six had on their faces. Surelious couldn't believe it, but deep down inside, he found himself admiring the Mane Six's spirit.

He admired and respected it far more strongly than anything else he'd felt in a long time. Isarem, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. When Surelious looked at Isarem, he didn't even see a warrior, rather a deranged psychopath. The look in his eyes was as sadistic as a demon would convey. He seemed less like someone fighting for a cause and more like a wild animal out for blood.

Clearly Isarem was enjoying every time he hurt the Mane Six, for each blow he landed seem to solicit a tremor of satisfaction in the minotaur overlord. Looking at Isarem in that moment, Surelious actually found himself being disgusted at someone he once considered even more than a father to him. Surelious was beyond sickened to think he followed someone so blindly once before, especially when he turned out to be a sicko like Isarem apparently was. All these feelings were swirling into a big ball inside of Surelious as he watched the scene play out. Distraction for Surelious came when his ears picked up noises all around him, making the bull turned to see what it was.

Much to Surelious' surprise, the majority of the minotaurs the Mane Six had given a hard beating to were starting to get up. Slowly, but surely, the minotaurs were all starting to rise, though they moaned and groaned as they did it. All of them were still feeling the effects of the fight they had took part in with the tough, strong spirited ponies. Still, it was hard to keep any minotaur down, let alone large, body builder-like barbarians blindly following a corrupt cause. Regardless, they still heavily believed in it and Surelious saw it all on their faces as they turned to see Isarem fighting the Mane Six.

The sight made Surelious even more sick to his stomach and also stood to make him angrier. He saw all the others begin to pick up random weapons as they prepared to attack the Mane Six. They all looked just as blood thirsty as Isarem, none of them showing any sort of hesitation at hurting the Mane Six. They all started to make their way to the area where Isarem was putting a serious smackdown on the mares with clear intent to help him finish the job. Surelious no longer felt like he could just stand there and let everything happen without getting involved somehow.

The fighting mad bull looked to see a minotaur coming up close on his left holding a large battle ax. The back of Surelious' left fist swung swiftly, smacking the minotaur hard enough in the nose to make him drop his weapon. Surelious turned to fully face the minotaur and swung his fists into his face and abdomen an insane number of times at an incredible speed. He then lifted the minotaur above his head and tossed him through the air into a wall, which he hit with a sickening, ' _thunk_."

"Hey, Surelious, what's the big idea?! What do you think you're-?"

The minotaur asking the questions was cut off when Surelious' left hoof kicked him in the gut, forcing him to drop his weapons. Surelious then swung his fists across his face, knocking him for a large loop. Surelious then saw two more minotaurs coming up behind the one he was fighting and reacted accordingly. He pushed himself over the loopy bull's shoulder and swung both his hooves across the approaching minotaurs' faces before landing back on the ground. Just as quickly, Surelious grabbed the minotaur now behind him and swung him into the two he just kicked, knocking them all to the floor.

Isarem had managed to kick all of the Mane Six across their faces, knocking them all back and to the floor. He was going to go in for the kill when his ears picked up the second battle that had started up in his chambers. Isarem and the Mane Six all looked to see Surelious side kick his right hoof into the face of an approaching minotaur before unleashing his fists upon his features. Both the master of minotaurs and the Mane Six all looked on in shock, disbelief, and, in Isarem's case, immense rage. None of them ever thought they would see Surelious of all minotaurs turn against the cult filled with so many blind followers.

Still Surelious was there beating on a minotaur right before their eyes. One minotaur became two when another came up to try and stop Surelious. The mighty bull saw him coming and hit him with a left hand followed by all sorts of other punches. After several seconds of smacking both minotaurs in the face, Surelious spun around, kicking the back of his right hoof high across their features. He then spun around again, kicking them both with his left hoof, instantly making them drop to the ground.

Surelious was quick to spot another incoming minotaur off to the side, meeting him with a side kick to his stomach. The large warrior then scooped up the aching minotaur and slammed him to the ground with a double leg take down. Surelious then got on top of him and smacked him in the face with hammer fists before he was finally knocked out cold. His ears picked up the screams of another minotaur coming at him and looked to see he was carrying two knives. Surelious stood up and ran to meet this new foe, screaming loudly just like he had been that entire time.

The opposing minotaur swung his left knife at Surelious' face, but he easily ducked underneath the attempt and got behind his foe. Surelious then wrapped his arms around the waist of the minotaur with the blades and lifted him up, slamming him down on the back of his head and neck. After the German suplex, the minotaur went rolling for a moment before he stopped in a sitting position. Before he could do anything, the sitting minotaur was knocked the rest of the way to the floor by a stiff knee to the face, courtesy of Surelious. Tiring of the fight, Surelious decided to end it all, starting by him picking up both a sword and a battle ax.

Then he was off and this time, he was far more brutal. With both weapons in his hands, it was no secret he was winning this exchange. He swung both weapons in all kinds of ways. He even spun around with both weapons held out at his sides. No matter what he did, swinging, stabbing, anything Surelious did with his weapons, it got results.

He hit every and all targets on his radar, even when he didn't use his two primary weapons. Surelious stopped for a moment to throw three shurikens at three incoming minotaurs. The trio of sharp pointed metal stars sank deep into the minotaurs' chests, making the sickening sound of metal piercing into flesh. Surelious then ran to the three bulls and jumped up, kicking his hooves into the faces of the minotaurs on the sides. As he landed back on the ground, he swung his weapons down upon the middle minotaur, ending him.

And just like that, it was all over; Surelious had won the day and, obviously, none of the other minotaurs were getting up again. There was a brief moment of silence, save for Surelious' heavy panting, as all parties still living stood perfectly still. The eyes of the Mane Six and Isarem were all fixed on the tallest minotaur in the room as he stared down at all his handy work. Finally the moment came where Surelious turned his eyes to Isarem and stared at him with all the contempt and defiance in the world.

"Surelious..." Isarem gasped out with his hands on the sides of his head. The eight foot plus minotaur dropped his weapons as he took a step forward, making the minotaur overlord walk back. "I don't believe... H- How could you..." Isarem lowered his hands to his sides as he stared at Surelious in horror, confusion, and even sadness. "Why?"

" _What do you mean, 'why'?!_ " Surelious shouted loudly. " _How could I not after you and all these other monstrosities revealed what you truly are?! At first I only resented you for picking those devious unicorns over me. But... after watching you with those ponies all this time... And I don't mean since you struck the first one._

" _I mean since they stepped in the room. You've been nothing, but menacing to them, despite obviously trying to pass yourself off as welcoming. As time went on, they peeled away at you more and more until you fully revealed what you really are! You're not some big, important messiah, no matter how much you want to be. You are simply an idiotic, sadistic, self righteous, closed minded monster!_

" _You, along with all those original buffoons tricked us into believing your words were prophecy, and... all those evil things you made us do were just!_ "

"I- It was all for a greater good," Isarem said.

"How dare you try to defend yourself now?!" Surelious shouted. "How dare you try to continue spinning that rotten ball of yarn when you and your philosophies have so clearly been bested... For so long... your word was all we had... But then these ponies come in." Surelious pointed to the Mane Six.

"They spoke out against you and... for the first time... nothing you spouted out made sense to me at all. Quite the contrary, these ponies spoke and their words reached me in a way... I didn't think was possible. They actually made their way into my mind and blotted out all the poisonous falsities you had filled it with. Their words made sense, rang true, and made me realize how blind I have been to how evil you are. I've watched you, all of you, _my lord,_ fight and torture and brutalize all the ponies on this island.

"You don't do it because you have to. You did it all because you wanted to, because you were enjoying it!"

"That's not true!" Isarem exclaimed. "We did it because we were just in doing so!"

"I saw all your faces!" Surelious shouted. "You wanted to hurt them. Not once did it look like you had their best interest in heart... I hated every single thing I did to another that caused them harm. But I still did it... because I thought I had to.

"Even just now... I hated slaughtering what I once thought were my closest allies. I see it all now, though. Those beasts you use as tools... "Surelious pointed to the Mane Six again, "their kaiju allies, they aren't monsters. All of us minotaurs here on the island were the only real monsters... because you made us that way. Those ponies are all absolutely correct about you, Isarem.

"You're not a leader of a great cause. You're a sad, little child with parenting issues who took a bad blow to the head that scrambled your brain. You convinced yourself you were doing something right when deep down, you know you just wanted an excuse to go insane... I see it all now and nothing would please me more than to put you down in the most brutal way for all you've done... all that you've made us minotaurs on this island do."

Isarem found himself taking a few steps back as if in preparation. For the first time, the Mane Six all saw the minotaur overlord actually look uncertain and even possibly a little scared.

"But that is not my destiny," Surelious said as he looked to the Mane Six. He then turned back to Isarem as he pointed to the mares. "These ponies, however... they have what it takes to bring you down. I know you don't think so because of the fight you've put them through thus far, but I can see it. They have a special spark inside of them that I have never seen in a pony or a minotaur before.

"You've given them your absolute best so far and here they still are. And I know they still have quite a lot of fight left in them, I can feel it. You may have some, too, but not nearly as much as they have. You may be bigger and you may be stronger and have more assets at your disposal right now, but they all have something you do not have. They all have truth on their side.

"True heart, true spirit, and true right, not some mixed up lie concocted in their head like you and those other mad dull horns did. Those ponies... _they_ are the true light on this plain of existence. That's how I know, no matter what you throw at them, whatever you do to them, in the end... those ponies will win. They will defeat you and conquer this puny charade of yours and I sincerely wish that... So with that I will say... goodbye to you, Isarem, I truly wish I had never met you before in my life."

Surelious picked up his weapons and then turned away as he headed for the door. Isarem and the Mane Six were all still stunned as they watched the large bull make his exit. He ended up stopping right in front of the door, however, and turned back, his admiring gaze set on the Mane Six.

"Do not be afraid, great ponies," Surelious said. "It may seem like he is your better right now... But if you just keep on like you have been since you stepped hoof on this island... you'll find you're all better than you thought you were. You'll even think better of one another than you already did, as hard as that is to believe. Do not worry about the guards outside or any others intruding on this showdown you must face.

"I cannot atone for the sins of my people or even my own... I know we are all doomed to damnation... but I will do everything in my power to see to it you can finish your quest. That is the best I can do... because you defeating this cult... that is the _right thing_ to do."

The Mane Six all tried to find the right words to say to Surelious, but none came. Instead all they could do was watch as the minotaur turned back to the door. He let out a deep breath before he kicked the large door open.

"Let's have a heart-to-heart, boys!" Surelious exclaimed as the fight outside the door began.

None of the Mane Six, nor Isarem could really see what was going on, but they sure heard a lot of it. Sounds of weapons clashing together or slicing through flesh, fists and hooves hitting hides, anything you could think of. At one point, a minotaurs body came flying into the room, but with a knife in his chest. Clearly he wasn't getting up, but it seemed like his comrades were about to get big help. Isarem and the Mane Six all heard familiar vicious barking coming from outside the room and heard large footsteps running.

"Here, here, Old Yeller!" Surelious' voice screamed out. "I'll teach you how to play dead!"

With that, the door slammed shut, leaving Isarem and the Mane Six in the room alone. For a long moment, there was quiet and stillness. The Mane Six couldn't bring themselves to move a muscle or speak a single word. All they could do was stare at each other, their faces all conveying such a great deal of mixed feelings and emotions. It was almost like they had seen the face of God for only a few seconds before he went back into hiding.

They didn't know exactly how to proceed or what to do next. They only seemed to snap out of their daze when they heard what actually sounded like light sobbing. Even more surprising to all of them, they actually thought it was coming from... Isarem. They all turned and saw that the minotaur overlord was indeed shedding tears, weeping openly as he kept alternating from looking up and down. Finally he balled his hands up into tightly clenched fists and raised them as he screamed out.

Isarem then turned to the Mane Six, his face looking like a portrait of Lucifer's own features. He stepped in closer and closer to the pony mares, making them all step back a few times in anxious fear.

" _Do you ponies have any idea what you've done?!_ " Isarem shouted. " _You just cost me one of my best fighters! More than that... I- I almost feel like I lost a son. Sure he failed me... but I always had high hopes for him to succeed. Instead, you ponies seduced him into your backwards thinking ways and took him from me!_ "

" _No, Isarem!_ " Twilight Sparkle shouted as she bravely took a step forward, glaring all the while. " _It was your own blind fallacious and evil actions that did that!_ How many others do you think would follow you so willingly if they saw you like you are now? Not many I'd assume with how you've acted this day. Their idea of you as a perfect messiah would be gone, though I can't see how they possibly could've thought of you like that in the first place!"

" _Shut your mouth, you hoof sucker!_ " Isarem shouted. "You may have cost me a lot, but I'll still have the last laugh. Mons-Ahgar will destroy all that you six sap heads care about! You won't be there to see it, though, because I'm going to rip you all apart piece by piece!"

Isarem ran at the Mane Six, who just as willingly ran up to the master of minotaurs to finish the fight.


	34. Chapter 34: Ready to Rumble

Despite all the punishment he had taken throughout the fight, Solomon still felt like he was on top of the world. The winged demon had been put through a lot of punishment throughout the entire conflict. It's true he had dished out quite a lot of pain himself, but up to that point, but he still felt he wasn't dominating the fight like he should've been. Now it seemed like all he had put up with and taken in the fight was about to pay off in a big way. His most toughest of opponents, the kaiju called Godzilla, was laying on the ground and looked to be almost out cold.

His eyes were fluttering involuntarily, his breathing was heavy, and it looked like he could barely move. In other words, he was in exactly the kind of position Solomon wanted, which was anything but good. A lot was riding on this fight, including possibly the fate of the entire world. Should Solomon come out on top against Godzilla, surely it'd be one gigantic step closer to the planet meeting its demise. Godzilla simply had to find a way to get through the situation he was in and get back up again to resume the fight.

Unfortunately, it didn't look like he'd be able to before Solomon would have the chance to finish him off. The demonic kaiju grinned wickedly as he looked down upon his struggling foe. Godzilla's head laid at his feet just like Solomon wanted it. He stared down at the fallen kaiju king for what felt like a millennia as he thought about all Godzilla had put him through. Solomon's anger increased a hundred fold as he raised his hands and roared in preparation to finally slay his foe once and for all. The end looked to be near for the once mighty king of monsters that was Godzilla.

Too bad for Solomon he never heard the sound of the spinning, spiky shell coming up behind him. The balled up shell seemed to be rolling through the air with amazing speed in what looked like a deliberate course to hit Solomon. That's just what happened, for the spike covered shell hit Solomon directly in the upper back, neck, and head area. Solomon's eyes widened both in pain and shock as he felt the impact of the hit force him to fall forward. The shell bounced off Solomon and went flying in another direction as the skull faced monster continued to fall.

Solomon's squeals of alarm and pain seemed to somehow awaken Godzilla from his almost comatose state, for his eyes snapped wide open. Instantly, the great saurian's jaws parted, shooting a beam of his atomic blast up into Solomon's face. Like many times before, it seemed to be very effective, for the beam ignited a series of explosions across Solomon's face. It also seemed to have enough push behind it to knock Solomon off to the side so he would fall to the ground rather than on top of Godzilla. A few seconds went by where Solomon didn't move except to hold his hands up to his pain stricken facial features.

This suited the king of monsters just fine, for it gave him a much needed opportunity to wake himself up more. He'd also have a better chance to try and get up off the ground and back on his feet. That would be easier said than done, for Godzilla found himself having more trouble getting up than usual. Godzilla actually had to try five different times to roll onto his front. Even when he did, he couldn't find it in him to push himself up onto his feet again.

His arms were shaky and felt weak trying to force up the mass of muscle, flesh, and bone that was his body. It didn't seem like Godzilla would be able to get himself up at all, at least not on his own. Luckily for him, he wouldn't have to try getting up on his own much longer. The howling roar of Anguirus filled the air as the four legged creature made his way over to Godzilla as fast as his feet could carry him. Despite all he had been put through, Anguirus had refused to let himself stay down.

He had been dealt a great deal of punishment by Solomon and at one point it was even thought he was dead. But the idea he met his demise was greatly exaggerated and even though he was in a lot of pain, Anguirus still had a lot to give. His heart and near unbreakable spirit wouldn't let it be any other way. That was why he was able to force himself to get up on his feet, jump through the air, roll up into a ball, and hit Solomon in the back. That led to a big enough pause in the fight where Anguirus was able to rush to Godzilla's side as fast as he could and help him get back up.

Anguirus stopped in front of Godzilla and looked his friend over while trying to think of the best way to help him. He watched as Godzilla kept trying to push himself up and even seemed to get a part of the way there. But his arms ended up giving out and he fell again, making Anguirus roar out in concern. Godzilla roared back to try and reassure his friend, but his calls sounded far weaker than what they should've. This upset Anguirus a great deal more than he already was as he tried to figure out how to assist his fallen companion.

Unable to think of much else, Anguirus merely stuck out one of his front legs, offering it to Godzilla to help push himself up. The king of monsters just so happened to be reaching his hand out at that very same moment and was surprised to feel it touch flesh. Godzilla looked to see Anguirus right there, a sight that slightly surprised him. Anguirus roared out, encouraging Godzilla to use his body as a brace to help him up off the ground. The kaiju king was too tired to argue or question it and thus did as Anguirus suggested.

The extra added leverage proved to be the thing Godzilla needed, for he was able to push himself up much more successfully than before. While he still struggled quite a bit, Anguirus was there to help him through it. The spike covered kaiju even stood up on his hind legs, wrapping his front pair around Godzilla to help pull him up. Godzilla accidentally feel victim to some of Anguirus' spikes, but it wasn't enough to deter either kaiju, for it seemed almost inevitable anyways. Eventually, with the combined efforts of the two kaiju working together, Godzilla was standing once again.

He wasn't very sturdy on his feet, unfortunately, for the moment Anguirus let go of Godzilla, he started to stumble. Anguirus caught him luckily and did his best to help Godzilla stay standing as he tried to feel more natural on his feet. There were several long moments of the two monsters just standing there, but they all seemed to pay off. Godzilla looked to be able to stay standing as he felt his dazed and pain filled state start to clear up a little. Now that he could stand better, Godzilla turned his amazed eyes to Anguirus, roaring to him questioningly.

Anguirus merely smiled as he let a few low growls escape his mouth. Godzilla found himself actually being in awe of how Anguirus could still be standing. He was even able to knock down Solomon and help Godzilla get back up when it seemed like he was down and out. Anguirus roared on with encouragement, support, and even love drenched in what he had to say. This actually caused Godzilla to smile himself as he roared in appreciation for all the spiky shelled quadruped had done for him.

The two kaiju continued to roar out as they felt their bond in friendship grow stronger with everything they said. Unfortunately, the happy moment was interrupted when a gigantic barrage of energy orbs flew at them. Many of the destructive blasts hit the two kaiju all across their bodies while others hit the area around them. No matter where the orbs hit, though, they caused a great blasting burst of fire. Both Godzilla and Anguirus were caught off guard by the volley of orbs, making them roar out in surprise, as well as pain.

They bombardment of orbs continued while Godzilla and Anguirus tried to stay standing through it all. When it was all over, Solomon came rushing in like a unstoppable force as he slammed into Godzilla. The collision instantly knocked Godzilla off his feet once more while only nearly doing the same to Solomon. He wasn't out of the woods, though, because Anguirus was there to pounce on him like a hungry lion trying. Solomon barely managed to stay standing as he and Anguirus began to wrestle with the ferocity and aggressive nature of two vicious animals at war.

Anguirus swung his front paws and snapped his jaws almost aimlessly like he had gone rabid while also trying to slam and push his weight against Solomon. The winged demon fought hard to push Anguirus back while looking for openings to either punch, slash, or kick at his opponent. It didn't help Solomon's situation when any of Anguirus' spikes ended up making contact with his flesh, which happened quite often. Despite all the pain and the struggle of trying to hold back Anguirus, Solomon actually managed to shove him away with an extra burst of strength. Solomon then stepped back, allowing Anguirus to fall forward on all fours.

This proved to be a vulnerable position, for Solomon hurriedly moved in and swung his right foot up into Anguirus' face. The force of the kick knocked Anguirus back a little bit, but he was amazingly able to shake it off before howling and charging forward. The courageous kaiju pushed himself up on his hind legs, but Solomon intercepted him with several blasts of his energy orbs. The explosions caused across Anguirus' body knocked him backwards before crashing down on his back. Anguirus howled in pain and anger as he rocked from side to side and his legs kicked all around in the air.

Solomon couldn't be more delighted to see an enemy that had given him such a hard time for so long in a very vulnerable position. He could literally do just about anything to the fallen kaiju and he could get away with it. More importantly, it was more than likely to get him the results he wanted, namely hurting Anguirus and possibly even putting him to death. Solomon had every intention to see to it that this happened as he closed in on Anguirus. It tickled Solomon to the bone thinking about all the ways he was going to put a hurting on his fallen foe before ending his life.

Too bad for him he never noticed the form of Godzilla rising up behind him, looking as furious and as mean as ever. While he had not fully recovered from the beating he'd taken up to that point, the king of monster didn't care. His anger blinded him to all other things and seemed to give him the extra boost he needed to get back in the fight. He saw the situation his friend was in and that it was Solomon who put him there in an attempt to kill him. This infuriated Godzilla even more, who roared out as he clubbed his right fist into the back of Solomon's head.

The demonic kaiju cried out as he stumbled forth a few steps while also reaching behind him where he was struck. He wasn't expecting the clubbing blow, nor the pain that came with it. Solomon turned to face Godzilla, but was met by a powerful blast of Godzilla's atomic breath and a swipe of his left hand claws. Godzilla then roar out as he charged forth, shoving Solomon away from Anguirus before bombarding him with all sorts of strikes. Godzilla threw an assortment of punches, open hand swats, and nasty claw swipes, all of which struck Solomon across his face and body.

Solomon couldn't believe that a kaiju he had on the ropes only moments ago was back up and able to fight so aggressively. Yet there Godzilla was, doing the impossible as he continued his assault on Solomon, intent on beating him into dust. The skull faced monster refuse to let that happen, striking back with several of his own nasty punches and claw swipes. They weren't nearly as mighty as Godzilla's were, however, so Solomon eventually changed tactics. He kicked his left foot into Godzilla's gut, forcing him back a step or two, before firing several of his energy orbs.

Solomon wasn't out of the woods yet, for Anguirus managed to sneak up several feet behind him. Then Anguirus turned his back to the winged kaiju, stood up on his hind legs, and launched himself backwards through the air. The resourceful kaiju's spikes were driven into the back of Solomon, sending him toppling forward. Solomon cried out, but was cut off when Godzilla caught him, keeping him from falling all the way. Godzilla lifted Solomon up so he could look deep into the king of monster's eyes, a sight that frightened the skull faced kaiju greatly.

Godzilla then smacked his head into Solomon's before shoving him back. He then rammed his own body into Solomon's, followed by several opened hand swats and claw swipes. Then Godzilla rammed his head, first into Solomon's chest, then his own head, followed by a kick to the gut. Godzilla grabbed the back of Solomon's head and pulled him in while the kaiju king also lifted up his knee into his foe's stomach. Godzilla then scooped up Solomon in his arms with his godly strength and slammed him into the ground below.

Godzilla roared out loudly, only to be answered with Anguirus' own howl of a roar. The king of monsters looked off to the side to see his friend smiling brightly. Godzilla roared a set of orders to Anguirus, which he responded to with a series of nods and grunts. Then the four legged kaiju charged forth before leaping up into the air. Anguirus ended up landing in a hard roll right on top of Solomon's body.

The demon monster shrieked in anguish as he felt the weight of Anguirus press his shell spikes into his flesh as he rolled. Anguirus managed to land safely on all fours, after which he roared out in celebration. Godzilla cut him off and warned that the fight wasn't over yet, which Anguirus agreed with. The atomic saurian then turned his sights on Solomon, letting out a series of short, yet deep and threatening growls. Finally Godzilla let out a massive roar before reaching down to grab at Solomon's head.

He was caught by surprise when an energy orb flew up and exploded in his face. This caused Godzilla to instantly shoot up as he shrieked and grabbed at his scorched features. Solomon's feet then swung up and kicked into Godzilla's front, making him stumble back. In a surprising display of agility, especially after what he'd been through, Solomon rolled up onto his feet before roaring out in defiance. Anguirus howled as he rushed forth and leapt at Solomon.

The demonic kaiju saw him coming and reacted accordingly. He first fired his energy orbs into Anguirus' body before then catching and tossing him away. Solomon then rushed forth, ramming his shoulder into Godzilla's chest. He followed up by throwing several punches at Godzilla and then firing a couple energy orbs at him. Solomon then spread his wings and started flapping them rapidly as he took to the air.

The winged kaiju turned away from the battlefield and made his way up higher into the air. Godzilla did his best to shake off the assault he just took as his ears picked up the sounds of Anguirus' howls. He then looked to see the four legged monster himself walking up as he continued to roar. Godzilla roared back to his friend just before Anguirus stopped a few feet ahead of him. Then the two both looked up to see what Solomon was up to.

Much to their surprise, what they saw could only tell them that Solomon was trying to retreat. He kept getting higher and further away and it didn't look like he had any intentions of coming back to finish the fight. Godzilla, however, wasn't willing to let that happen. He wouldn't let the fight end with Solomon still alive. No matter what, he was fully intent on making sure this was Solomon's last stand.

His resolve was far too great to allow him to let such an evil being who had done so much harm to others get away, especially during such a heated battle. Godzilla clenched his fists, focused his predatory eyes, and stomped his feet deep into the ground. Then his back plates started to light up as bright and blue as ever. The inside of Godzilla's mouth glowed just as greatly before his aimed his head upward and opened fire. The huge, intensely bright blue beam of destructive power flew up with a speed like no other.

Surprisingly, it seemed to have a smaller beam spiraling around it and appeared to have a slight upward curve as it went on. Godzilla's extra powerful blast of atomic energy kept on going until it finally hit its target. Solomon cried out as he felt his left wing being ripped and burned to shreds by the great beam of amazing power. It wasn't until Solomon's left wing was completely destroyed that Godzilla shifted his aim across his foe's body. He didn't stop until his atomic breath reached and started to obliterate Solomon's right wing.

Once both of Solomon's wings were gone, the helpless kaiju began to fall all those thousands of meters back down to Earth. The once mighty kaiju screamed the entire time he fell, his arms and legs flailing around all the while. Godzilla and Anguirus watched Solomon's decent until he crashed several thousand feet up higher on the volcano. The sound of the impact sounded like the very Earth itself would break apart into two. It also sounded like any living thing involved with the collision into solid rock ground couldn't possibly survive.

Godzilla wasn't willing to take any chances, turning to Anguirus and roaring to tell him so. Anguirus looked up and howled in compliance while nodding his head. With that the two kaiju began to make their way up higher on the mountainside towards their common foe. If Solomon wasn't destroyed by that last fall, Godzilla and Anguirus would see to it that he was taken care of soon enough. Such an evil creature like Solomon couldn't be left alive and neither Godzilla, nor Anguirus would leave him to recover and fight another day.

Higher up on the volcano, it didn't seem like Solomon would ever be able to properly heal; not one part of his body felt right to him. Every piece of him was in pain, the likes of which he'd never though he would feel. He had been taken to a whole new level of agony, which started with him being stripped of his wings in the most painful way possible. Yet, despite all this, somehow, someway, the demonic kaiju was still alive. Solomon still breathed, his heart still beat, and he still had feeling in his body, though he was started to wish that weren't so.

Solomon had landed right on top of his head, which sent massive tremors of pain shooting through the rest of his body like hell itself. Surprisingly, Solomon was still able to move parts of his body around despite the impact of the crash plowing him through the ground. At first they just twitched a little bit, but soon he was actually able to lift his limbs up and move them around. Solomon was ready to move them, too, for despite all the pain he felt, he knew more would come if he were found by Godzilla and Anguirus. Not only that, they would make it their business to put his existence to an end.

Part of Solomon would actually welcome this because of the immense amounts of pain he felt. Overall, though, he did not want his life to end at the claws of two he hated as much as Godzilla and Anguirus. With that in mind, Solomon tried his best to force himself to move, even if it meant him crawling. At first, he couldn't get himself to do so because of all the pain he felt shooting through him like a wave every time he tried. But with all the will and might he could muster, Solomon forced himself to fight through everything he was feeling.

It ended up paying off for Solomon when he actually began to crawl out of the crater his fall had left. It took a little bit of time, but eventually Solomon was able to pull himself out of the crater and roll away a little off to the side. The de-winged monster wanted so desperately to keep on moving. He knew it was only a matter of time before his two enemies would find him. Unfortunately he was unable to make his body move any further.

His pain had forced him to stop and take a involuntary rest. No matter what he did, Solomon's body absolutely refused to budge. He just had to lay there on his back and try to get better. Too bad for him it was only a second or two later when Godzilla and Anguirus' roars echoed out from somewhere nearby. Solomon's eyes, which he'd struggled to keep from closing before, instantly shot open.

Solomon forced himself to roll onto his belly and looked to see Godzilla and Anguirus off in the distance. They were getting closer and closer as they followed a path leading up the side of the volcano directly towards Solomon. The fallen kaiju was on high alert as he desperately tried to force himself back up to his feet. While he was able to push himself up, it was a very awkward and painful process that moved at a snail's pace. Any attempts to move faster made Solomon run the risk of falling back down again; his soreness was simply too great.

Solomon's eyes would always steal glimpses of Godzilla and Anguirus coming closer, much to his dread. The two kaiju stopped a few hundred meters away from Solomon and examined his situation. Godzilla looked on as the wheels in his mind turned and he thought of a strategy to finish off Solomon for good. After a few moments, Godzilla turned to Anguirus and roared out his plan while pointing past Solomon. Anguirus nodded his head and roared in agreement before making his way around the pain stricken demon.

He didn't stop until he was about four hundred feet behind Solomon, who was still pushing himself up to his feet. Godzilla titled his head to the side as he briefly looked over Solomon's current position. He was about halfway back to his feet, but didn't look like he'd be able to do a whole lot else, except stand. Even then, his body was so shaky, it didn't seem like he would be very stable on his feet. This point was driven further when Solomon finally got back to a standing upright position and it looked like he could fall over again at any moment.

Godzilla's eyes glowered with intensity as he let out a roar and stomped his way over to his foe. Solomon turned and saw Godzilla coming and reacted accordingly. Despite his situation and actually feeling a great amount of fear, Solomon glared at Godzilla before roaring out and throwing a right hook. The blow hit Godzilla directly in his snout, followed by several more shots thrown at his face, chest, and stomach. The king of monsters was stopped in his tracks, not by how much the punches hurt, but his surprise of the exact opposite.

Absolutely none of the punches Solomon threw had the same force behind them they once did, not even close. Sure they could still pack a little bit of a punch, but nowhere near to the extent they did before. It was like a heavyweight boxer had gone fourteen rounds of a fifteen round fight and tired himself out. Solomon still kept on throwing whatever punches he could despite the position he was in. It wouldn't be nearly enough to stop Godzilla, who demonstrated how futile Solomon's efforts were with a great, thunderous punch of his own.

The blow hit Solomon directly in the face and nearly dropped him to his knees. He just barely managed to stay standing, but in doing so, left himself open to Godzilla's atomic blast showering all over him. The results were as explosive as usual, making Solomon cry out as he felt himself falling forward. Godzilla spun around, smacking his tail into Solomon's body and causing him to fall in the other direction. From there, however, Solomon was met by Anguirus' swinging tail, which knocked him back towards Godzilla.

The two kaiju took turns swinging their tails into Solomon and knocking him to each other. They must've done it four or five times before they swung their tails into Solomon together, dropping him to the ground. Godzilla and Anguirus both roared out before looking down at Solomon. They were amazed and even sort of impressed to see Solomon was already trying to get back up again. More so, Godzilla was furious to see an enemy he had come to hate so much was still able to rise after taking such an assault from him and Anguirus.

Godzilla looked to Anguirus and roared out, to which the quadruped responded to with his own call and a nod. The two monsters backed up a few feet with Anguirus then turning his back to Solomon. The two waited until Solomon was back on his feet again. It took a little bit for that to happen, but when it did, Godzilla called out his signal to Anguirus. Godzilla then charged forth at Solomon while Anguirus launched himself backwards through the air.

The three way collision sent all three kaiju crashing into the ground, though Anguirus got back up on his feet almost instantly. It took Godzilla a little bit longer, but he managed to stand up straight once more. Solomon, on the other hand, didn't look like he was getting up any time soon. That suited Godzilla just fine, for he actually wanted to help Solomon get up himself. The atomic dragon grabbed a hold of Solomon and aggressively pulled him up onto his feet.

Godzilla then positioned himself behind Solomon, grabbing a hold of his arms as he turned the demonic kaiju to Anguirus. He then let out a series of roars, which Anguirus then responded to by turning away and then jumping backwards. The courageous kaiju's shell spikes went sinking into Solomon's front, making him scream out in pain. Godzilla then ordered for Anguirus to do the same attack again, which he did a further two times. Godzilla then tossed Solomon to the ground and roared out before firing his atomic breath down on him.

The ferocious kaiju king then stomped his foot twice on Solomon's chest and once on his face. He then turned away and slammed his tail down on Solomon's body about three or four times. Each collision sounded like a meteor hitting the side of a mountain. Godzilla then turned around and roared for Anguirus to do something. The spiky shelled monster then leapt through the air, over Solomon and at Godzilla.

The mightiest of monsters caught Anguirus and dropped him down, back first, on top of Solomon. There was a sickening, crushing sound from the collision before Anguirus rolled off of Solomon. At that moment, the once terrifying and imposing kaiju that was Solomon was less than a shell of his former self. He had been humbled in being beaten so badly by two kaiju who he had put through many painful experiences before. He did it all in the name of evil while Godzilla and Anguirus fought for justice, which looked to be coming for Solomon real soon.

As Solomon felt himself slipping away, Godzilla's mighty hand suddenly came down upon his throat. Godzilla demonstrated his legendary strength by pulling Solomon up to his feet using only the hand around his neck. The almighty king of monsters that was Godzilla then pulled Solomon in close so he could see the almost demonic look in his eyes. He wanted the defeated kaiju to know this was the end for him. Godzilla roared out before he lifted Solomon up in the air by his throat and then slammed him back down into the ground.

Like many times before, the impact felt like it made the whole volcano itself shake. While that actually wasn't the case, the result of Godzilla's choke slam to Solomon did at least leave a deep impression in the ground. It wasn't enough for Godzilla, however, for as he stood there staring at his beaten foe, his blood continued to boil. He wouldn't be satisfied until he knew for certain there was no way Solomon could get back up after the fight was truly over. This drove Godzilla to shoot his atomic breath down upon Solomon in an act of rage.

Then after roaring out, Godzilla mightily stomped his foot down on his fallen foe's throat. The king of monsters pressed his foot down as hard as he possibly could with enough weight and pressure to break steel. As Anguirus stood close by and watched the scene play out, he took notice of Godzilla's back fins starting to glow. He didn't fire his atomic breath, though, rather it looked like he was trying to hold it back and let the power in his spines build up. After a moment or two, Godzilla instructed Anguirus to get as far back away as he could.

This confused Anguirus, but a second, more angry sounding roar from Godzilla convinced him to get moving. Godzilla waited a little longer and watched his four legged friend move away. Once he felt Anguirus was far enough, the all powerful kaiju king let out a massive roar and released all the energy he had built up in his spines. Godzilla unleashed the biggest nuclear pulse he had ever made, which engulfed more area than even he was expecting. The burning flash of power gave off a large, intensely bright glow that would've blinded any smaller animals if they were watching nearby.

Once the light subsided, Anguirus opened his eyes and looked to where Godzilla stood. He was standing in a good sized crater, which had several scorch marks all over it, left by the pulse. Smoke flowed off different parts of the ground within the crater and off of Godzilla's body as well. Nothing else smoked quite as bad as the black, charred corpse that laid before the kaiju king's feet as he heaved out heavy breaths. Godzilla's eyes opened wide as he gazed down at what used to be the body of Solomon.

Godzilla lifted his head into the air and let out a massive three mile roar before reaching down and grabbing a hold of Solomon's body. The king of all monsters swung Solomon around for a moment before tossing him up into the air. Godzilla then shot up his atomic breath, the force of which sent Solomon's body lifting higher and higher above. Godzilla didn't stop until Solomon's corpse was a couple thousand feet high over the volcano, almost out of sight. When he did eventually cease fire, Godzilla, along with Anguirus, watched as the body of their deceased adversary fell back to Earth.

It never touched down because the body's trajectory ended up taking it right into the mouth of the volcano itself. Godzilla and Anguirus didn't even get to see it happen since Solomon's corpse was hidden from sight by the smoke flowing out of mountain's crater. With that, the deed had been done and now Godzilla and Anguirus stood tall and proud in victory. Godzilla threw his hands back, lifted his head into the air, and roared out as loud as he could. After three or four seconds, Godzilla stopped and turned his sights to his best friend that was Anguirus.

He saw the smile on the spike covered kaiju's face and it made him light up just as bright. Godzilla growled and motioned for Anguirus to come over to him. The courageous kaiju eagerly accepted his friend's invitation. He moved as fast as his four legs could carry him, especially given his current condition. Anguirus stopped a little bit in front of Godzilla and stared up at his impressive friend, who looked right back at him.

Godzilla began to speak of how grateful he was for Anguirus' help in fighting Solomon and Hedorah to protect all their pony friends. Godzilla further lamented how happy and impressed he was with Anguirus being able to hold his own and how selfless and brave he was in the struggle. He didn't just mean for Anguirus' efforts in their most recent fight, but he most certainty meant that, too. He also deeply respected that Anguirus was able to fight on his own for as long as he did before Godzilla came to Pony Tale Island's shores. He loved, respected, and overall greatly admired Anguirus' heart, spirit, tenacity, courage, everything about him.

Finally Godzilla also thanked Anguirus for his bond in friendship, saying that for so long he wanted someone more on his level. While he'll always love ponykind with all his heart, there were just some ways he couldn't connect to them that he could with Anguirus. Godzilla also stressed that he even feels like he was able to hang in the fight longer than he probably could've without Anguirus. Aside from the quadruped's actual physical help, just seeing Anguirus' never ending will to fight to the last breath seemed to inspire Godzilla. It was like he felt the residual flow of Anguirus' spirit flowing out and washing over him, making him want to keep fighting until he couldn't anymore.

Anguirus howled out a great many roars, all of them sounding happier than the four legged monster ever had before. He roared back to Godzilla, expressing all that the kaiju king had told him before and then some. He went on further to explain that he had always tried to fight with all his might to defend the innocent before in the past. But now, since making friends with Godzilla and the Mane Six, Anguirus had felt like he could do just about anything. Getting a friend more like him, especially when it was Godzilla, particularly made Anguirus want to step up his game so he could reach a whole new level.

Anguirus then ended by saying he was glad to have so many friends, but of them all, he was especially thankful for Godzilla. With that, the two kaiju stared at each other for several long, silent moments. Finally Godzilla and Anguirus lifted their heads into the air and roared as loud and mighty as they could muster. The combined greatness of their respective calls went out as a warning to all who may oppose them and a beacon of hope to those they'd defend. After a few seconds the two ceased their roaring and allowed themselves to settle down.

Unfortunately doing so allowed their adrenaline to die down, which meant they felt the severe drain of energy overtake their bodies. It hit them like a wave, but not nearly to as great of an extent as all the pain they were feeling. Though Godzilla and Anguirus may have won, they had still taken a terrible beating at the hands of both Solomon and Hedorah. Those two may have been dead, but the king of monsters and the bravest of kaiju were left alive to take in all the pain. They soaked in every ounce of anguish and agony, the combined might of which nearly took them down.

Both kaiju were reeling and stumbling around trying to stay standing and not let their pain conquer them. Godzilla's healing powers were working double time to try and mend all his injuries, but it wasn't be fast enough for the saurian's tastes. Anguirus had no healing powers, which meant his situation was even worse. Despite it all, the two kaiju had wills of steel that wouldn't allow them to be overcome by any negative after effects from the battle they just braved. They faced a little bit of a new situation, however, when their ears picked up something.

It was the sounds of what seemed to be a great rumbling spreading through the land. It was like it was coming from all around Godzilla and Anguirus. A half second later, they felt the ground they stood on start to shake with the might of a thousand rampaging kaiju. Godzilla and Anguirus looked and realized it was all coming from the volcano itself. They looked up to the top of the mountain to see smoke flowing in bigger quantities and even seemed to be turning from its original white color to a more blackish gray.

Anguirus looked on at the sight in awe for many a moment before he turned to his best kaiju friend. Godzilla's face was hard as stone and filled with thought as he glared at the sight. Almost all of his thoughts at that moment were focused on six particular ponies and how worried about them he had just gotten. He was worried from the very beginning, but seeing this new turn of events increased his feelings tenfold. Godzilla's upper lip flared up as he let out a quick growl before turning away and heading down the volcano's side, Anguirus following close behind.

* * *

Fluttershy screamed as she was sent sliding across the floor by the hard hit to the face she'd took. The hurting pegasus' whole body was trembling as she whimpered and looked in the direction she'd just come from. Much to her horror, the yellow furred mare had to watch as her good friend, Applejack was sent flying through the air. Fluttershy turned and watched with even greater horror as the poor Earth pony hit the side of the cave wall before falling to the ground below. Fluttershy wanted so much to go check on her fallen friend, but instead forced herself up and ran after the vile creature who'd assaulted her and Applejack.

Isarem swung his fists like an aimless ape on the attack. While they didn't always hit their mark, those that did felt like rock crashing into flesh and bone. The Mane Six were all doing their absolute best, pushing themselves further than they ever thought they could. But even when they did hit Isarem, it seemed like they had little to no effect on the master of minotaurs, no matter what kind of attack it was. It did seem like they may have been tiring him out to an extent, though since he wasn't moving nearly as fast as before.

His punches and kicks weren't thrown nearly as precised as they were before either. No longer did he come across as a god out of ancient legend. Isarem was rather more like a fighter who had just gone through a thirty man tournament and was desperately fighting the final round. It was clear that he'd made it that far for a reason, though; he was still a force to be reckoned with. Every punch he threw still felt like iron to the body and while he didn't throw many kicks, they still made an impact to be sure.

He stuck mostly to basic jabs, hooks, body shots, and uppercuts as far as punches went. For kicks he mostly did only basic front and side kicks, only occasionally pulling out a spinning back heel kick here and there. Despite Isarem having taken a lot of hits from the Mane Six, it didn't seem like there would be any stopping him anytime soon. Pinkie Pie was sure willing to try when she rushed the master of minotaurs with a volley of steel covered punches, the likes of which would easily drop anyone else. Isarem was able to take it all, however, and even came back with mightier punches that knocked Pinkie Pie away.

Suddenly Isarem felt a jolt go through his back as he was forced to stumble forward. The flying kick Fluttershy threw into Isarem's spine wasn't enough to make him fall, though. In fact Isarem was able to kick his foot back into the yellow furred pony's gut before turning to her, grabbing her, and swinging her away. When Isarem saw Fluttershy try to get up, he ran up to her and swung his right fist down, smacking her across the face. Before he could do anything else to the fallen Fluttershy, Isarem was struck several times by multiple blasts of power.

Every shot hit him like they came from a machine gun, even packing enough punch to force him back several steps. Isarem managed to stay standing, though he was the recipient of two flying kicks from both Rarity and Rainbow Dash. From there, the two came Isarem with a full frontal assault with Rainbow Dash flying around, boxing and kicking Isarem while Rarity stayed on the ground. The white furred unicorn stuck mostly to her martial arts skills while occasionally shooting a blast of her attack magic. Eventually Isarem overpowered them with his wildly swung punches, hitting both mares across the faces.

Then he started throwing incredibly stiff front kicks that knocked both mares to the ground. Isarem was furious when he watched them get right back up again, dropping them once more, this time with a single spinning back kick. There was no rest for him because Applejack was right there to hit him with a hoofball-like tackle. Isarem skidded for several feet and nearly lost his balance, but managed to stay standing. When Isarem screeched to a stop and Applejack couldn't push him back anymore, she stood up and started throwing hard jabs.

With each punch he took, Isarem's head snapped back like a bobble head about to come off the body of its figure. Eventually he got his hands up and started throwing big punches that Applejack managed to duck. After the third swing and miss, Applejack started punching her front hooves into Isarem's body. It was hard to tell how many punches she threw before she changed strategies, but it was quite a few to be certain. Applejack turned her back to Isarem and bucked her back hooves into his face, chest, knees, gut, and then his face again, all with incredible force.

None of it was enough to stop Isarem, who actually ended up grabbing one of Applejack's legs and driving an elbow into the back of her knee. As the Earth pony mare screamed out in agony, Isarem swung her up in the air by both of her back legs and slammed her into the ground. Then he tossed her to the side only to be met by several amazingly powerful bursts of attack magic. Twilight Sparkle flew up to Isarem while alternating between shooting machine gun-like and shot gun-like blasts of magic at him. When she was up close to Isarem, Twilight threw several punches across his face before switching to swinging her horn.

The burning, stinging aura of Twilight Sparkle's magical instrument extended to the length of Celestia's own horn and struck Isarem with powerful force. Sparks flew from every place Isarem was struck, though he refused to let himself fall. Instead, Isarem met Twilight Sparkle with a barrage the likes of which was similar to what he was like at the start of the fight. He moved in all sorts of ways to dodge Twilight Sparkle's attacks and try to hit her with his own. He wasn't able to dodge every attack the alicorn princess threw at him and while he certainly moved faster, his blows didn't have quite the same force they once did.

Still it was a vicious fight between the two combatants as they went on. Twilight Sparkle would fly, jump, teleport, do all sorts of things while throwing punches, back bucking, shooting at Isarem, and trying to hit him with swings of her horn. Isarem came with a variety of punches that all seemed to get more wild and aimless as the fight went on. He also threw as many kicks he could force himself to while using other tactics like elbows, knees, and so on. The battle between Twilight and Isarem was the hardest fought yet, but eventually it had to end.

That moment came when Isarem threw a lucky front kick that hit Twilight in the face and allowed the minotaur to let off a variety of punches. Isarem finally ended his assault by jumping up into the air and spinning as he kicked his right hoof across Twilight's face. The violet coated alicorn was sent twirling through the air before she ended up sliding across the cave floor. When Isarem landed, he groaned as he reached for his right bicep. He watched as the other ponies gathered around the fallen form of Twilight Sparkle. Some limped to her side while others were just barely able to crawl over to the terribly injured princess.

All six of them looked like they had been through Tartarus five times over. They had taken a tremendous amount of abuse from Isarem. The only one who was able to get off the ground was Rainbow Dash who was just barely able to fly over to Twilight Sparkle's side.

"Tw... Twilight," Rainbow Dash just barely managed to say before she dropped to the ground.

"Twilight... Sparkle," Rarity groaned out she continued to crawl.

"Don't... give up," Applejack let out as she limped her way over to the others.

"I... I don't... think... I have anything... left... to give," Fluttershy said before her head dropped to the floor.

"No," Pinkie Pie let out. "Fl- Fluttershy... Rainbow Dash... Twilight... Rarity... Applejack... I love you guys."

"D- Don't talk... like this is it," Rainbow Dash weakly let out as she started to crawl.

"I can't help it," Pinkie Pie barely managed to say. "I... I can't fight anymore. A- And neither can anyone else."

"That's... not true," Rarity said as she tried to push herself up. "I can still... Just a little..."

Rarity instantly dropped back to the floor, which made her groan.

"We... can't go out this way, everypony," Applejack let out. "I... I love y'all too much. This can't be it."

Just about all of them had managed to gather around Twilight Sparkle when they heard her moan in anguish. As they all looked on, none of them were able to find it within themselves to let out even the smallest gasp. Still, it surprised them to first hear and then actually see activity from Twilight Sparkle as her body started wincing ever so slightly. It was a daunting task, but Twilight Sparkle managed make her eyes open, though her vision was quite blurry. When it stabilized and she looked up, Twilight was both relieved and horrified to see three of her friends looking down upon her.

Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie had all managed to get up and fully stand as they looked over their fallen friend.

"Twilight... ya dead?" Pinkie Pie managed to let out.

"Yah, man," Twilight Sparkle just barely managed to say. All four ponies tried to force out even the smallest of chuckles, but it was impossible. "But... I just... got to... walk it off. There's too much... at stake."

"Twilight," Applejack whispered in the shakiest of voices.

The three ponies were stunned to see Twilight Sparkle actually trying to get her legs underneath her so she could push herself up. It was a slow, daunting task, but frankly it should've been impossible for her to attempt. After all Twilight Sparkle had been put through, she probably shouldn't have been able to move at all. Maybe she should've even been dead, yet there she was, alive and forcing herself to get up despite it all. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack watched her in stunned silence until their ears caught something else happening very close by.

They looked to see Fluttershy of all ponies, holding Rarity up and carrying her along as she made her way closer to her friends. They were only a few feet away when Fluttershy lost her balance and started to fall. Rainbow Dash was there to catch both her and Rarity, though, but then she started to fall. Twilight Sparkle, who was halfway back up to her hooves, caught her rainbow maned friend, but then she started to fall. But then Applejack caught her, who was then caught herself by Pinkie Pie, who had to be caught by Rarity.

The Mane Six all stood in a circle as they allowed themselves to be used as braces for one another. They knew that without each other all of them would surely fall and most likely would never get back up again. So they did their absolute best to keep themselves and each other standing, though their bodies felt like flimsy table legs ready to give out. Much to all their surprise, the Mane Six actually started to hear a little bit of laughter coming from amongst their ranks. They all looked to see Pinkie Pie, who looked just as surprised that she was laughing.

"I.. I always knew... you guys would... lift me up," Pinkie Pie said, "when.. I was down."

The others looked on for a few seconds before Fluttershy actually cracked a smile. Then when the yellow furred pegasus started to giggle, it broke through to the others who, one by one, all started laughing as well. They couldn't let out big, hardy laughs, for it hurt to even breathe, but they were unable to keep themselves from letting out a tiny chuckle or two.

"Laugh while you can!"

The Mane Six were all suddenly silenced by the voice. They turned to see who it belonged to, though they already knew full well who it was. All of their hateful, resentful, angry glares centered on Isarem, who stood by with a very similar look on his face. That wasn't all the Mane Six noticed about him, though. They all saw marks and the like all over Isarem's body that had not been there before.

None of the pony mares realized it at the time, but apparently during the fight, they had started doing some damage to him. He had kept on fighting like he was an entity out of another world almost the entire battle. Sure he had slowed down considerably, but all of the Mane Six figured that was just normal fatigue. But no, they had actually managed to put a considerably large hurting on him. Almost everywhere they looked, they was some sort of bruise, bump, or wound of some kind.

Despite going through what they did, the Mane Six proved one thing they were starting to doubt before. Isarem was not another worldly apparition, but a mortal just like them. He just seemed to have a higher tolerance and fighting skill than most others. Still, it was clear the Mane Six had given him a run for his money. They all saw it for themselves as they watched Isarem stand, panting heavily as ever covered in injuries as he held his right arm.

They also saw what was probably the most shocking sight of them all. They actually saw trails of blood running down from the wound on Isarem's arm that he covered. It trickled out from under and over his hand and ran down his arm until it started to drip to the floor. That same spot on Isarem's arm had been struck more than three times by Twilight's horn during their brawl. Apparently it did more damage than Twilight Sparkle had suspected, just like everything else the Mane Six did.

Unfortunately he hurt them a lot more. It was clear to see both by the marks left all over their bodies and the fact they couldn't stand without assistants.

"That's right, you miserable little ponies, enjoy each other while you can!" Isarem spat out as blood flew from his mouth. "I'll be the one having the last laugh when I put you all down for good. You'll see what I've been talking about this whole time, but frankly I don't care about that anymore. I just want to rip your life out of this fake world just to spite you since I know it's something you fear over all other things. None of you ponies can even budge without feeling some sort of pain, whereas I am more than capable of continuing on in a physical confrontation.

"Say your prayers, ponies, for soon you will be face to face with your makers. I must admit you six put up a pretty good fight all things considered. But now the battle is finished and it's time for me to end you!"

With that, Isarem released his injured arm and gingerly took a fighting stance. His eyes spotted a small knife on the floor nearby, which he quickly grabbed. The master of minotaurs then slowly made his way over to the Mane Six, all of whom shuddered.

"Twilight... I really hate to admit this... but I can't fight anymore," Rainbow Dash let out. "I... I can barely even stand up... and forget about trying to fly. I'm sorry, everypony... I just can't force it out of me anymore. I let you all down... and now we're gonna die for it."

"No, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said. "You... did the absolute best you could just like all of us did. This... This monster Isarem... is an evil far beyond anything we've seen before... He was just too much for us to best."

"Guess Surelious was wrong," Applejack said. "But... we still gave him a heck of a fight, didn't we?"

"We sure did," Fluttershy said. "I did things I didn't know I could. I also lasted longer... than I ever thought I would. I think it was having you all there with me. It.. just made me more capable... of doing things I thought... were impossible for me."

"I always felt the same way about you all," Twilight Sparkle said. "I know that's how I was able to push myself the way I did in that last fight... It was incredible... and I have all you ponies to thank for it. I love you all."

The others all spoke at the same time about how much they cared for one another and how their friendship meant more to them than anything in the world.

"How sweet," Isarem said mockingly. "It makes me sick. Continue this talk on the other side, would ya?"

"Interest of full disclosure," Rainbow Dash said, "if I had to, I would gladly do this all over again."

"Then I think we should," Pinkie Pie said.

"Huh?!" the others let out as they looked at their pink friend.

"Yeah, I think we should take the fight to Isarem again," Pinkie Pie said. "But... I think this time we should use this."

Suddenly, the pink coated Earth pony slowly reached a shaky hoof into her mane. What she pulled out was far beyond the words shocking, surprising, or astonishing. It was on a whole other level, for Pinkie Pie was now holding a glowing red, egg shaped object. All time stopped as every pair of eyes in the room from those still living fell on the object.

"What in tarnation?!" Applejack let out.

"Sweet Celestia!" Rarity exclaimed.

"What in the wide, wide world of Equestria?!" Rainbow Dash blurted out loud despite the pain in her ribs.

"It can't be!" Fluttershy let out.

"Is that...?" Twilight Sparkle couldn't even finish her sentence.

"The red Alpha Stone?" Isarem let out in complete and utter awe.

"Yup, that's right, it's the red Alpha Stone," Pinkie Pie squealed.

"But... h- how did you-?"

"No time to explain that now, Twilight," Pinkie Pie said. "You've felt the power of an Alpha Stone before, so you need to decide: Is this enough to stop Isarem for good?"

Twilight Sparkle slowly turned her gaze over to Isarem, who caught sight of her staring at him. An extremely worried, possibly even fearful look crossed the minotaur's face. The alicorn princess that was Twilight Sparkle let an almost cruel-looking grin cross her own features.

"Oh, yeah," Twilight Sparkle let out.

"Then... give it to him, Twily," Pinkie Pie said. "Start round two and show this dull horned beef basket what a pony is really made of."

Twilight Sparkle looked to see Pinkie Pie extend the amazing orb of power to her. The alicorn princess then turned to all her other friends and saw they wore the same big smile as one another. All of them nodded their heads in agreement as they smiled bigger to encourage their friend.

"Do it, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said.

"Let him have it, darling," Rarity said.

"Whip him like a bale of hay in a rodeo," Applejack said.

"You got this, Twilight," Fluttershy said.

As the others all spoke further words of encouragement, Twilight Sparkle looked back to Isarem, flashing him a look that sent shivers down his spine. Isarem actually dropped his knife and slowly backed up as he raised his hands out in front of him. It was like he was practically begging Twilight Sparkle without actually using any words. That was the last bit of motivation the princess of friendship needed. She looked back to the red Alpha Stone and fought through every last ounce of pain she felt as her horn started to glow.

The first thing Twilight Sparkle thought of was to cast a healing spell. She wanted the magic of the Alpha Stone to completely heal both her and her friends. Twilight Sparkle first harnessed the power of the red Alpha Stone and then put it into her healing spell. Suddenly all of the Mane Six were caught up in an even greater glow of red light that consumed them. The intensity of the light's glow increased to the point where Isarem had to turn away and cover his eyes or risk going blind.

Then, in a great flash, the light was gone, allowing Isarem to look back to the ponies once more. He soon wished that he hadn't, for what he saw before him was a completely healed, fully healthy Mane Six standing tall and proud. Each of the pony mares were surrounded by an aura of glowing red light as they all smiled fiercely at the minotaur who gave them such a hard time. At that point, Isarem knew beyond a shadow of a doubt... he was in big trouble.

"Now, wait for a moment, ponies, please," Isarem said meekly. "I'm sure we can-"

Isarem was cut off by a series of machine gun-like blasts from Twilight Sparkle's horn blasting all over the front of his body. His chest and stomach took a particularly hard pounding. Rather than fall to the ground, Isarem felt like he was going to be sent flying backwards. Before that could happen, Twilight caught him in a levitation spell and swung him into the side of a stone wall as hard as he'd ever been tossed. Twilight Sparkle then teleported herself to Isarem's far left before firing a shot gun burst of attack magic from her horn.

The powerful blast sent Isarem flying back into the wall once more, followed by several machine gun shots of Twilight's attack magic. Twilight Sparkle growled loudly as she flew up to Isarem, shooting all shorts of beams, laser bolts, lighting, and shot gun bursts all the while. When she was up close in Isarem's face, Twilight Sparkle rapidly threw her front hooves across it in every combination she could think of. The power of the Alpha Stone was flowing through her like a restless river, compelling her to do things like she never thought she'd be capable of. Twilight Sparkle slashed her glowing horn across Isarem's body in various ways, each one being painful as could be.

She then turned away from Isarem before bucking her back hooves all over his face and body. Twilight Sparkle then turned back to her foe and hit him with more punches, horn swings, and even an electric blast before tossing him away with her magic. Isarem went crashing through the top part of his throne onto his desk. Twilight Sparkle didn't give him a moment to recover before she used her levitation spell to slam Isarem up into the roof of the cave and then back down to the desk. She repeated this combination three times before tossing Isarem to the floor.

There was a brief moment of pause where Isarem was allowed to lay on the cave floor and let every last ounce of agonizing abuse he took sink into his body. Never before had he felt such pain that actually made him want to crawl up in a dark corner and hide from those that opposed him. He knew there was more in store for him, though, which is why the desperate minotaur tried to push himself up so he could run and get away. It was a slow process he was destined not to finish, for he was showered from above by several electric bolts that shocked him beyond all reasoning. Twilight Sparkle flew above Isarem as she shot him full of electricity before switching to small bolts of attack magic.

Then the alicorn mare used her levitation magic to toss Isarem across the room. He went sailing past the other pony mares, all of whom smirked at him as he flew by. Isarem crashed and tumbled across the unforgiving, unwavering stone ground with what felt like the force of a crashing plane. There was another moment of stillness where no one did anything and nothing happened except for Isarem soaking in all the pain he had received. In only a matter of minutes, he had received enough punishment to last for a whole lifetime, but he knew it was likely more was still to come for him.

That was why he tried so desperately once again to push himself back up onto his hooves. Through all the anguish he felt, he found himself able to get part of the way up. But that progress was halted by more blasts of attack magic from Twilight Sparkle, who flew at Isarem like a homing missile. The tip of Twilight's horn struck Isarem directly in the chest. A large burst of sparks flew from the spot where Isarem was hit as he was sent sailing backwards.

He was stopped when he was caught in Twilight's levitation spell and pulled back in her direction.

" _Go, Twilight!_ " the other ponies cheered from the sidelines.

All the way over to Twilight, Isarem was bombarded by her attack magic until he was was floating directly in front of her. Isarem's cries of pain were cut off by Twilight Sparkle's front hooves smacking him in the face and body. After a large multitude of punches, Twilight Sparkle spun around, kicking one of her back hooves across Isarem's face. Then she used her horn to pump Isarem full of electricity, causing him mass amounts of anguish. After that there was a moment of stillness where Twilight just levitated Isarem in front of her as she hovered above the ground, glaring all the while.

Twilight Sparkle then flew to the side and used her magic to toss Isarem past her. Isarem was met by Rarity spinning through the air, slashing her glowing horn across his body. Then Rainbow Dash flew up and threw a punch the likes of which Isarem had never felt before, followed by a flying kick from Fluttershy. Before Isarem could hit the ground, he was launched back up into the air by an extra hard buck from Applejack. Isarem actually managed to let out a scream as he found himself falling towards a canon that had not been there before.

He was met by a large amount of... confetti actually being launched out of the canon. As unexpected as it might have been, this somehow had enough force to send Isarem spinning away to the side. Finally, Isarem crashed face down into the ground like a sack of potatoes. Pinkie Pie looked on at Isarem before storing her party canon away and walking over to the fallen bull. She examined Isarem for several seconds before the stubborn minotaur actually started to move again.

It felt like hours before Isarem was able to push himself onto his back, but he still managed to pull it off. Then, even more surprising, Isarem actually forced himself to sit up, which felt like it took even longer to do. Isarem turned his sights on Pinkie Pie, hating the sight of her big, beaming smile.

"You shot... confetti at me?" Isarem said between heavy, pain filled breaths. "You tried... to fight me... with little bits... of paper? How old are you... five?"

"Well, you know what they say," Pinkie Pie answered. "You're as young as you feel. So... I'm actually about three. Besides, the confetti wasn't really to attack you. It was just to distract you while I did this."

Faster than the eye could see, Pinkie Pie pulled out a war hammer and swung it down right on top of Isarem's cranium. A stunned look crossed the minotaur overlord's face, his upper body trembling before he fell onto his back. Pinkie Pie then giggled as she danced away from Isarem's fallen body. She made her way over to her friends, all of whom were still surrounded by the aura of the red Alpha Stone just like Pinkie herself. Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash all very enthusiastically congratulated Pinkie Pie on her little gag, speaking at the same time.

"Yeah, way to go, Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash said.

"In more ways than one," Rarity said as she looked herself over. "I've never felt this way before... All the power."

"Yup, that stone works wonders," Applejack agreed.

"It sure does," Pinkie Pie said as she pulled the stone out of her mane.

Everypony gazed admiringly at it before their attention was caught by the groans of Isarem nearby. All of them were beyond shocked to see Isarem was actually forcing himself to get up yet again. Like before, it was a slow process as Isarem's body trembled while looking far more than worse for wear. He looked like he had fought three straight wars and was in the middle of being forced to fight a fourth. Still, as gingerly as could be, Isarem was pushing his way up to his hooves, grunting and groaning in agony all the way up.

When Isarem eventually did get back up on his hooves, he looked to see Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy all standing nearby. He despised looking at their surprised faces, though at this point, he'd probably hate the sight of them no matter how they looked. Isarem panted like someone on their death bed hanging on for a last speck of life as he actually forced himself to walk towards the ponies.

"I... I... I am... s- s- still... m- mighty," Isarem barely managed to say. "I am... I will still... defeat..."

The once mighty minotaur was cut off when Twilight Sparkle, the only pony he didn't see in the group, came up from behind him. Her horn glowing as bright as ever, her burning aura extended to the length of a sword's blade, Twilight Sparkle slashed downward as she flew by Isarem. The minotaur cried out like he had suffered a thousand and one tortures as he felt and saw his right horn separate from his head and go flying through the air. Isarem reached his hands at the spot where his horn once was as it crashed into the ground while he screamed the entire time. He was cut off by more machine gun-like shots of Twilight Sparkle's attack magic.

Twilight Sparkle then flew up and started flying all around Isarem as she slashed her horn's aura all over various parts of Isarem's body. The assault lasted until Twilight Sparkle finally swung her horn down upon Isarem's back and then spun around to slash it across his chest. With that, Twilight Sparkle turned her back on Isarem, landing on her hooves while the minotaur dropped to his knees. The violet coated alicorn turned back and looked at the pathetic sight of a once mighty overlord on his knees in pain. From what she saw, it almost seemed like he was begging on his knees for Twilight Sparkle to show him mercy.

In his eyes was conveyed the utmost desperation one could ever feel, for in that moment he was more vulnerable than he'd ever felt. On Isarem's face was the most pathetic of looks one who used to stand so tall could possibly have. Twilight Sparkle walked up to Isarem until they were nearly touching noses. Even on his knees, Isarem was only the slightest bit smaller looking than Twilight who stared deep into his eyes like the Reaper himself.

"P- P- Please... h- have... pity," Isarem managed to rasp out. "I- I- I beg of..."

Isarem struggled to finish what he was trying to say, but he found himself unable to speak any further. His stuttering and stammering were cut off when Twilight Sparkle took a particularly aggressive step forward. This startled Isarem who gasped out as he tried desperately to raise his hands in defense. Twilight Sparkle kept staring at him in silence, her face conveying that of a ruthless fighter who would claim her victory in the most brutal of ways. It almost seemed like that was going to happen, for Twilight Sparkle moved over to Isarem's left side before her horn started to glow.

Isarem looked up in wide eyed horror, seeing the hard, wicked stare in Twilight Sparkle's eyes and features intensify. She even began to lightly growl, which turned into a scream that grew in volume with passing each second. Nearby the other mares watched the scene play out and they couldn't help but look concerned. Inside they were more so conflicted, for they all hated Isarem greatly and wanted to see him get what was coming to him. Yet they didn't like how far this fight had apparently driven their friend Twilight Sparkle, who they knew to be very different from how she was acting.

She was always sweet, caring, loving, kind, a cute little bookworm who loved to learn, but loved spreading friendship just as much. Now here she was acting like a spartan about to claim a beaten foe's head. Some of them actually wanted to say something, but before they could, Twilight Sparkle swung her horn down. The pony mares all screamed with some even turning away and closing their eye, as did Isarem himself. Isarem waited for death to come and take him away to the paradise he preached about for so long.

Seconds went by, however, and death did not overtake Isarem, nor did the pain of getting struck by Twilight Sparkle's horn. He opened an eye to see the tip of Twilight's still glowing horn pointed right at his face. But then the glow of her horn faded and Twilight actually raised her head, making Isarem fully turn to her and look on in both confusion and shock. Twilight Sparkle let a small smirk cross her face before she blew a breath from her mouth onto Isarem. Before the minotaur knew what was happening, he felt himself tipping over onto his side, ending with his body hitting the ground.

Twilight Sparkle looked at the fallen form of the once powerful ruler of minotaurs before giggling and turning away. She saw the surprised look on her friends' faces as they kept turning from her to Isarem's body, then back to her again.

"I wanted to blow him away," Twilight Sparkle said in a cheeky tone. "So, I did."

At that, the rest of the ponies were unable to keep themselves from erupting with ecstatic cheers as they gathered around their princess friend. All of them showered the great Twilight Sparkle with praise on her performance and how she handled Isarem at the end.

"Way to go, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "You rock!"

"You most certainly do!" Rarity said. "I knew you had a lot in you, but I never would've expected a performance like that. Yet... you were wonderful! You were incredible!"

"You were amazing, sugarcube!" Applejack said. "I couldn't believe what I saw! It was like you were all six of us fighting him at once! It was unbelievable!"

"It was unlike anything I've ever seen you do before, Twilight," Fluttershy said as she beamed.

"It was the Alpha Stone!" Twilight Sparkle said. "It... awakened something inside me I didn't even know I had. It was... beyond anything I can describe." Suddenly Twilight's eyes turned angry as she looked to Pinkie Pie. " _Too bad we didn't have this to use at the start! Pinkie Pie, why didn't you show me you had this sooner?! How did you even get it?!_

" _The fight could've been over literally at the very beginning if you pulled out that stone then!_ "

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Twilight, girl, take it easy!" Pinkie Pie said as she back up defensively. She then looked to the red Alpha Stone before holding it out in front of her for all to see. "I'll explain everything. I actually found this... in the mines. When I was looking for a way out, I stumbled over a group of rocks sticking out of the wall next to me.

"I noticed a little bit of light underneath those rocks that wasn't there before. So I broke them out of the wall and uncovered this little gem right here. It glowed bright red just like a juicy new apple from Sweet Apple Acres. I could feel the power of it through my hooves when I picked it out of the wall. Just holding it alone was like... being transported to a whole other world.

"It was like... I had gone there and become a new pony altogether. I knew right away what it was and ran off to show it to you girls... But then I found the way out, so I stuffed it in my mane to show you all later. I had every intention of showing it to you all, honest."

"Then why didn't you?" Applejack asked.

"I guess... stuff just kept happening before I could and... I ended up forgetting I had it."

A big, apologetic and somewhat embarrassed smile crossed the pink furred pony's face as all her friends crashed to the ground and cried out in exasperation. In a moment, they were all back up again, each pony looking like they could spit fire. Pinkie Pie just kept smiling as they all stared at her.

"Come on, cut me some slack," Pinkie Pie said. "At least I got the stone to you when it mattered the most, didn't I?"

The other ponies' faces softened as they looked to one another questioningly. After a moment they all turned back to Pinkie Pie who let out a few nervous chuckles as she rubbed a hoof behind her head. The other ponies all turned to each other again before letting smiles cross their faces.

"That you did do," Twilight Sparkle said as everyone turned back to Pinkie Pie. "A little sooner would've been nice, but you still came through for us in our most desperate time of need. Way to go, Pinkie."

"Just don't make that a habit, Pinkie Pie," Applejack. "If you have a secret power thingy that will help us like that stone did, in the future pull it out right away."

"Duly noted," Pinkie Pie said as she saluted.

The Mane Six all shared a laugh as they got in close for a group hug.

"So now what do we do?" Fluttershy asked before the hug dispersed.

"What do you mean 'what do we do'?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "There's only one thing we can do now: Use that stone to tear through this place! We go out, set up the bombs, save the hostages, then blow this place to kingdom come before that new kaiju can be born! If can't do it all before that happens, it might mean game over for the whole world and we can't let that happen!"

"Basically, everything Rainbow Dash said is right," Twilight Sparkle said. "Everything down to the last word."

"Well then that should be a breeze to do with the aid of the Alpha Stone," Rarity said as she gazed admiringly at the powerful gem. "The jolts of power it's still sending through me even while I'm just standing is... astonishing. I feel like I could... fight all of Equestria by myself, which I will not do. I love my country, thank you."

"We get what you mean, Rarity," Rainbow Dash said. She looked down at her hooves, seeing the red aura still embracing her in its light. "This power... it's... so... _awesome!_ "

"I've never felt like this before," Fluttershy said. "But I think... I love it."

"I know I sure do," Applejack said.

"I wanna bake all the cakes the world can handle and beyond right now," Pinkie Pie said. "It's amazing what just one of these stones can do."

"I felt the power of the green Alpha Stone once before," Twilight Sparkle said. "That was absolutely nothing compared to what I'm feeling right now. We're going to use this power to stop these minotaurs and show them that the power of friendship will conquer any misguided religious iconography! Together there's nothing we can't do! Ready to go again, everypony?!"

" _YEAH!_ " the other mares exclaimed together loudly and proudly.

" _Wait!_ "

The Mane Six turned to see Isarem was actually trying to push himself up on his hooves again. It took four different attempts before he was actually able to get up, though it was clear his body didn't want him to. Whether he would simply fall over again or shatter like glass, either looked just as possible in that moment. Despite Isarem forcing himself to stand, it was clear he was done. He couldn't fight at all, but he still seemed determined to do something.

"P- Please w- w- wait," Isarem said with not nearly the volume he spoke before. He sounded just as broken up as his body looked. "We... we love all... W- w -w -We just... want... a- a- a- better life... f- f- f- for them."

" _OH, SHUT UP!_ " the Mane Six all said together.

Suddenly the whole room began to shake more violently than ever. This time it was obvious to tell the whole mountain was shaking along with it. Worried looks came over the faces of all the Mane Six as they looked in terror while trying to stay on their hooves. The cracking of stone was heard all around, making it sound like the whole room would be ripped apart. It looked like that might happen, too, for many a new crack was left in the walls, floor, and ceiling of the cave.

Only a few seconds later, they heard the sounds of loose rocks in the top of the cave falling from high above. The Mane Six and Isarem all looked up to see the large pieces of stone flying down at them. Instantly Twilight Sparkle used her magic to create a barrier around her and all her friends. Because of the power of the Alpha Stone, Twilight had no problem keeping her force field up through the bombardment. She also cast a spell to teleport the Mane Six's bomb packs back onto them so they wouldn't be hit by a stray rock that could set them off.

Isarem was not so lucky, for his screams were heard even over the sounds of the earthquake and the room coming apart. Several rocks had hit him directly in the face before he was knocked off his hooves for more boulders to fall all over his body. The Mane Six watched it all happen with most of them feeling a sense of satisfaction. Finally, after two or three minutes, the shaking subsided, but as it did, more problems were raised for Isarem. A boulder twice his size fell from the roof of the cave and crashed right down on his legs.

Isarem screamed bloody murder like he was being ripped to shreds. As Twilight Sparkle collapsed her barrier, the Mane Six all stepped in closer to Isarem. They watched as his upper body flailed around like crazy. Any pain he felt before was all quickly overshadowed by what he felt when having his legs crushed under the weight of so much rock. He kept whacking both hands against the large boulder while also trying to push it off of him.

In that moment, as the Mane Six saw what happened to one who caused them so much grief, they felt something they never expected. Beyond all reason or logical understanding they had, every single one of those ponies couldn't help but find themselves feeling a little bit sorry for Isarem. Yes, as hard as it was to believe, all ill will they might've had or wished for Isarem was put away when they saw the position he was in. Seeing him pinned down by a giant rock crushing his legs making him scream like a woman giving birth was beyond anything they'd ever seen before. It actually crushed their hearts to see one, who in a sort amount of time became one of their most hated enemies, put in such a horrible state.

It was more than they could stand, even as memories of all the evil things both Isarem did and he made his cult do returned. They remembered all that the minotaur cult did, not to just to them, but in general. After that, the Mane Six knew they had to move on.

"Come on, girls, let's go," Twilight Sparkle said as she looked away. "Let's go save the world... and then after try to forget any of this ever happened; that we were ever here."

None of the other ponies of the Mane Six said anything. They just quietly and awkwardly turned away from the still screaming and crying Isarem, heading for the door. Feeling the rush of the Alpha Stone's power she was still harnessing, Twilight Sparkle shot forth an extra powerful blast of her attack magic. The door exploded into a hundred pieces, the remnants of which the Mane Six ran past into the hall ahead.


	35. Ch 35: Nothing's Gonna Stand in Our Way

The Mane Six were all on the move, going at great speeds despite the slight tremors shaking the caves they ran through. It had gotten to the point where now, no matter what, there would always be some sort of shaking in the earth. Sometimes it was quiet and stable enough and other times it felt like the planet itself was ripping apart. Either way it was a sign that the Mane Six had to act fast and finish what they started before it was too late. Knowing what was on the line, all six of them had every intention of doing just that.

Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity all moved as fast as they could given their surroundings. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle didn't have enough room to fly due to how narrow the tunnel was. Applejack couldn't take off at top speed either because of how small the tunnel was and how close it forced her and her group of friends together. All of them, however, felt like if they had a chance to hit top speed, they'd be like lightning. As the situation was, all of the ponies were still able to move rather quickly as a unit, just not as fast as they could otherwise.

Some of the pony mares were even moving faster than they ever had before. Fluttershy was running at speeds she thought were impossible for her to reach on her hooves, as was Rarity. Even Twilight Sparkle was moving far beyond any capacity she had reached before, either on her hooves or while flying. Rainbow Dash also found herself running faster than she'd ever ran before, almost equaling her average flight speed. Everyone of the Mane Six felt super charged like they could do any and all things better than ever.

The source of these new found abilities was the glowing red object sneaking out from under the confines of Pinkie Pie's bomb pack. Hidden inside was none other than the red Alpha Stone, the most powerful of the four gems of energy. Twilight Sparkle was using her horn to harness the stone's magic power and spread it amongst herself and her friends to enhance everything they did. Doing so allowed her to keep siphoning power from the stone while still being healthy and ready enough to cast any other spell should she need to. It was a similar situation for everypony else, who felt like they could do twenty five things all at once if it were necessary.

"It sure beats walking!" Applejack said as she looked to those around her.

"You can say that again, AJ!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed energetically.

"It sure beats walking!" Pinkie Pie said in a southern accent while wearing a cowboy hat. Rainbow Dash looked to her with a somewhat agitated frown. "You can just call me AJ 2 until I take this hat off."

Rainbow Dash reached out and removed the hat from Pinkie Pie's head, tossing it away as her friend just kept on smiling.

"Pick up the pace, _AJ_ ," Rainbow Dash said with an amused smirk on her face.

"Okey, dokey, lokey!" Pinkie Pie said before running past Rainbow Dash.

The blue coated mare looked on in surprise at her friend's speed. She wasn't expecting Pinkie Pie to move as fast as she did.

"Uh... you can slow down a little," Rainbow Dash let out. "It's... not a race."

"Oh, but it is," Pinkie Pie said. "It's a race to save the world! That's why I'm moving so fast, but still trying to be careful of everyone else around me. Otherwise I'd probably be running faster."

"You can run faster?!" Rainbow Dash let out in surprise.

"Sure, can't you?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Uh... of course I can," Rainbow Dash said.

Another thing that was hindering the Mane Six from going at their top speeds was trying to navigate their way over several obstacles left behind. These included the many bodies of fallen minotaurs, their weapons, and pieces of timberwolves that had been smashed apart. They were left all over the place in varying conditions. The sight of so much carnage left all around made everypony sick to look at, though they fought back against their horror to keep pressing onward.

"Is no one really going to say anything about this horrendous display?" Rarity asked.

"We've seen worse since coming to this island," Applejack said. "And chances are we'll see much more before we leave it, too."

"Yes, but having it all bundled up so close like this?" Rarity let out. "It's simply vile. I don't know how much more I can take."

"Well, we've got to take more," Fluttershy said. Rarity turned to her friend in surprise. "I know, it's strange me saying that. But I know this is something we must fight through. Too much is at risk.

"We already know that, which why we should also know by now that the tunnel is only going to get darker before we reach the light at the end."

"I hope this tunnel doesn't get too much darker," Pinkie Pie said. "It's hard to see and try to get over all these bodies and pointy weapon things as it is."

"That's not what she meant, Pinkie Pie," Applejack said.

"I know," Pinkie Pie said. "I was just trying to ease the tension. But I do get what Fluttershy means."

"So do I," Rarity said. "I'm just not used to all this. We've done a lot of things, but... we were never forced to this level."

"That's true, we haven't been pushed like this before," Twilight Sparkle said. "But there have been many brave ponies before us who have been put through this and more. Some of them spent almost all their lives fighting whole wars. But they did it for righteous causes, _actual_ righteous causes, which is what we're doing right now. That's why we have to keep going on.

"We have to push on to honor their legacy and protect the world. That's just what we're gonna do, too, right?!"

" _Right!_ " the other mares all agreed together.

The Mane Six pressed on through the narrow tunnel until they eventually reached a more spacious area. It was big enough to fit maybe a hundred individuals, possibly even more than that. There were three different openings the Mane Six could go through, but none of them knew which one to take.

"Okay, we've got three options," Rainbow Dash said. "Left, right, or dead ahead. Which way do we go?"

The Mane Six stood in silence as they thought about how to proceed.

"Why don't we just follow the bodies?" Fluttershy suggested. The others looked to their friend in surprise at her morbid statement. "No, look," Fluttershy pointed a hoof at the fallen forms of several minotaurs, "that's obviously the direction Surelious was going in. He must be going there for a reason, right?"

"Right," the others said together upon realizing what their friend was getting at.

"I still can't believe that Surelious character was able to do all this," Rarity said.

"He was picked by Isarem to be a top guy for a reason," Applejack said. "That much is clear."

"Do you think we'll catch up with him?" Fluttershy asked.

"I hope not, I prefer mustard," Pinkie Pie said.

Every other pony looked to Pinkie Pie with a look that could probably kill a bird if its eyes locked with theirs at the same time. That was Pinkie Pie's cue to zip her lips, which she did... literally.

"Okay, come on, everypony," Twilight Sparkle said. "We're wasting time." One of the stronger tremors shook the area, but only for a moment. "Way too much time."

The Mane Six took off down the tunnel on their right, the same one the bodies were leading into.

"So how far do you think Surelious got?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Do you think maybe he's still going?" Applejack added.

"See for yourselves," Fluttershy said as she and Rarity stopped in their tracks.

The other ponies looked ahead and instantly halted when they saw what their friends had seen. On his knees was the almost unrecognizable form of Surelious. His body looked like it had been put through a giant shredder, it was covered in so many bleeding wounds. In addition, there were several large welts and bruises all over him as well. Surelious had been fighting ever since he left Isarem's chamber and the signs to prove it were left all over him.

He couldn't even lift his head up, nor his arms, despite having dropped the sword and ax he had been carrying with him on his crusade. His whole body seemed to inflate and deflate with each heavy breath. At that moment, Surelious looked like the kind of warrior Twilight Sparkle had spoken of before. He looked like he had spent his whole life fighting, but, maybe for the first time, he was actually fighting for a good cause. Upon seeing the light of what Isarem and his cult really were, Surelious instantly took a new lease on life and applied it to him fighting for what was actually right.

Because of that, while the Mane Six were horrified to see the condition Surelious was in and what he had done getting to that point, they also greatly respected him. They admired that he was able to turn himself around the way he did upon discovering Isarem and his army were not what Surelious had been led to believe. The Mane Six stood there for a few moments just looking at Surelious before turning to one another. Silently they agreed on what to do next and proceeded to make their way to Surelious' side. When Surelious heard their hoof steps approaching it instantly put him on the alert.

His head snapped up as he started to look around like a cornered wolf. Words couldn't truly describe how surprised he was to see the Mane Six all gathering around him. For some reason, a large part of him thought he would never see any of these ponies ever again. It wasn't because he thought they'd meet their end at Isarem's hands or anything of similar nature. Surelious just seemed to think their destinies would literally take them in different directions.

It never occurred to him that he'd be face-to-face with the Mane Six once more. Now that he was he couldn't even begin to comprehend how that could be. He was even more taken aback by their appearance because all of them looked to be a hundred percent healthy as if nothing ever touched them. The last time he saw these six mares, they had clearly been put through a lot, not just by Isarem, but so much more since the day had started. Yet there they were looking to be in great physical condition.

But even beyond that, Surelious was left in astonishment by the red auras surrounding the Mane Six. The sight of them like this was so awe-inspiring it made them look almost like celestial beings in Surelious' eyes. The glow from the Mane Six's auras slightly stung his eyes, but Surelious couldn't take his gaze off of the ponies in front of him. He tried to find words to say, but he simply couldn't. No syllables could be formed, he couldn't speak a single word.

"Twilight," Pinkie Pie said.

All eyes turned to Pinkie Pie, who pointed to her pack and then to Surelious. The fallen minotaur couldn't help but notice there seemed to be something inside. In addition to the red glow around all the ponies, there seemed to be one flashing from an object hidden within the pink mare's bag. Surelious' attention went back to Twilight Sparkle, who first nodded to Pinkie Pie and then turned back to him. As the alicorn princess stepped in closer, Surelious couldn't help but be concerned.

What was it that the pink pony had suggested to the alicorn? Why was she now coming up to him? Was it to finish him off for all the evil deeds he had committed? Had they decided he had gone too far to be truly redeemed and they wanted to make him pay the ultimate price? Surelious couldn't tell, for when he looked to Twilight Sparkle and the others, they all seemed to look rather neutral.

A large part of Surelious couldn't blame the group of ponies if they were indeed intent on ending him. The veil was lifted from his eyes and he saw how truly sinister the cult he was apart of for so long had actually been. He partially felt he'd deserve such a fate for being led so blindly by evil for as long as he was. Still, he wanted to try and do right by playing as big a part as he could in stopping the cult's plans from coming together. Plus a part of him was actually taken aback by the idea that these six ponies would come to such an extreme decision.

Still, if this was what fate had in mind for him, with his physical condition the way it was he was there was nothing he could do. So Surelious just knelt there and watched Twilight approach, for that was all he really could do. Twilight Sparkle stopped only inches in front of Surelious and as he looked at her, the bull noticed something he hadn't seen before. He saw a certain softness in the eyes of Twilight Sparkle. It wasn't softness in the sense of weakness, but of a calm, caring, compassionate individual; basically someone Surelious wished he had been.

Surelious looked around and he saw it in the eyes and on the faces of all the other ponies. The minotaur turned back to Twilight Sparkle when he noticed her horn starting to glow. Surelious got nervous once more when he saw the violet coated mare walk in closer, the tip of her horn inching ever closer to his chest. The bull tried to move, do anything, but all he could do was stammer as he looked away. He felt the tip of Twilight Sparkle's horn touch him directly in the middle of his chest.

Suddenly a wave of light and energy washed over him, a sensation he felt absorb into and flow through his body. A few seconds went by before Surelious realized something was different, but not in the way he expected. He was beyond belief to find he felt completely healthy, being as fit and physically able as ever. Surelious opened his eyes and looked all over his body to find none of his wounds from before were there. Every single injury he had sustained fighting through the caves had disappeared without any trace.

Now being able to do so, Surelious stood up on his hooves before looking to see the smiling faces of the Mane Six.

"H- How can this be?" Surelious asked in astonishment.

He checked himself one more time to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He touched his now spotless chest and other parts of his body, all of them having no signs they'd even been injured. Surelious then turned back to the Mane Six, all of whom were still smiling.

"How are you feeling?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"I... I was at death's door," Surelious let out, his voice still sounding amazed. "Now... I feel as good as a newborn child... How'd you do it?"

Twilight Sparkle turned to Pinkie Pie and used her magic to open her pack and levitate the object inside over to herself. Twilight Sparkle then held the shinning object out for Surelious to see. While no one could actually miss it, Surelious still didn't believe he was looking at it.

"I.. Wha... It's... Is that...?" Surelious struggled so hard to find the right words to say, but it seemed like his tongue had been tied in a knot. "Is that... the red Alpha Stone?"

"Uh-huh," the Mane Six answered together.

Surelious looked on in stunned silence as he soaked it all in. Finally a smile crossed his face as he looked around at the ponies of the Mane Six.

"You truly are as special as I believed you were," Surelious said. "You succeeded where we minotaurs on this island had failed for so long. You found the most powerful of stones."

"We've got Pinkie Pie to thank for that," Applejack said enthusiastically.

"Aw, shucks," Pinkie Pie said as she turned her head away and waved a hoof forward.

"It is a clear sign from above that you ponies are, indeed, just," Surelious said. "With this, now you have the keys to truly stop all acts of evil being perpetrated here in these caves."

"That may be," Twilight Sparkle said.

"But it sure looked like you were trying to do your part, too," Rainbow Dash chimed in. "That change of heart really was a complete one eighty, wasn't it?"

"Yes... I guess you could say it was," Surelious said. He took a deep breath as an emotional expression crossed his face. "When you all... When you ponies helped uncover what Isarem was... and by extension, what his whole cause was... it was like waking up from a nightmare. It was like I was asleep for so long wrapped up in a dark web of lies that was my bad dream, only to be awakened by a light... an actual light. You ponies were that light and helped me to see how blind and foolish I and everyone else among my people were to follow Isarem for so long.

"I wasted most of my life doing such horrible, evil things... things I regretted doing every single time, even while doing them."

"Like shredding right through us that time in the forest?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes," Surelious said as he nodded his head, his face looking somber as ever. "I'll never be able to make up for any of the things my people have done on this island. I won't even be able to make up for my own sins. That's not what this is about. All I'm trying to do now is make sure the world stays safe and never has to suffer the consequences of us minotaurs here on this island and our foolish actions."

"Well, don't worry, Surelious, because we're with you all the way," Pinkie Pie said.

"I know you are," Surelious said as a small smile crossed his face. "I know that long before the idea of having to come to this island was ever a possibility, you were among the bravest... and the greatest of ponies. I saw it when you exposed Isarem for how vile he is and I saw it even more when you stood against him and an army all alone."

"We also meant we're _actually_ with you, too," Applejack said.

"What's that?" Surelious let out as he looked on in surprise.

"We're gonna fight by your side and help you beat these clowns!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Most certainly," Rarity added. "We'll help you save the ponies here, stop Khaos and Dark in the lab-"

"And then, _ka-bloom!_ " Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "We're going to blow this pop stand! And by pop stand, I mean, this base. I mean, why would we ever blow up an actual pop stand? They never did anything bad to anyone and actually sell tasty drinks that-"

"Pinkie," the other mares said together in a deadpanned manner.

This instantly made Pinkie Pie take herself down several notches as she backed up awkwardly. The others then turned back to Surelious.

"Look Surelious, what we're trying to say is we want to help you," Twilight Sparkle said. "We're going to help you fight through this place so we can all get out of here safe and sound, including you."

"But... why?" Surelious asked. "Why stand by my side when you will clearly be just as successful without my help? How can you be so forgiving enough of my sins to not only let me live, but try to help me fight and survive through this place?"

"Because, all that you did is in the past," Fluttershy said.

"It's true, you did really awful things," Twilight Sparkle said. "We all saw you do some of them. But now you're doing really great things. You helped us out in Isarem's chamber and now you're trying to take down the cult all by yourself. By the way, while that may be brave and righteous, it's also kind of a crazy thing to do."

"I did it because I knew even if I fell, you six would still be there," Surelious said. "I figured after all I had done, my life wasn't worth anything, so I decided I'd give it up if I had to. Thus I pushed on as I did up to this point fighting harder than ever before."

"We know, we saw the bodies," Rainbow Dash said.

"But your life _is_ worth something, Surelious," Fluttershy said. "All lives are, even these minotaurs."

"They are?" Surelious asked in amazement. "You actually believe that?"

"I do," Fluttershy answered.

"But... how could you?" Surelious asked.

"Because they all still have the opportunity to redeem themselves," Fluttershy said. She then smiled as cutely as a pony could. "And as far as I'm concerned, you've redeemed yourself in my eyes."

"I... I have?" Surelious let out in a stunned tone, his face matching it.

Everypony spoke in agreement with Fluttershy, stunning the large bull to the point he thought he might fall over.

"Fluttershy's right," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's that potential for good that makes every life worth while and your acts of selflessness here is good enough for all of us. That's why we're going with you the rest of the way down this tunnel to face whatever may come next."

Surelious' eyes widened upon hearing the princess's last sentence.

"Wait!" the minotaur called out.

"You were heading this way, right?" Applejack asked as she pointed.

"I hope you saved some goons for us," Rainbow Dash said.

"Is this the way to the lab?" Rarity asked.

"No, stop!" Surelious shouted. Instantly the Mane Six all turned to the minotaur in alarm and saw him pointing in the opposite direction. "The lab's back the other way down the tunnel across from this one."

"Then why were you going down this way?" Applejack asked.

"This tunnel goes to the mines," Surelious explained. "I thought if I survived long enough to get there, I'd take down as many guards in there as I could. Maybe it would give those poor ponies a fighting chance of escape or make it easier for you all to free them or maybe I'd be able to free them myself."

"Well, then let's go free them already!" Applejack said.

"Yeah, now you're talking, AJ!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

The rest of the Mane Six started speaking in agreement with their two friends, which seemed to make Surelious even more frantic.

" _Wait!_ " Surelious screamed out.

"Alright, alright already!" Rainbow Dash said as she and the others looked to the flustered minotaur. "No need to scream about it, we're listening now."

"Forgive me, but I needed to get your attention," Surelious said. "I think there's a smarter way to go about this."

"Like what?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

Surelious pointed down the tunnel behind him.

"I think you six, "Surelious said, "would serve better to go to the lab first and try to stop the creation of that new monster."

"But what about the hostages?" Fluttershy asked.

"Leave that to me for the time being," Surelious said. "I still have every intention to fight my way down to the mines and take down as many minotaurs as I can along the way. They're irredeemable, the pony slaves are not. So I must at least try to save them... Even if I fall, I can at least clear a bit of the path for you ladies.

"Can't you see this is the right thing to do? With two forces such as your group and myself fighting through the bowels of this place, we'll get twice as much done. You know it's true."

The Mane Six were quiet as all eyes turned to Twilight Sparkle. She rubbed a hoof under her chin as she thought about it. Twilight then turned to her friends.

"Well, is he right?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

The others seemed just as unsure at first.

"Well... he did get this far before they finally dropped him," Rainbow Dash said.

"Plus, there's a chance our efforts could be muted if we allow the new kaiju to be born," Rarity said. "With the power of three Alpha Stones in him, I doubt even Godzilla and Anguirus could stop it. I hate saying that, but... well, we've seen one one Alpha Stone can do to just us."

The others all spoke in agreement as they nodded their heads. Twilight Sparkle then turned back to Surelious.

"So... what is it going to be?" Surelious asked.

Twilight Sparkle took one last look back at her friends before turning to the minotaur and nodding her head.

"Okay, Surelious, we'll go with your plan," Twilight Sparkle finally answered.

"Fantastic," Surelious said. "Thank you all for trusting me enough to take my suggestion."

"It's no problem at all," Applejack said.

"Yeah, you turned out to be a real cool dude," Rainbow Dash said.

"Just don't lose too much of that warrior spirit of yours when it could really do some good," Rarity said.

"You can count on it," Surelious said.

Suddenly the sounds of timberwolves nearby rang out through the tunnel. Surelious and the Mane Six looked further down the tunnel in the direction the sounds were coming from. They were soon joined by voices actually talking close by as well.

"They picked up your scents, ponies!" Surelious exclaimed.

"Or it could be the stench of death you left behind," Pinkie Pie said. "Wow, that was morbid."

"Either way, you must all go now," Surelious said.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Don't worry about me, just make sure that monster isn't born!" Surelious exclaimed.

He then picked up the sword and battle ax he had dropped before. Only a second later, the tunnel started to shake like crazy, catching the Mane Six and Surelious off guard. Right away they all knew what it was that caused the sudden tremor. It implanted an extra sense of urgency in them all. Surelious' was plain to see as he looked to the Mane Six with the most desperate of eyes.

"Destroy the lab!" Surelious demanded before turning away. "Destroy the generator! Put an end to those two evil ponies. Don't stop until you finished the job! Now go on, _run!_ "

The Mane Six hesitated only for a moment before being turned away.

" _Come on, everypony!_ " Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as she and the others started to run.

It was as they ran off that the timberwolves came into view. Four of them ran at Surelious, who met them head on. With the use of his weapons and his great knowledge of battle, he made short work of the magical canines. Surelious looked around at the broken remains of the wolves before turning to the running ponies.

" _You, white one!_ " Surelious shouted as he pointed. " _Rarity!_ "

The unicorn mare skidded to a stop and turned around.

"Yes?!" Rarity asked in concern.

" _Use your attack magic to blast the roof of this tunnel and block it off!_ " Surelious ordered. " _Block the whole thing off!_ "

Rarity looked uncertain as she gazed up at the cave roof high above.

"Are you sure?" Rarity asked with uncertainty.

" _Yes, go on, you must!_ " Surelious insisted.

Rarity was still very hesitant, but when she saw the other minotaurs come into view, she knew what she had to do.

" _Watch out!_ " Rarity shrieked.

Surelious turned and began to fight off those minotaurs who came at him. His weapons clashed with those held by the two minotaurs nearest to him. Surelious got the better of the exchange, first by kicking one in his exposed gut and then using his amazing strength to shove the other one back. Surelious was met by three more bulls charging at him, but he quickly cut them down like they were practice dummies. Surelious then spun around, kicking one of his hooves into a minotaur's chest before taking him out with his sword and ax.

Rarity watched for a moment in disbelief before she turned her sights back up to the roof of the cave. Surelious shoved back two different minotaurs after blocking their weapons. Then he turned to Rarity once more.

" _Do it now!_ " Surelious said, practically begging Rarity to listen to him.

With that Rarity let loose a super charged beam of her attack magic that hit the top of the tunnel with an explosive impact. The whole tunnel seemed to shake as giant pieces of rock were blown apart from the roof of the cave and fell to the floor below. Rarity caught a quick sight of Surelious knocking several minotaurs back with a spin kick before taking some others down with his weapons. The bull then stopped and turned to Rarity, letting a small smile cross his face before he was obscured behind several large rocks. Rarity's amazement of Surelious' fighting prowess turned to concern after she couldn't see him anymore.

Then Rarity's concern became more so for herself when she realized she was standing to close to the pile of falling rocks. She screamed out and ran away when one particularly large piece of stone fell in front of her. The purple maned unicorn looked back just to make sure the pathway had been completely blocked off. When what she saw was to her liking, she picked up the pace, running at full speed. Rarity saw that her friends were all waiting for her a little further up ahead.

None of them questioned Rarity, rather they seemed to have a sense of understanding for the situation. They just shrugged it off and continued down the path ahead of them. Now that there was more than sufficient space for them, those ponies with wings took to the air and flew above their friends on the ground. Rainbow Dash didn't fly as fast as she could, though she desperately wanted to. Applejack and Pinkie Pie didn't run as fast as they could, either.

More so everypony seemed to move at a pace where they could match each other as a group, despite some of them being much faster than others. There seemed to be a pattern to their group's dynamic as they moved along. Twilight flew out ahead of the others with Rarity running close behind her. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy hung back and flew off to the sides. Pinkie Pie and Applejack hung back a little further to bring up the rear while still moving at a great pace like the rest of their friends.

All of them still had the red aura of the Alpha Stone around them. Twilight Sparkle was still easily able to harness the power of the gem and spread it amongst her and her friends. With the power of the stone energizing her, anything Twilight Sparkle did with magic felt like a basic spell one would learn at magic kindergarten. It was a similar feeling for Rarity and everypony else actually feeling more inclined physically or magically than they'd ever felt in their lives. They all felt so powerful that some of them even wondered if they'd be able to take on a kaiju themselves.

Any such thoughts were quickly pushed aside along with any others, except those focused on their mission at hoof. With their hard edged focus guiding them, it was no time at all before they left the previous tunnel behind them and headed down the one across from it. All six pony mares were able to move through that tunnel pretty fast as well, which meant it was a lot sooner when they ran into opposition. These caves were still very much infested with both minotaurs and timberwolves, all of whom were immediate enemies to the Mane Six. It didn't matter to them, though, for they all felt they could take on a whole army.

The first few minotaurs were caught off guard by the sight of the six ponies coming. When they turned and tried to halt them from afar, Twilight and Rarity made sort work of them. A few short beams of their attack magic instantly dropped the minotaurs. Those further down the way took instant notice and prepared themselves accordingly. Some stood up at higher levels in the cave on walkways about ten feet above the main way on either side.

The first of those minotaurs were met by flying kicks from Fluttershy and flying headbutts from Rainbow Dash. From there, the following minotaurs were on the receiving end of all sorts of punishment from the two pegasi. Rainbow Dash stuck to a very aggressive move-set, utilizing her boxing and karate skills with added advantage from her tremendous flying abilities. Fluttershy opted to be more sneaky, moving around minotaurs in an attempt to goad them into hitting each other with their weapons by mistake. Most of the time this would work, though occasionally she would have to get her hooves dirty with a hip-toss, arm drag, suplex or two, among other tactics.

Eventually many more minotaurs took notice and came at the pony group with a vast array of weapons. It was no longer enough to just shoot small magic beams at them. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity had to shakeup their strategy with more direct attacks. Rarity swung her horn around and leaped through the air doing all sorts of crazy kicks to take down any minotaurs that got near her. She would still use her magic for laser shots, levitation, and even teleportation when she felt it was needed.

Most of the time, though, she stuck to utilizing her martial arts skills.

"Looks like it's time for a lady to do what she does best," Rarity said as her face flashed an intense glare. "Take out the garbage!"

No matter what Rarity did, it seemed to payoff for her a great deal. It was almost like she was untouchable or indestructible. She moved like lightning and fought like she was born with the knowledge and fighting prowess of twelve whole armies. She was easily able to dodge out of the way of and even block several different attempted attacks aimed at her. Whether she used her horn or her physical prowess, no minotaur was able to land a single blow on her.

In fact, they suffered several hits themselves, all courtesy of Rarity. Everything she did was of amazing caliber. Even when Twilight Sparkle came up and shot down several minotaurs trying to come up behind Rarity, she probably didn't really need the help. Still, the white furred unicorn smiled gratefully to her violet coated friend hovering nearby.

"Thank you, Twilight, darling," Rarity said. "Your assistance is much appreciated."

Twilight Sparkle smiled to her friend before the unicorn mare turned away and swung the back of her hoof up into an incoming minotaur's face. The alicorn princess took this as her cue to get back into the fight as well. She was not nearly as prolific in hoof-to-hoof combat like most of her friends were, but she really didn't need to be. From above, she fired all sorts of energy attacks, from little stunning streams, a variety of laser bolts, shotgun-like and machine gun-like blasts, and even electrical currents. The energy attacks that were the most effective for her were the large orbs or giant beams of explosive power she built up and launched at her enemies.

Twilight Sparkle was doing so well just flying high and shooting down the minotaurs from above, she really didn't need to do anything else. But she still felt compelled to, which was why she flew down into the fray and started swinging her horn around. Sparks flew out of every spot on a minotaur where Twilight's glowing horn struck them. Weapons were either cut in half or exploded into several pieces when they came into contact with the burning aura of Twilight's horn. Twilight Sparkle, like Rarity, also utilized her levitation and teleportation magic, only she seemed to be able to wield it to a greater extent.

With the power of the red Alpha Stone driving her, Twilight Sparkle was easily able to leave a tremendous path of devastation in her wake. Her magic seemed to be equaled to that of a million other ponies it was so awesome. She moved unopposed, plowing through every minotaur that came her way.

"I've always wanted to learn new things," Twilight Sparkle said in a brash tone with a confident smirk on her face. "I think now it's time for me to move on to teaching. I'll start with teaching you dull horns what happens when you mess with innocent ponies!"

Despite how great of an offense Twilight Sparkle and Rarity had, they were unable to keep a great many minotaurs from getting passed them. It turned out that the two magic wielders didn't need to hold them all back after all. Pinkie Pie and Applejack were more than willing to get their hooves dirty and meet these foes head on. They just ran through the first few, plowing along like they themselves were the bulls. Then, in complete unison, the two Earth ponies slid on their backs side-by-side, kicking their rear hooves into the legs of the minotaurs they passed by.

They also punched a front hoof upward as they slid in between the legs of many would be opponents. Finally Pinkie Pie and Applejack grabbed the legs of two minotaurs they slid by, tripping them and making them fall flat on their faces. Then the two Earth pony mares got up and tossed the minotaurs they still had a hold of into different group nearby. From there, Pinkie Pie and Applejack branched out on their own to fight off the minotaurs. Both of them used their own unique fighting styles from there.

Applejack would run along and headbutt whoever got in her way before switching to using a whole variety of different punches. She threw them more expertly than even the most skillful of gladiators. The orange furred southerner was an amazing sight to behold with whatever attack she used. Very occasionally she would throw a front kick or two, but would prefer using buck kicks overall, which packed a much mightier hit than anything else she did. At one point, Applejack was able to get a single rope wrapped around twelve different minotaurs, who she then bucked into the air at many others.

" _Yahoo!_ " Applejack exclaimed. " _I can't believe it's is actually us doing this! It's almost like we're... superheroes... We gotta keep it up, though! So let's take these bulls by the horns!_ "

Pinkie Pie actually seemed to be more playful in her approach. She would roll across the floor in a ball, making the sound of a bowling ball knocking down pins whenever she hit someone. She would also occasionally hop high through the air, humming, giggling, and singing. She would let out with a call of, "Boingy, boingy, boingy" every time she landed on a minotaur's head. She would also swing her tail into a minotaur, knocking them out with the aid of a small anvil hidden within.

She would also use a weapon that could only be described as a gun with a spring loaded boxing glove on the end, which was actually, somehow very effective. When she didn't have time to use her tricks, Pinkie Pie would swing her front hooves, which were still covered by her metal gauntlets from before. Other times she would manage to slink out of the way at just the last moment when someone tried to swing a weapon at her. More often than not, it would cause the minotaur swinging the weapon to hit one of his comrades nearby and cause him serious harm.

One such occasion came when Pinkie Pie tapped a minotaur who had a large metal mace on his shoulder. The bull turned around only to be met with a beaming smile, a lip lock, a giggle, and then a raspberry blown in his face, all courtesy of Pinkie Pie. The minotaur growled fiercely before taking a swing at the pink pony. Unfortunately, he was too slow to hit her and too close to one of the other minotaurs that was busy fighting Applejack. The minotaur cried out in agony as the mace dropped down on his head.

"Sorry," the minotaur with the mace said, an apologetic smile plastered on his face.

It was instantly wiped off by a rather hard punch to the kisser by Pinkie Pie as she hopped by. The minotaur managed to recover, growling angrily as he looked for the pink pony. Instead he found another punch, this one thrown by Fluttershy as she flew by. The furious bull swung his mace up at the yellow coated pegasus, but the weapon ended up coming down on the head of the same minotaur as before.

"Sorry," the minotaur with the mace said again as his fellow soldier cried out.

That was when both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy came up with a double dropkick that knocked the minotaur down on his back with the hardest of thuds. The two smiled at their handy work before hoof bumping each other.

"Pink maned ponies are the best," Pinkie Pie chanted.

"They can beat all the rest," Fluttershy finished.

" _Woo!_ " the two exclaimed together.

They were cut off when Applejack came running by with a spear in her mouth. Rather than point the sharp end forward, the Earth pony mare had both ends pointed out at the sides. As she ran, the sides of the spear rammed into the midsections of many a minotaur she passed by. After five or six seconds, the wooden staff lost all integrity and broke against the bodies of the next minotaurs it hit. Applejack turned back to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, who both stared in admiration.

"That was... a heck of a cattle drive there, AJ," Pinkie Pie said.

"But we're just getting started, right, cowgirls?!" Applejack asked.

" _Yee-haw!_ " Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy exclaimed as they kicked their front hooves into the air.

"Alrighty, then, let's rodeo!" Applejack shouted.

The three then rejoined their friends in the fight, easily knocking back any opposition that got in their way. Not much had changed with the other three either, for they were still fighting like new warriors fresh off the assembly line. The Mane Six were figuratively on fire and sometimes it seemed they were literally, too, they moved so fast. Rainbow Dash was easily able to take down any minotaur nearby. Whether it was with a spin kick, a roundhouse kick, a tornado kick or even a regular right or left hook to the side of the face, Rainbow Dash was awesome.

She flew around, flipping, spinning, or twirling in a variety of ways, punching and kicking whatever came her way. It got to a point where she had knocked down or knocked out all her opponents and was able to take a four second break. Rainbow Dash took that time to look at her hooves in disbelief. Seeing the red aura still around her confirmed what she already knew. The power of the Alpha Stone drove her more than anything ever before.

"I have never felt such _power!_ " Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she did a quick little dance.

It ended when she swung her front hoof back, smacking the face of a minotaur that managed to get up again.

"I must agree," Rarity said before taking down a minotaur with a laser blast and three more with a spin kick. "This is just like being an enchanted warrior fighting for justice in a fantasy novel."

"And I got a feeling we still haven't gone as far as we can go with these new powers yet!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

"Well then, when are we gonna get our real test?" Rainbow Dash asked before jabbing her front hooves across the face of a minotaur, knocking him out.

"I don't know, but I hope it's soon!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, a confident smile plastered on her face. "Bring it on, I'm ready for anything!"

The princess's words were about to be tested, for the howls of timberwolves filled the caves. The Mane Six all turned to see twelve of the mythical beasts making their way into the fray. Ordinarily, this would strike instant fear in the hearts of those in the timberwolves' intended paths. This time was different, however, for absolutely none of the Mane Six had even a speck of fear about them, inside or out.

"Well, you asked for it," Applejack said while still sounding as confident as ever.

Twilight Sparkle responded by shooting her horn's magic at a wolf about to pounce on her. Instantly its body erupted into several pieces, making the other wolves yelp as they stopped in their tracks. Twilight Sparkle let a new smile slowly cross her face, followed close behind by her friends. Rarity slashed her horn across the chests of some minotaurs around her before rolling over to Twilight's side. The two horned ponies looked to each other confidently before looking ahead at all the minotaurs and timberwolves in their way.

Both of them let loose as they fired machine gun shots of their attack magic. They easily blasted away two more timberwolves, piece by piece until they were only a pile of burning twigs and leaves on the ground. Every minotaur and even a timberwolf or two watched in utter disbelief what was happening. All of them were awe struck by the incredible feat Twilight Sparkle and Rarity pulled off together. Twilight Sparkle then flew forth, rolling through the air midway before slashing her horn down upon another timberwolf coming at her.

Instantly, the mythical beast of dark magic erupted into several burning pieces. At the same time Rainbow Dash just flew through a timberwolf that was coming at her, making it burst into pieces upon impact. Another one tried leaping down upon the resourceful flier, but she slid across the ground, easily avoiding it. Then Rainbow Dash grabbed a hold of the wolf's tail and swung him into another timberwolf, causing the two to smash apart. Rainbow Dash admired her work for a moment as she smirked.

"Sometimes bad dogs just need to be put to sleep," Rainbow Dash said as she shrugged. She then looked to see several minotaurs running at her, a sight she did not fear at all. " _Hey! Your mamas were all heifers!_ "

As Rainbow Dash proceeded to fight off the minotaurs on the higher level above the main floor, Applejack and Pinkie Pie ran across the ground below. They charged head on at two timberwolves coming their way, taking down any minotaurs that stood between them. When the two Earth ponies were close enough, both of them went to work in tearing the timberwolves to pieces. Applejack jumped around and slid across the ground, kicking, punching and using her rope to take her timberwolf apart. Pinkie Pie merely rolled up into a ball, stuck herself in her own party canon and allowed herself to get fired at the timberwolf ahead.

Upon impact, the sound of a bowling ball colliding with a bunch of pins rang through the air. The two Earth pony mares allowed themselves a moment of rest as they looked around at what they'd accomplished.

"Well, that's quite the lumber pile, ain't it?" Applejack asked.

"You said it!" Pinkie Pie squealed happily.

Fluttershy stood on the ledge across from the one Rainbow Dash was on. She merely stood her ground as three timberwolves and a large group of weapons wielding minotaurs ran at her. At first the yellow coated pegasi merely glared on intensely as she seemed to be waiting for them all to reach her. She waited as the seconds ticked by until they were all right up in front of her. Finally Fluttershy allowed a small smile to cross her face before her eyes practically bulged open and her face morphed into the most angry, most intimidating of glares.

Every minotaur and timberwolf that had been running at Fluttershy stopped dead in their tracks. The minotaurs even dropped their weapons as they and the timberwolves accompanying them began to back up fearfully. Yes, fear had gripped the horde completely, for they were caught within _the stare_ , Fluttershy's most powerful weapon. The pink maned pony slowly began to walk forward as those ahead of her continued to step back, even increasing their speed somewhat. The stare of Fluttershy just seemed to get worse by the moment, making some minotaurs tremble and others feel like they could break down crying any second.

Finally it seemed like Fluttershy was about to let loose with a fury that could only be dreamed about in nightmares. The intensity of her stare made all the pony's would be opposition shudder in terror.

"Boo," Fluttershy merely let out in her regular soft voice as she smiled.

The minotaurs and timberwolves all screamed out like little children before they turned away and ran as fast as they could. Fluttershy chuckled for a moment before looking down and seeing all her friends now on the main path fighting whatever minotaurs were left. She quickly flew down to join in the fight, kicking a minotaur in the face as she landed. The Mane Six kept pushing forward just like they had been the whole time since the fight began. By using the combined might of their unique fighting styles, it wasn't long before what few remaining minotaurs were left got put down.

Even those that had been persistent and gotten up so many times before seemed to be done for good this time around. The Mane Six were simply too strong of a fighting force to be matched. When the last of the minotaurs fell, the Mane Six were still on high alert. Their heads snapped from side-to-side as they looked all around for any more bulls that might oppose them.

"Aww... no more?" Rainbow Dash let out in disappointment after a few seconds.

"Nope, looks like that was it," Applejack said.

"Oh, gosh," Rainbow Dash let out sourly. "I do hope there's more of them up ahead at least."

Suddenly the sound of a horn rang out. The Mane Six looked to see that a minotaur laying on the ground was the one blowing the horn. Applejack kicked back one of her rear hooves into the face of the fallen minotaur laying behind her. He was knocked out instantly, but it was too late. They heard the sounds of what seemed to be hundreds or minotaurs coming their way. While all the other ponies looked concerned, a pleased grin crossed Rainbow Dash's face.

"Aw, yeah!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she rubbed her front hooves together. "This gonna be good!"

"How could you be excited for this?!" Rarity asked in disbelief and slight annoyance. "We don't have time to keep doing this!"

"No, we don't!" Twilight Sparkle agreed as she stood firmly. "Rarity!"

The purple maned unicorn turned to her princess friend.

"What can I do for you, darling?" Rarity asked.

A big smile crossed Twilight's face as her brow lowered.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Twilight Sparkle asked as her horn started to glow.

Only a second went by before the fashionista figured out what her friend was getting at. This caused her to let a similar smile cross her face as her own horn started to glow.

"Let's do it!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Everypony else get back!" Twilight Sparkle ordered.

The other ponies in the group did as instructed, moving back a few feet. When Twilight and Rarity saw that they were far back enough, the two mares touched the tips of their horns together. Let forth from the two instruments of magic was an extra large wave of attack magic. The beam was so big and the glow of it was so bright, it lit up the whole tunnel like it was a piece of the sun. For a moment, that's what all the minotaurs and timberwolves up ahead thought it was.

All of them knew instantly they were in danger and turned to try and run away. But the beam was too fast for them to avoid, for it plowed through all of them like they were pieces of paper. The whole attack lasted all of seven seconds before Twilight Sparkle and Rarity ceased fire. They pulled away from each other, then looked ahead, as did the other mares. Then they all turned to one another before running up ahead.

It didn't take them long to find the results of Twilight and Rarity's combined attack laying all across the floor. There were hardly any pieces of the timberwolves left and nearly every minotaur looked like they may have been dead. At first the Mane Six were all stunned silent by the results of what Twilight Sparkle and Rarity had done. Already none of them could believe they had watched their two magical friends do what they did. Seeing what devastation it left in its wake was just as shocking.

"You know, maybe next time y'all should lead with that," Applejack suggested none too subtly.

"Please don't," Rainbow Dash grumbled with a disappointed look on her face. "You two should call that beam the fun sucker, because that's just what it is. You two really know how to wreck a good time, you know that?"

"Come on, Rainbow Dash, we had to get moving on," Applejack insisted.

"And we still do," Fluttershy said. "If that new kaiju is born..."

"Tell you what, Rainbow Dash," Twilight Sparkle said. "We'll let you fight the next several hundred minotaurs all by yourself, okay?"

"Hmm..." Rainbow Dash hummed as she rubbed a hoof to her chin. "Deal! You know... for a bunch of ponies called the council of friendship, we haven't been that friendly today."

The other ponies looked at the rainbow maned pegasus for a moment before they busted out laughing.

"To be fair, they started it," Twilight Sparkle said in between laughs.

"And we gotta finish it!" Pinkie Pie insisted. "We finished here, good for us, way to go. Now come on, everypony, let's get moving!"

With that, Pinkie Pie started hopping away. The other ponies quickly followed after her and they were all on the move once again. Though the tunnel was still long and far, it felt like no time was going by at all as the Mane Six continued to rush through it. They were even able to easily avoid the bodies of injured minotaurs sprawled out all around. In fact it only seemed like a second later before anything else happened.

" _Stop!_ " Pinkie Pie shouted as she raised a hoof.

The others quickly skidded to a screeching halt, though they ended up crashing into one another and nearly hit Pinkie Pie as well. They stopped a few inches behind her, though, so she was spared from the pile up. The other five ponies quickly got up, brushed themselves up, and then angrily came up to Pinkie's side.

"What gives, Pinkie Pie?!" Rainbow Dash let out in aggravation.

"Really, Pinkie Pie, what was that all about?!" Rarity asked.

Pinkie Pie raised her other hoof to her mouth and shushed her friends.

"Doesn't this look familiar to you?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Though confused, the others looked around to see if they could figure out what the pink pony meant.

"Oh, my word, she's right!" Rarity exclaimed. "Sweet Celestia, this is it!"

"This is the area we were in when we found the entrance to the laboratory," Twilight Sparkle said in astonishment. "If I'm not mistaking, from this angle, it should be somewhere on our left."

Everyone turned and did, indeed, see the entrance to the lab just as they remembered it from before. Suddenly the weight of the situation was upon them again almost exactly like it was before they were energized by the Alpha Stone. It wasn't quite that level, but the Mane Six still got a strong reminder of exactly what was at stake in their situation. Keeping that in mind, the group looked to one another before they slowly made their way towards the entrance to the laboratory.

"Twilight, the light from the stone," Applejack whispered.

Twilight Sparkle looked back to her southern friend who pointed around to herself and all the others. The alicorn mare knew right away what her friend meant and quickly severed her connection with the Alpha Stone. In doing this, the red glow around everyone faded while their physical state returned to one of normalcy. It was a bit of a shock for everypony going back to being normal. Some even thought they felt tired to the point they could fall asleep any second.

"What gives, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash whispered, though it was obvious she was annoyed.

"We don't want to do anything to attract attention to ourselves," Twilight Sparkle replied. "Remember, there's a whole other set of minotaurs in there, along with two psychotic unicorns. They still have the other three Alpha Stones and may even have another kaiju in there ready to go. So, we need to go at this a lot smarter than what we were doing before."

"She's right y'all," Applejack said. "We've gotta keep it secret that we're here. As far as everyone else in there knows, we're either back in Isarem's room or done for altogether. So we need to keep from drawing attention to ourselves in anyway we can think of. So no lights, no barging in, no loud noises, anything. So everypony keep low and keep quiet."

The others nodded their heads as they whispered in agreement.

"Quiet is my middle name," Fluttershy said.

"I thought it was Delilah," Pinkie Pie said.

The others all groaned before gathering themselves and heading down the path that would take them into the laboratory. It was there where the greatest threat to ponykind was being created. All of the Mane Six hoped beyond hope that they weren't too late to stop it from being born. Without the power of the Alpha Stone keeping them at full charge the entire time, the weight of the situation was starting to stress the Mane Six out even more. They all seemed to be able to handle it better still, though.

Somehow, someway they were able to keep a grip on themselves and move ahead in their mission like nothing was bothering them at all. Each pony knew the opposite was true, thus they all turned comforting smiles to each other as they walked along. But suddenly they were being blinded by a intense flashing light from up ahead at the entrance. None of the Mane Six had been expecting it and weren't at all ready for its blinding intensity. The half dozen equines shut their eyes while lifting a front hoof over their faces and turning away.

Twilight Sparkle quickly cast a spell from her horn that shielded her eyes and those of her friends from the harmful effects of the light. Once the others realized what she had done, they all went on the move again.

"What was that about the lights from the stone attracting attention to us?" Rainbow Dash asked smugly.

"I know a vet that clips the wings of birds, Rainbow Dash." Twilight Sparkle said sternly. "I'm sure he'd consider it a challenge to try a pegasus."

The Mane Six started to hear voices coming from ahead and accordingly moved over to the side of the entrance cave. They pressed their backs against the wall and did practically everything else to keep themselves hidden. All of them slowly looked out to the lab, seeing that the bright flashes of light had subsided ever so slightly. Even if they hadn't, thanks to Twilight's spell the Mane Six could see that the rest of the lab looked pretty much as they'd left it. There were slight differences; some work stations looked less busy than before while others were even busier.

The only other really big difference was, of course, the great glowing light, the source of which was none other than the gigantic kaiju generator. As the Mane Six stared at it, they suddenly felt the tremors the generator caused starting up again. This time turned out to be the worst earthquake yet and almost made some of the Mane Six want to scream out. None of them did, though, for they didn't want to do anything that could get them noticed. So against their basic desires, the Mane Six stayed silent as they huddled in their little section against the wall of the cave.

The Mane Six waited out the earthquake as best they could, hoping no stray debris would fall and hit them. None of them were sure how long it lasted, but it felt like forever before the earthquake finally subsided.

" _What's taking so long?!_ " a voice rang out as the last few tremors died out. " _It should've been finished by now!_ "

 _I recognize that voice_ , Twilight Sparkle thought to herself. She and the other ponies looked out to the lab and saw two familiar, but not well liked faces. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning were standing at the control console closest to the generator accompanied by several minotaurs. They, along with everyone else in the lab, were wearing protective goggles to shield their eyes from the rays of the kaiju generator.

"I don't know why it hasn't finished yet, Khaos Fury!" Dark Lightning let out with a panic. "This is highly unusual! The data in the preliminary reports say this should've been over with fifteen minutes ago!"

" _Well, it's still not done yet, is it, Dark?!_ " Khaos Fury shouted.

"Could it be that absorbing the power of the stones requires more time?" one of the minotaurs standing next to the two unicorns suggested.

"The data already accounted for that," Dark Lightning said. "It says this still should've been over by now."

"Well, why don't we stop talking about it not being done yet and actually figure out _why_ it isn't done yet?!" Khaos Fury let out furiously. "I want results, you incompetent fools, not you twiddling around like newborns learning math for the first time!"

Every available minotaur went to work, reading data, checking machinery, and typing in codes on consoles. Anything that could be done, those who could do it were doing it. Seeing all of them scramble around actually made the Mane Six want to giggle. They turned away from the scene and huddled in close together.

"Okay, so they haven't been able to create the new kaiju yet," Twilight Sparkle said. "That means we could have an actual chance of stopping them from doing it."

"But how?" Fluttershy asked. "How are we going to go about this? Do we just charge in with the red Alpha Stone or do you still think that might be too risky?"

"Anypony got any bright ideas?" Rainbow Dash asked.

All went silent in the Mane Six's circle as they tried to think of what they could do about stopping those in the lab. It only lasted for a moment, but like so many things since their mission began, it felt like it went on forever. It was interrupted when a proverbial light bulb went off in Pinkie Pie's mind.

"Hello, Pinkie," the Earth pony whispered to herself as she put a hoof to her forehead. "We could just blow up the lab with the bombs I planted in there."

The others all turned to their pink friend and looked at her with surprise and even some confusion.

"You said what?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, that's another thing I was doing in there while we were separated," Pinkie Pie explained. "I was setting up bombs in there. I think we can all agree the lab was a better place to set up the bombs than the mine was."

The others thought for a moment before they almost unanimously agreed. The only one who stayed silent was Twilight Sparkle, who still seemed to be thinking hard about it.

"How many bombs did you plant, Pinkie Pie?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she looked to her friend.

"Only three," Pinkie Pie answered. "When I saw you get captured, I stopped to figure out a way to help you."

"Will that be enough to take out the whole lab, though?" Rarity asked. "Clearly those bombs aren't as powerful as Wolfhard thought they would be."

"And that lab is pretty big," Rainbow Dash said. "Even if the bombs can cause enough of a problem to make some heads turn, it's no guarantee it'll blow those heads away."

"At least not all of them," Applejack said.

"They could," Pinkie Pie said, "if Twilight used the red Alpha Stone's magic too increase their blast force."

The others all looked to the puffy maned pony.

"You really think that's the way to go?" Fluttershy asked.

"Why not?" Pinkie Pie asked. "We've already seen all the other stuff the stone can do. All Twilight's gotta do is harness the stone's magic while casting two spells into the lab area. One spell will be to increase the bombs' blast force until they have enough power to blow up a hoofball stadium like Wolfhard said they could. The second spell will be a frequency that will ignite the bombs, destroying the lab and everything with it."

Twilight Sparkle thought for a moment before her eyes started to get wide almost as if in excitement.

"That just might work!" Twilight Sparkle said. "Pinkie, you're a genius!"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Pinkie Pie asked as a proud, slightly smug smile crossed her face.

"Wait a minute, let's think about this," Applejack said. "Do we really want to try and blow up the lab while the other three Alpha Stones are in there? I mean, shouldn't we try grabbing them before we do something like that?"

"Not worth the risk," Twilight Sparkle said. "Putting ourselves in the lion's den when we have a better path to go on isn't logical."

"Besides, we've got the red Alpha Stone," Rainbow Dash said. "It's obviously more powerful than the other three combined. So, we don't need the other stones."

"Which, "Rarity began, "makes it even more illogical to risk ourselves going in there to try and get them."

"Plus, the time we waste in there is more time for them to figure out how to create that new monster," Twilight Sparkle said. "We can't risk that."

"Alright, fair enough," Applejack said. "But what if you harness too much power and accidentally set off the bombs we're still wearing?"

"Do you think Twilight could make a mistake like that?" Rarity asked. "I highly doubt it."

"All I have to do is focus my magics into the lab area," Twilight Sparkle explained. "It'll be no problem at all."

"Well, could the explosion affect us?" Applejack asked.

"I'm way ahead of you, Applejack, darling," Rarity said. "While Twilight is using her magic to destroy the lab, I'll use my own, with the aid of the stone of course, to make a barrier around us."

"Good, that should be enough to protect us," Twilight Sparkle said. "See, Applejack, by all accounts, this plan should work."

"Then let's do it already!" Applejack said.

Twilight Sparkle looked to all of her friends who she'd grown to love so much.

"Are you all ready?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Eeyup," Applejack said.

"Rodger dodger," Pinkie Pie said as she saluted.

"Aw, yeah!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Yes, darling, ready and willing," Rarity said.

"Go for it, Twilight," Fluttershy said.

Twilight Sparkle let out a deep sigh before she turned to Pinkie Pie's pack. Her horn started to glow as she focused on harnessing the power of the red Alpha Stone. Instantly the light from the stone began to intensify, making the other mares gather around it to hide its bright glow. Only a second later did the aura around Twilight's horn change color from its usual pink to red, matching the Alpha Stone's own intense aura. Twilight Sparkle then turned to the lab and focused her magic in that direction as she began the process of casting her spells.

"Rarity, now!" Twilight Sparkle whispered urgently a few seconds later.

Instantly the white furred unicorn's horn lit up, its aura changing from its blue glow to red just like Twilight's had before. A powerfully strong magic orb appeared all around the Mane Six, safely confining them inside as the first explosion went off. It caught many off guard, even the Mane Six who knew it was coming.

" _What the-?!_ "

Khaos Fury's voice was drowned out by the sounds of chaos erupting all over just before the last two explosions went off. The results were utter devastation, the likes of which the Mane Six couldn't have possibly imagined. It was like they were standing just outside of the mouth of the world's biggest dragon as he was releasing his great breath of fire. The whole area shook like it would rip apart as the flames of the explosions rushed at the Mane Six faster than they were prepared for. Despite the barrier around them, most of the mares screamed out and tried to duck and cover as the blast force and the fire all consumed the area they were in.

It all moved even farther past the Mane Six as the amazingly destructive power of the bombs continued. After a moment or two, the mares who had ducked down slowly started to rise. They soon realized they were truly protected, completely safe from the effects of the explosions. With the aid of the Alpha Stone, Rarity was easily able to keep up the barrier and keep herself and her friends safe from everything going on around them. From the fires, to the blast force, to the falling debris being blown all around them, nothing seemed like it could get to the ponies.

Thanks to Rarity's barrier being aided by the red stone, the Mane Six were untouchable. Still, it was very unsettling the way the explosion shook everything all around the Mane Six. Also seeing it all play out just a hoof's reach away was even more unsettling and even disturbing. The Mane Six didn't know how long it took before the effects of the bombs finally stopped. When it did, though, it seemed to happen almost instantaneously.

As suddenly as everything had burst into anarchy, it all fell as silent as death itself. It took the Mane Six a few seconds to gather themselves after seeing it all play out in front of them. Even then, they still weren't completely over what they had seen and they didn't know if they ever would be.

"Wow, I've... never... experienced anything like that before," Twilight Sparkle said in a stunned manner.

"Neither have I," Applejack said as she kept looking on in awe.

"I wish I could say I have... but I'd be lying just to look cool," Rainbow Dash said as she looked on at entranced as her friends were.

"I think it's safe to say none of us have seen anything like that," Fluttershy let out. "At least not this directly."

"I certainly haven't," Rarity said as she released her barrier. "But I was glad I was able to keep you all safe from it."

"Lucky you were here to keep us all out of harm's way, Rare," Applejack said with a smile.

"Glad to know you still have our backs," Pinkie Pie said.

"Always, darling, always," Rarity said. "Just like I'll always be glad for you finding that stone. Without it, I might not have been able to keep us protected the way I did. That would mean... Well, anyways, we're safe now and that's the important thing."

The Mane Six all looked up ahead, of course they couldn't see anything at all through the smoke, dirt, and dust that was in the air. Several of the ponies started to cough and gag from all that had been left in the air as a result of the massive explosion. Twilight Sparkle instantly had her friends covered, putting air filtering bubbles around their heads and her own.

"So... what do we do now?" Fluttershy asked.

"I guess we... just move on to the mines," Applejack said. "I mean, it's pretty obvious nothing could've survived that explosion. Not without using an Alpha Stone at least. So I think the best thing we can do is just move on, free the ponies that are still being used as slaves, and then set the rest of our charges."

"Then Twilight will teleport the hostages and all of us out of these caves," Rarity went on.

"Then that will be the end of this freaking dump!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "So let's go do this thing already!"

The others all exclaimed together enthusiastically at the thought of them almost being done with their mission. The only one who left herself out was, surprisingly, Twilight Sparkle. The others quickly took notice and looked to see the alicorn still staring inside at what used to be the minotaurs' laboratory.

"Uh... Twilight?" Pinkie Pie called out.

"Is everything alright, Twi?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Sugarcube?" Applejack called to her friend.

"Something's not right," Twilight Sparkle let out in a voice barely above a whisper.

"What, darling, what?" Rarity asked her friend.

"What's wrong, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

Instead of answering, the other mares were surprised when Twilight Sparkle started walking into the remains of what used to be a technological gold mine. The other five ponies all looked to each other questioningly before they started walking after Twilight Sparkle. None of them liked the idea of going into an area that had just suffered such a great explosion literally only minutes ago. Still, they didn't want Twilight going into the former blast zone by herself, so they pushed on regardless. It wasn't easy, for though they could breathe clearly, they were still having a hard time seeing.

The thick layers of smoke, dust, and the like made it hard to see anything. It was so bad, Rainbow Dash wasn't able to see a large piece of stone before crashing into it.

" _Youch!_ " Rainbow Dash cried out before shaking her head around then rubbing the sides of it.

A half second later she was trying to play it cool like nothing had ever happened. The others were having a hard time navigating through all the debris the explosion left behind as well. From lab pieces to chunks of stone all varying in size, there was a lot to wade through. The worst part was stumbling upon a body that had not been completely incinerated by the explosion. No matter what condition it may have been in, it was always a horrible experience.

The first time Fluttershy bumped into one, she nearly tripped over it and just about shrieked in horror when she realized what it was. Luckily Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were all there to comfort her despite them feeling similarly about the situation with the bodies. It was getting to the point where they were starting to feel frustrated and impatient about the situation. Worse was that some of them were starting to aim that frustration at Twilight Sparkle since she was the one they followed into the area.

"Alright, Twilight, time to spill the beans!" Rainbow Dash said before colliding with another piece of stone. "Ow! Why are we stumbling around a place where we can't walk, I can't fly, and we can't even see our hooves in front of our faces?!"

Rainbow Dash started waving a hoof in front of her face for emphasis. However she noticed that she was starting to see her hoof better than she would've previously. Actually, everyone was starting to notice the air was beginning to clear up around them, though it still wasn't fast enough for their tastes. Something else they weren't fond of was the fact that Twilight Sparkle didn't answer Rainbow Dash's question. Instead, she lit up her horn and used its aura like a lantern to help her see as she continued trekking along.

"Twilight, come on now, talk to us," Applejack insisted.

"What has you so frazzled, darling?" Rarity asked.

"Nice word use, Rarity," Pinkie Pie said.

"Uh... thank you?" Rarity said with uncertainty.

The others all saw Twilight Sparkle stop several feet ahead of them before turning to her right. Fluttershy looked to her friends before walking up to Twilight's side.

"Twilight, what is it?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm... not sure," Twilight Sparkle said. "Something just doesn't feel right to me."

At that moment a blast of electrical sparks caught the two mares by surprise, making them shout out and jump back. Up to this point they had either seen or heard electrical surges and sparks flying out all around them from what was left of the equipment. This one was too big and too close for comfort, though. Twilight and Fluttershy looked to each other to make sure they were okay before looking ahead. There seemed to be something beyond the destroyed, surging equipment, a flashing light of some sort.

Upon seeing it, Twilight Sparkle instantly used her magic to clear away any debris ahead of her and walked on. The others followed close behind her as the air around them continued to clear up. As it cleared, it became more apparent that the flashing light was much bigger than what they thought it was. This made a sense of dread go through them, the likes of which they couldn't explain. The implications became more apparent to them as they kept on walking ahead.

It was only a little bit later when they were able to see that their worst fears were realized. All of them stopped dead in their tracks as they looked on in terror.

" _The kaiju generator is still in tact!_ " Twilight Sparkle screamed.

None of other ponies could muster the words to say anything else. The Mane Six couldn't believe what they were seeing despite their vision becoming clearer, as was the sight ahead. Despite the mighty magnitude of the explosion Twilight Sparkle had set off, the kaiju generator still stood tall as ever. It looked as if it hadn't been touched by anything at all, for there wasn't a single scratch on it.

"But how can that be?!" Rainbow Dash cried out in disbelief.

"It should've been blown apart just like everything else in here!" Rarity said in astonishment.

" _Not everything!_ " a voice shouted out from the void.

" _Die, you pony scum!_ " a second voice cried.

Suddenly there were several energy blasts going off from all around. Several blasts made direct hits on the Mane Six, while others tore up the ground around them. The Mane Six cried out partially in surprise, but mostly in pain as they were dropped to the ground. Most of them were quick to get back up again, despite the stinging pain they felt. Some of them were nearly knocked down again as two forms came flying through the air and crashing down in between them.

Twilight Sparkle was the only one who saw the two before they hit the ground. She couldn't believe it, but the two evil unicorn twins, Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury who were attacking the Mane Six. Somehow they had managed to survive the explosion that looked to have killed and destroyed everything else except the kaiju generator. The two unicorns' stances were like those of rabid wolves preparing to strike. All the Mane Six could do was stare at the two near psychotic-looking unicorns in complete and utter shock.

Absolutely none of the mares thought there was a chance of anyone being able to survive such a massive explosion. That is, at least not without the aid of an Alpha Stone like the Mane Six themselves had. Still there Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning stood like they were ready to fight.

"H- H- How did-?" Twilight Sparkle started to say.

"I don't know how you prancing fillies survived Isarem and frankly, I don't care!" Khaos Fury let out like a vicious animal. "All that means is I have the chance to finish you all off myself! I'm especially looking forward to taking you out," Khaos Fury pointed a hoof at Twilight, "you worthless, good for nothing, princess tramp!"

Twilight Sparkle held a hoof up to her mouth as she gasped in outrage.

"Now you six foals will know the true meaning of pain!" Dark Lightning shouted. "After what you creeps pulled here, we won't hold back!"

With that, the evil unicorn twins leapt at the mares around them for what was destined to be their final battle.

* * *

The volcano continued to shake and tremble as more and more night black smoke poured out of its crater and floated into the air around the island. It almost seemed like Tartarus itself was preparing to erupt out of the pit of fire and lava to wreak havoc on Earth. The whole island even seemed like it was starting to tremble and shake, though not nearly as much as the volcano itself. Any wildlife that had been anywhere near the smoking mountain before had long fled to other parts of the island. All that is, except for the mighty kaiju that were Godzilla and Anguirus.

The two kaiju continued to make their way down the side, though Godzilla had no intentions of actually leaving the area. He absolutely refused to leave so long as he knew the Mane Six and all the hostages they came to rescue were still in such a dangerous environment. The King of Monsters looked around at all that was happening, none of which painted a pleasant picture, even to him. While he wasn't so much worried about himself or even Anguirus given the kind of creatures they were, his friends were another matter. He loved his pony friends with all of his heart and he knew because of how much smaller they were they were also more fragile to such environments.

He could still feel their presence, so he knew they were alive, but he had a sneaking suspicion they were in great danger. Godzilla's thoughts were interrupted when Anguirus roared out asking the kaiju king what they should do. He looked down to the four legged kaiju and saw the somewhat concerned and uncertain look on his face. Godzilla had a feeling that while his concern was mostly about their pony friends inside the mountain, he seemed uneasy about something else. When Godzilla questioned him about possibly being afraid of what was happening on the volcano, Anguirus was a bit defensive saying he wasn't afraid.

But he went on to say he was also worried about the ponies down in Seaside Hoof. He could sense that what was happening with the volcano could hold dire implications for the rest of the island. A part of him wanted to be there for those in town in case something cataclysmic like that did happen. When Godzilla questioned him about what it would mean for the ponies inside the volcano, Anguirus froze for a moment. He finally spoke up saying they couldn't help those ponies much and that... there may have been a chance they were already...

Godzilla cut Anguirus off with a mighty roar telling him that just wasn't so. He knew the Mane Six better than that and knew they couldn't be taken down so easily, not even by something like the volcano. Plus he could still sense them nearby alive and fully in tact. When Anguirus asked how he could be so sure, Godzilla merely grinned at first. Then he finally said he didn't need his senses either way and that once Anguirus got to know the Mane Six like Godzilla himself did, he'd understand.

Reluctantly, the quadrupedal giant monster roared in agreement to stay a little while longer. Godzilla let out a few light growls thanking his friend before looking up at the summit of the volcano. He didn't like the looks of what he saw, but the king of monsters stood and growled defiantly. Nothing nature did ever scared him before and that wasn't about to change. Godzilla roared out a challenge to the volcano, practically telling it to show him all it had, for no matter what he would not back down.

* * *

 **Just a few quick announcements. It took longer than I wanted it to in getting this chapter released to the public. I was sick for several days and had other things I had to attend to this month as well. I apologize for taking longer than it would've usually to get this chapter out, but I hope you can all enjoy it anyways.**

 **Also, I wanted to wish each and everyone of you readers out there a true and sincere, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :)**


	36. Chapter 36: Hit Hard

The fight was on!

Both Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning's horns were glowing as bright as ever while their auras were burning hot to the touch. They both let out maniacal screams when they leaped forth and swung their horns down at the ponies around them. Most of those ponies managed to jump safely out of harm's way. Twilight Sparkle even had the foresight to teleport the bomb packs they were wearing safely off to the side somewhere. The only two ponies that weren't fast enough to avoid being struck down by the evil twins were Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

Both mares cried out as Khaos and Dark's horns struck them, igniting eruptions of sparks as they fell to the ground. Anger instantly gripped the other four pony mares who looked from their fallen friends to Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury. Their horrified faces slowly shifted into looks of boiling fury.

"You're going to pay for that, you vile excuses for ponies!" Rarity shrieked out.

"Oh, you're breakin' our hear-"

Khaos Fury was interrupted when the remaining four pony mares ran at her and Dark Lightning. Both evil unicorns were slightly caught off guard by their foes' aggressive push, but they were still ready to meet them in combat. The two unicorns clashed with the four pony mares in a fantastic brawl with both sides showing an incredible display of force and fighting prowess. There were a great many different various exchanges of many different combinations. One of these many exchanges included Khaos Fury's horn clashing with Twilight's from time to time.

During their exchanges Khaos would look at Twilight like a hated rival. To her it almost felt like they went back over a long, legendary feud, one who's story would be told over and over again in the annals of history.

"You're going to pay for all the evil deeds you committed, Khaos!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as they fought on.

"Gonna be expensive, because I ain't done being bad!" Khaos Fury responded. "I mean, I still haven't killed you yet! Once I've gotten rid of you, anypony I've left alive can front me the bill! Only problem is I don't intend to let anyone get out of this alive, let alone you, ya little tramp!"

"Stop calling me that!" Twilight Sparkle demanded as she pressed her attack harder.

Khaos and Twilight went at each other like two great gladiators with an immensely strong hatred of each other only spoken of in myth. It almost seemed like the two wanted to live just long enough to have a final battle where they would settle things once and for all. That battle appeared to be intertwined with an even bigger war involving many another pony. Even more were added when Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy managed to recover and join in the fight, much to the surprise of Dark and Khaos.

"You just can't keep us down!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she swung her front hooves forth.

"Give us a little more time," Dark Lightning spouted, "and we'll see if you're still saying that or anything else before this is over!"

Now whole once more, the Mane Six moved in as a unit and pressed even harder with their attack against the vile and evil unicorn twins.

"It doesn't matter if there are six of you and only two of us!" Khaos Fury exclaimed. "Even if there were twenty of you, it wouldn't matter! We're gonna rip all of you apart!"

"We'll see about that, thunder mouth!" Applejack spouted back.

"Shut up and fight, loose lips!" Rainbow Dash directed at Khaos Fury.

Despite how intense the fight was, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack still couldn't help but think about Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. The four ponies wanted desperately to check on their previously injured friends, but they knew their two foes wouldn't give them the chance. Plus with an anger fueled adrenaline rush going through them, it was clearly more for the better they went on the attack where they put it to good use. Even without using the red Alpha Stone to charge them, the Mane Six all fought almost like it was all they had been doing their whole lives. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning were actually both surprised somewhat by how easily they were starting to feel overwhelmed.

It was even worse for them since the two ponies they had knocked down before had gotten back up again. While Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy weren't nearly as good of fighters as their friends, the new dynamic they added still tipped the fight further in their side's favor. While this concerned Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury, both of them still refused to let it show at all. The immense determination in their blackened hearts actually seemed to somehow force them to adapt quicker than one would expect them to.

"You wastes of fur won't be able to do anything that can stop us!" Dark Lightning spat out between attacks. "You don't have what it takes! You can't knock us down!"

"Sure, keep talking, ya ink stain!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "It makes you an easier target for me to hit!"

The blue coated pegasus swung a punch at the black furred stallion. Dark Lightning managed to roll safely out of the way before shooting off several shots of his attack magic.

"Target this, Rainbow Bright!" Dark Lightning shouted.

Only one shot actually hit the rainbow maned pegasus, but she actually managed to shake it off somehow. Was it her adrenaline, the blast not being that powerful, or possibly some other factor? Whatever the reason might've been, Rainbow Dash fought through the shot she took and flew deeper into the fight to meet Dark Lightning head on. This was only one isolated moment of several different exchange in what was, without a doubt, one of the most intense fights either side had been through. It was unlike anything that had happened to the two teams before.

There were punches thrown, kicks swung around, blasts of horn magic, or horns being swung and thrusts like some sort of sword or stabbing weapon. Jabs, body shots, wild haymakers, Superman punches, and even front bucks among many other kinds of strikes one could do with their front hooves were used. In addition, side kicks, back kicks, standing front kicks, roundhouse kicks, spin kicks, tornado kicks, and many others were also used in the scuffle. Of them all, Applejack put her back bucking kick to best use while Rarity proved to be the most effective with her knowledge of martial arts kicks she knew.

"I could do this all day!" Rainbow Dash boasted to anger her foes.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack seemed to be about even when it came to throwing punches. Or at least they would've been if Rainbow Dash didn't take full advantage of the fact that she could fly. At one point she knocked Dark Lightning down with the hardest flying kick she'd ever pulled off, hitting him so hard in the side it sounded like something popped. Surprisingly, though, the black furred unicorn managed to roll back up to his hooves almost instantly. That's how it was the majority of the time where, no matter the varying levels of pain they felt, a pony that was knocked down managed to get right back up again.

Sometimes it would take longer for a pony to get up depending on who it was and how much the hit they took hurt them. Still everyone was always able to get up again and rejoin the fight like nothing had ever happened. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy mostly hung back outside of the main fight, only jumping in when they saw a good opening. Their results would vary each time, with them either landing a decent hit or being hit themselves with a resounding amount of pain. The efforts of the two were still something to be admired, for neither mare was near as natural of fighters as their friends were.

Twilight Sparkle used all the tricks at her disposal to great extent, whether it be any variety of energy blasts from her horn, other magic spells, her wings, or her own hooves. Teleportation and levitation spells were her strongest point after the typical attack magic blasts. She was also particularly good swinging her horn around, nearly matching the efforts of Khaos Fury and Dark Lighting combined. It actually stunned the duo even further that the might of all six mares they fought tested them as much as it did. They actually expected that the two of them going full force together would be enough to overpower the Mane Six in very little time.

While that proved not to be the case, the two unicorns were actually able to put up a heck of a fight themselves. Using all sorts of spells or swinging their horns like blades, and even skills in hoof-to-hoof combat were things they excelled at. Any sort of punch or kick the Mane Six could deliver to Dark and Khaos, they could answer back in full force. It was truly a showdown of epic proportions that continued to see a mass of different combinations in combatants. Ponies would run, fly, teleport, levitate, jump, spin, flip, and even roll all around to get at a pony to fight them or avoid an incoming attack.

Sometimes ponies would get thrown or knocked around, either sliding across the floor or sent flying through the air. Depending on how bad the falls and such were among other variables, it would take some ponies longer than others to get up again and rejoin the fight. Because of all this, it would sometimes be three-on-one, four-on-one, two-on-five, sometimes even six-on-one, there were too many combinations to count. The one true constant of all this was how much blood, sweat, and tears everypony involved put in the fight. They gave their absolute all in this bitter conflict that more and more began to look like a war between micro-nations.

Sounds of hooves colliding with flesh and bone, sparks flying from magic filled horns, screams and cries of those participating in the fight rang through the air. It could be seen as a spectacle for those merely viewing, but for those actually involved, it was an absolute nightmare. The fight was a true test of will and spirit, especially not for Khaos Fury and Twilight Sparkle. Of any other constants and combinations, one that seemed to come up most was that those two kept coming into conflict with each other the most. It was almost as if destiny drew them together.

Khaos Fury actually wanted it that way and did her best to see to it she and Twilight would fight each other whenever she had the chance. It actually seemed to be the only thing in the fight that gave her any sense of joy despite the greatly hateful atmosphere surrounding the bitter brawl. Twilight Sparkle saw the sick joy in Khaos Fury's eyes whenever they would lock horns and meet in combat. At one point, Khaos Fury even started to smile when she managed to separate herself and Twilight from the rest of the fight. She used a spell that shoved Twilight Sparkle backwards, as had happened many times before during the fight.

However, Khaos Fury teleported herself so that she'd be there to meet the alicorn princess as soon as she stopped. Twilight Sparkle wasn't expecting it and actually screamed out as Khaos Fury's horn nearly swung down on her. Luckily, the violet coated pony managed to get her own horn up in the nick of time. This led to many more attempted swings from Khaos Fury's horn, all of which Twilight Sparkle managed to block in succession. Then there was a moment of pause where both pony mares were pressing their glowing horns against each other.

Both growled with looks of pure intensity plastered all over their faces. Twilight Sparkle was taken by surprise to see another smile slowly forming across Khaos Fury's features as time ticked by.

"How could you be so happy right now?!" Twilight Sparkle spat out in near disgust. "Why are you so obsessed with fighting me of all ponies?! Wouldn't you rather go help your brother against the odds he's facing right now?!"

For just the briefest of moments, a shiver of uncertainty seemed to creep through Khaos Fury. It was all Twilight Sparkle needed, for she released from her horn a magic pulse that sent Khaos sliding back. Then Twilight teleported herself further away and and began shooting at her foe when she reappeared. Several little blasts of attack magic struck Khaos Fury, making her cry out. The gray coated mare managed to stay standing and even retaliated with several blasts of her own, though Twilight's magic barrier protected her.

At the same time, the other five mares of the Mane Six had managed to subdue Dark Lightning to an extent. Their numbers had overpowered him to the point where Applejack and Rarity could tackle the stallion down and pin him to the cave floor. While those two held Dark Lightning down under them, the other three noticed that Twilight Sparkle was alone with Khaos Fury. Instantly Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie rushed to aid their friend.

"We've got your back, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called out as she flew ahead of the pack.

Khaos Fury and Twilight Sparkle looked to see the three mares coming to help. Before they could reach Twilight or Khaos, Dark Lightning suddenly appeared in front of them in a cloud of smoke.

"None of you are getting near my sister!" Dark Lightning shouted psychotically.

He knew how much it meant to Khaos Fury that she and Twilight be left to fight their own fight. Because of that, Dark Lightning would do his best to see his sister got her wish, no matter how evil it may have been. Quicker than could be believed, he shot the three mares full of machine gun-like blasts from his horn, dropping them instantly.

" _No!_ " Twilight Sparkle cried out.

A beaming Khaos Fury shot the princess full of electricity before charging at her. Dark Lightning wanted to go help his sister, but he was kept busy by Rarity and Applejack coming at him. Rarity shot off several blasts of her attack magic before she and Applejack reached Dark Lightning and proceeded to take him on hoof-to-hoof. The three mares Dark Lightning had dropped before had since gotten back up to their hooves and most of them went to fight him. Rainbow Dash, however, took notice of the situation going on between Twilight Sparkle and Khaos Fury.

She saw the intensity of both ponies as they fought like they were eleven or twelve warriors rolled into one. Khaos Fury clearly had an advantage since Twilight still hadn't fully recovered from that sneak attack she pulled. Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to fly up high before looping around the battle zone. Khaos Fury was far too busy to notice, being firmly on the offense and relishing that she had Twilight Sparkle on a desperate defense. The two ponies' glowing horns continued to clash, Khaos swinging hers around like crazy while Twilight kept moving to block it.

The collision was so strong that sparks actually started to ignite whenever the two horns struck one another. It was easy to tell by the demented grin on Khaos Fury's face how much she enjoyed having Twilight Sparkle to fight one-on-one. The fact that she was now so firmly in control just seemed to accelerate her all the more.

"Be truthful, princess, even you've been waiting for this!" Khaos Fury shouted over the sounds of battle.

Instead of an answer, Twilight Sparkle teleported herself to Khaos Fury's far right. When she reappeared, the alicorn fired several large shots of her attack magic at Khaos, who just barely managed to dodge them. A cry rang out through the air, making Khaos Fury look behind her. The gray furred unicorn barely managed to avoid a sneak attack from Rainbow Dash, who flew right past her. After a growl of anger, Khaos Fury let loose a shotgun burst of her attack magic, hitting Rainbow Dash and knocking her out of the sky.

The pegasus pony screamed loudly before hitting the floor with a large thud. She ended up crashing right next to Twilight Sparkle, who looked on in horror.

" _Rainbow Dash!_ " Twilight Sparkle cried.

Before she could even attempt to help her fallen friend, Twilight was under siege by Khaos Fury's many different kinds of magical blasts. Khaos Fury ran part of the way before teleporting herself right up in front of Twilight Sparkle. Once again their horns clashed like blades wielded by warriors of legend.

"Just admit that it's better this way!" Khaos Fury exclaimed gleefully as the fight went on. "You've wanted this final rematch between us just as much as I have! This is the way it was meant to be, the way it was _destined to be!_ Ever since that first day you and I clashed, our fates were intertwined to lead to this moment right here! Now it is finally time to finish this once and for all!"

"What thing between us?!" Twilight Sparkle demanded before teleporting out of harm's way. Khaos Fury looked around before she spotted Twilight using her wings to hover high above her. "What is all this garbage you've been spitting out? Are you trying to imply that we're some sort of mortal enemies or something? Do you think that we both want nothing more than to fight each other?"

There was a moment of pause where the two mares stared at one another, Khaos with a glare and Twilight with a bewildered face. She examined Khaos Fury for a little bit before a surprised expression crossed her face.

"Oh, my gosh, you do," Twilight Sparkle let out in a hushed tone. Suddenly she cracked a small smile that got bigger overtime. "Y- You actually think that we're..."

It started out as a short chuckle, but more and more Twilight Sparkle started to laugh loudly. It even got to the point when she started to hold her sides, Twilight was laughing so hard. It started to frustrate Khaos Fury a great deal as she scowled like a demon straight out of Tartarus. Her growling grew in volume as Twilight's laughing continued to anger her.

" _Stop that laughing!_ " Khaos Fury demanded.

Twilight Sparkle defied her opponent's demand, though it seemed almost like she couldn't help herself.

"I- I- I'm sorry," Twilight Sparkle finally managed to say. "It's just... It's just that... Oh, my gosh, I can't believe you. Were you really building up to this moment in your head thinking we were the absolute worst of enemies or something like that?"

"Don't try and play games with me, princess!" Khaos Fury shouted out. "You know exactly like I do that our hatred for each other has been boiling and leading us to this point!"

"Oh, wow!" Twilight Sparkle said before she started laughing again.

" _Shut up!_ " Khaos Fury shouted as she released various energy attacks from her horn.

Twilight Sparkle was slightly caught off guard, but managed to dodge almost all the projectiles fired at her by flying around them. It finally got to the point where the alicorn princess had to teleport herself to safety. Khaos Fury looked around for Twilight Sparkle until she appeared in a puff of smoke from her left. Khaos Fury screamed out as Twilight Sparkle's horn slashed down on her side, igniting a burst of sparks. The evil unicorn mare recovered, though and turned to face Twilight Sparkle as their horns clashed once more.

"I've never seen you as some sort of big deal, Khaos Fury," Twilight Sparkle said. "As far as I was concerned, you were just another goon in an evil scheme that needed to be taken down. I never considered you an archenemy at all. I just thought you were a sad, pathetic mind that was allowing herself to be twisted into an evil plot. But turns out you're even worse than that.

"You never believed in the cause of these minotaurs, did you? Neither you, nor your brother believed it, right?"

Khaos Fury didn't answer, for all she could focus on was her blinding anger at all Twilight Sparkle had said about her and their relationship together. Finally the unicorn mare screamed out as the intensity of her assault increased to a higher level that Twilight Sparkle wasn't expecting. Knowing how little Twilight apparently thought of Khaos Fury just seemed to push the already insane pony even more over the edge. She swung her horn around almost like a wild animal. Twilight was now mostly on the defense, moving her horn to block any sort of swing Khaos Fury threw.

Each clash would let out even larger bursts of sparks than any that were released from the collisions they had before. Khaos Fury got even more aggressive with her overtly violent assault on Twilight Sparkle. Even when it seemed like there would be a pause where the two would press their horns together, Khaos Fury pulled out even more brutal tactics. She surprised Twilight Sparkle by bucking her front hooves into the princess's chest and face. Khaos Fury quickly followed up with a series of punches before turning away and bucking her back hooves into Twilight's face.

It seemed like Twilight was going to go flying backward, but she was caught in Khaos Fury's levitation magic. As she pulled Twilight towards her, Khaos Fury unleashed several blasts of her attack magic. Once her foe was close enough, Khaos Fury slashed her horn across Twilight Sparkle's face, making her scream out. Khaos Fury allowed the princess to drop to the ground, gazing at her like a hungry lion all the while. Her eyes widened to psychotically large proportions as she let out a fit of unhinged laughter.

Meanwhile, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie weren't making things easy for Dark Lightning. Each one of them came at him like a bat out of Tartarus with more aggression than anypony amongst them had shown before. Dark Lightning was just as brutal bucking at them, punching at them, swinging his horn around, and shooting whatever he could think of at his foes. At that point he managed to land a mean hit on Fluttershy with his horn that took her down. He instantly paid for it with a shot to the side of the head by Pinkie Pie's front hoof, followed by a slash from Rarity's horn, and finally a back buck from Applejack.

That last attack sent Dark Lightning sliding across the ground, though he managed to stay on his hooves the whole time. He fired back with several bolts of lightning from his horn, though they were blocked by a barrier Rarity put up. Before Dark Lightning could try anything else, he felt a sharp pain spread through his body right from the swell of his back. This was thanks to a flying kick from above, courtesy of a recovered Rainbow Dash. When Dark Lightning turned to face her, he was met with a great many punches before receiving a spinning back kick, all right to the face.

Rarity shot several machine gun-like blasts from her horn at Dark Lightning, which helped drop him to the ground. Rainbow Dash's eyes turned as she saw the situation Twilight was in with Khaos Fury, which was not looking good in anyway.

"Rarity!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she pointed.

The white furred unicorn turned and instantly fired several more machine gun shots from her horn, all of which hit Khaos Fury dead on. As the unicorn mare cried out in pain, she was cut off by a kick up into her lower jaw from Twilight Sparkle. As the violet pony sprung up to her hooves, she also swung her horn up into Khaos Fury's face. Then the princess proceeded to throw several heavy jabs and hooks into Khaos Fury's face before forcing her back with a magic pulse from her horn. As Khaos Fury flew back, Twilight Sparkle caught her with her levitation magic and swung her into the ground, walls, and pieces of debris.

Then Twilight finally started pulling Khaos to her.

"Hope you get a charge out of this one, Khaos!" Twilight Sparkle shouted.

Twilight released several jolts of electricity from her horn, all of which shocked Khaos Fury beyond comprehension. Once her captive foe was up close to her, Twilight Sparkle turned and bucked her back hooves first into Khaos' chest and then her face. Twilight Sparkle then turned to slash her horn down upon Khaos Fury, but she disappeared in a puff of smoke. The fighting mad unicorn reappeared, slashing her horn into Twilight Sparkle's left shoulder, making her scream out. Before Khaos Fury could do anything else, she was struck by some blasts of attack magic that caught her off guard.

The rest of the Mane Six came at Khaos Fury with Rarity heading the pack, continuing to fire her bolts of attack magic. To protect herself, Khaos brought up a barrier in front of her. She was hit from the side, however, by several shots of Twilight's attack magic causing her pain that forced her to put down her shield. That was when the other five came in and as one, the Mane Six went at Khaos Fury. The evil unicorn mare was dealt a fantastic series of punches and kicks the likes of which she'd never felt before, at least not all at once.

She also had to contend with the combined efforts of Twilight and Rarity's horns slashing at her or firing any sort of attack magic they could think of. Though Khaos Fury fought back with all her might, and even got in some good hits of her own, it didn't seem like it would be enough. No matter what Khaos did, she was being overpowered; the combined might of the Mane Six was too much for her to handle. Salvation came in the form of Dark Lightning shooting several bolts of lightning and energy orbs at those surrounding his sister. Twilight Sparkle turned to the stallion and launched several shots at him, but he disappeared with his teleportation magic.

He showed up again in the middle of the fight, slashing several of the Mane Six with his horn before it was caught with Twilight Sparkle's own. The two's horns clashed several more times before Dark Lightning was bucked in the sides by both Pinkie Pie and Applejack. From there it was another plow of random-looking violence. In actuality everyone was putting great focus and precision into everything they did. It was a massive pileup of flesh beating on flesh like no other.

It went on like that for several moments before Khaos Fury used her horn to create a huge flash of light that blinded just about everyone, even her own brother. Then Khaos Fury tackled Twilight Sparkle to the ground before tossing her away with her levitation magic. Meanwhile the others had regained their sight and Dark Lightning ended up getting in the next move. He unleashed several bolts of lightning and energy orbs from his horn. The mares around him all screamed out as they were hit with the many different projectiles.

Dark Lightning ran at Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack and slashed them with his horn before tossing them aside with his levitation magic. Then he started tossing Rarity and Pinkie Pie into whatever he could think of. Rarity used her magic to teleport herself out of Dark Lightning's clutches, reappearing with a flying kick across the stallion's face. Rarity's body wanted so much to give out and just fall to the floor, but she instead ran at Dark Lightning with all she had. It wasn't long before the others gathered themselves, regrouped, and ran in to rejoin the fight and put a hurting on Dark Lightning.

Khaos Fury ran, then leaped through the air to get at Twilight Sparkle before she could get up again. She was unsuccessful because Twilight Sparkle managed to teleport herself out of harm's way. Khaos Fury skidded to a stop and growled in frustration, stomping at the spot where Twilight used to lay. Before she could do anything, she was hit in the side by a beam of attack magic so strong it knocked her off her hooves. Twilight Sparkle kept the beam going as she advanced on Khaos Fury, determination etched all over her face.

Despite how much she was hurting, Khaos Fury forced herself up to her hooves and even managed to make a magic wall form in front of her. Seeing Khaos' defense, Twilight Sparkle ceased fire and flew up as the wall flew at her. The alicorn princess looped in the air before firing another beam down at Khaos Fury, making her roll to safety. Khaos Fury fired several shots of her attack magic that Twilight Sparkle managed to fly away from safely before firing her own shotgun bursts at the gray unicorn. Khaos Fury avoided the powerful blasts before she started tossing random debris at Twilight Sparkle with her levitation magic.

The first few pieces Twilight Sparkle just flew before blasting the next set into even smaller pieces. The next few pieces of debris, Twilight Sparkle actually wrestled away from Khaos Fury with her own telekinesis and tossed them back at the unicorn mare. The gray coated pony shot most of them down while she had to slice the last one in half with her horn. Right after, though, Khaos Fury felt herself being lifted off the ground and up higher into the air. She looked to see Twilight Sparkle was using her magic to bring her closer.

Khaos Fury let loose with an electrical blast that hit Twilight Sparkle dead on. The alicorn screamed as she started to fall, though she fired several of her own shots at Khaos Fury on the way down. Both mares ended up crashing into the hard, unmovable, unforgiving stone ground below with painful results. Khaos and Twilight both groaned at all the agony they felt writhing through their bodies, but surprisingly they were already starting to get up again. About halfway up, the two spotted each other and snarled angrily in greeting.

Twilight Sparkle and Khaos Fury leaped at each other, colliding before standing up on their hind legs and pressing their front hooves and horns together. Both horns were glowing intensely as the battling ponies kept pressing on.

"You never believed in the minotaurs' cause, you might as well admit it," Twilight Sparkle said. "You had an agenda of your own. Nothing about these minotaurs mattered to you, much less their beliefs or their lives so long as everything they did served _your own purpose!_ You had your own scheme up your sleeves, you might as well admit it!"

"Admit it?" Khaos Fury said before a grin slowly crossed her face. "I relish in what me brother and I had and _still have_ planned!"

Both ponies' horns lit up more and more as they kept pouring magic energy into them. Finally it became too much and the two conflicting flows of power resulted in a power pulse that sent both ponies flying backwards. They skidded on their hooves several meters before they managed to come to a stop.

"I'm more than happy to tell you I thought all these dull horns were whacked!" Khaos Fury said as she started to step forward. "These minotaurs were thick headed morons letting the blind lead the blinder. Never once did I buy anything Isarem or any of these glorified cows were selling! All Dark Lightning and I wanted was to let them do the heavy work for what we wanted."

"Well, what _do_ you want?!" Twilight Sparkle demanded before she ran at Khaos Fury.

The two then clashed their glowing horns together several times in a variety of different ways. It ended with the two spinning around and letting their horns clash together. As the combatants pressed their horns together harder and harder, Khaos Fury leaned in and whispered her answer to Twilight Sparkle.

"To watch the world burn in a pit and let the fire destroy everything."

Upon hearing these words, Twilight Sparkle's eyes widened as a horrified expression crossed her face. Seeing that her foe was slightly distracted, Khaos Fury reared up on her back legs and bucked her front hooves into Twilight Sparkle's face. Then the demented unicorn mare fired several rounds of attack magic at Twilight Sparkle, nearly causing her to drop to the ground. Luckily, Twilight Sparkle managed to teleport herself further away from the evil Khaos Fury.

"That's right, princess!" Khaos Fury shouted. "There's no plan of world domination or anything like that on our minds! My brother and I just want the world destroyed along with everyone that lives on it!"

"You're... You're mad!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. "You're absolutely mad!"

"Of course... I'm _Khaos!_ " the gray furred mare said with a sly smirk and the raise of an eyebrow.

Twilight Sparkle was about to say something else, but she instead put up a barrier to avoid being hit by the blasts Khaos shot at her. Keeping her barrier up, Twilight Sparkle flew up into the air and shot a beam at Khaos, making her jump out of the way. The evil unicorn ran for a moment before shooting up a beam of her own. She realized Twilight's barrier protected her and instead used her teleportation magic to teleport the alicorn right in front of her. Instantly their horns started clashing together once more.

"You and your brother are completely insane!" Twilight Sparkle shouted as she and Khaos continued to swing horns. "You are sick, disgusting, horrible excuses for ponies. You want to destroy the world for destroying the world's sake?! It's hard to tell who's worse, the minotaurs for trying to kill everything because of blind faith or you two wanting to do it just because!"

"I hope Dark Lightning and I take first prize!" Khaos Fury shouted. "I'd hate to be second best in anything, whether it's to those fools or a worthless tramp like you!"

"Why do you hate me so much?!" Twilight Sparkle asked. "It's not just because we're on opposite sides! You actually have a specific contempt for me!"

"I don't care for any of your friends either!" Khaos Fury said. "But I truly hate you over all other living things!"

"Why?!" Twilight Sparkle demanded. "And why do you and Dark Lightning want to destroy the world!?"

" _I hate you so much!_ " Khaos Fury shouted more angrily.

" _Why do you hate me?!_ " Twilight Sparkle demanded.

" _Because you're an alicorn princess!_ " Khaos Fury finally shouted.

She started swinging more wildly than ever before, which actually gave Twilight Sparkle and opening. She ducked down and stabbed the tip of her horn into Khaos Fury's chest. A burst of sparks erupted from the gray furred pony's sternum as she screamed out and went flying backwards. She crashed to the ground, but was already trying to get up again.

"Really?!" Twilight Sparkle shouted between heavy breaths. She started stepping closer to Khaos Fury, who was still trying to push herself off her knees. "That's the only reason you hate me is because I'm an alicorn?!"

"That's all I need!" Khaos Fury said before swinging her head around.

An almost whip-like strained of attack magic cracked at Twilight Sparkle, making her jump back. Khaos Fury stood up and started cracking it at Twilight again and again. The alicorn mare kept jumping to avoid the dangerous strained of energy. Eventually Twilight Sparkle flew up to get away from Khaos Fury's vicious attack, though it followed her even into the air.

"What do you have against alicorn princesses?!" Twilight Sparkle demanded.

"They're no good!" Khaos Fury shouted. "They're built up as these objects of worship, but in reality that's all they care about is the praise! They want all that and nothing else! Sure they help one or two ponies along the way, but not the little guy who no one would care about! Whether they lived or died wouldn't matter, because he's a nothing, a no one and no one notices if a no one disappears!

"But so long as a princess can make herself look good by helping out an orphanage or appearing at a random hospital, who cares?! She gets the attention she wanted without ever having to worry about the problems of the ponies that slip under even the biggest of radars!"

"That's not the least bit true!" Twilight Sparkle shouted back as she continued to avoid Khaos Fury's whip of magic energy. "Everypony matters to a princess! I know because I've done everything I could to help as many ponies as possible since I became a princess! I wasn't born into royal blood or with wings. I got wings and became a princess far later into my life, but I still gladly accepted all the responsibilities that came with the title of an alicorn princess.

"Part of those responsibilities include taking care of everypony! Every alicorn before me has taken on the full brunt of those responsibilities as well and worked to their best to live up to those duties!"

"Lies and rubbish!" Khaos Fury shouted. She actually ceased her attack as an emotional look crossed her face. "If that were true, everypony would be taken care of and live like royalty! Instead, the runts get left in the dust to face the coldest and harshest of realities where it's dog eat dog. Ponies have to step on each other to get even the tiniest bit ahead!"

"I'll admit, we're not flawless!" Twilight Sparkle said as she slowly lowered herself to the ground. Seeing this made Khaos Fury light up her horn, though she did not attack, even when Twilight landed. "We do our absolute best to take care or everypony, but it's true, for one reason or another, there are ponies that slip through the cracks. We hear about it all the time and try to fix it to the best of our abilities. The harsh truth is... there is no such thing as perfect, which includes us or our methods, anything."

"And that's an excuse to let it happen?!" Khaos Fury hissed.

"No, it's a fact!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as she stepped forth and her horn started to glow. "I don't expect an evil thing like you to understand!"

"I'm evil?!" Khaos Fury shouted. She looked away and actually chuckled a little before looking back to Twilight. "Yeah, I'm evil... but did you ever stop to understand exactly why? In all the time you and I have been talking, did you ever stop and think about how I came to these conclusions I did?! Did you stop to think that maybe that little guy that gets stepped on and ignored while having to face the harshness and the _true_ evils of the world might be _me?!_

" _It is me, princess, it's me and my brother both! No one ever wanted us or even wanted to help us! All our lives before coming to this forsaken island was nothing but torment and torture! Our parents didn't even want us! They dropped us like bad habits when we were still in diapers and never looked back!_

" _Right afterwards was one turd storm after another! Remember those stories about the cold, dark orphanages?! That was what me and Dark Lightning had to live through! Only we didn't get a new fancy family with a mansion on the hill or any happily ever after! All we got was pain and misery!_

" _It went on like that until we got put into the foster system! It did not get any better! It was even worse! None of our foster parents cared about us! They used us to get the payment that comes with being a foster parent!_

"One _set even used to duct tape us up and throw us into a baby crib in a dark room as punishment whenever we did anything they deemed bad!_ But oh, we tried to do something about it. We started writing and sending letters, which we had to learn to do ourselves, along with reading, among other things! We never went to school or socialized at all! We were forced to be home schooled, which really meant being locked away most of our lives!

"We tried to fix it by sending letters to this big, important alicorn princess we had heard about. We even saw some pictures of her every once and while and thought someone so beautiful would be so willing to help us. Princess Celestia I believe her name was."

Twilight Sparkle gasped at the mention of the name. Up to this point she had actually been stunned to silence as she stood and listened to what Khaos Fury had to say. With the mention of her former mentor's name, she had just been stunned back out of silence.

"You lived in Equestria?" Twilight Sparkle asked in disbelief.

Khaos Fury looked at the princess with eyes full of contempt.

"Of course we lived in Equestria," Khaos Fury said in a mocking tone. "What, didn't you hear the part where I said we _came to_ this island? We weren't born on this rock. We came here when that was the only choice we had left. Dark Lightning and I went on writing letters for almost a year begging Princess Celestia for help... _None ever came!_

" _Do you have any idea what it's like to feel so helpless as we were?! No, because you weren't mistreated all your life like Dark Lightning and I were! So of course we turned out the way we did! Of course we stopped asking for help from others after a year and a half of letter writing, even longer for what we went through altogether!_ We finally hit the road and ran away as far as we could and as fast as we could.

"Our journeys led us to the shores of this island... _where we still weren't helped!_ We lived on the streets for about two years before we found out about the minotaurs' plans and asked to join in. They took us in and made us strong, powerful, everything we weren't before... just so we could help them destroy the world. And, of course, after all we had been put through all our lives, of course we were more than willing to do it. We still are, which is why I am going to do everything I can to see to it that this new kaiju is born!

"But first... I'm gonna kill you... _princess!_ "

"K- Khaos, I-"

" _No more talking!_ " Khaos Fury shouted as she launched several lightning bolts from her horn at Twilight.

The alicorn princess flapped her wings to assist her jump to the side. She successfully dodged the electric currents, but fell to the floor by mistake. Twilight Sparkle had to roll out of the way to avoid Khaos Fury's horn swinging down at her. She got to her hooves and lit up her horn just as Khaos Fury's was coming in. The white maned unicorn swung her horn furiously in a gambit to strike down Twilight Sparkle with all she could possibly muster.

Twilight Sparkle was still partially stunned from hearing Khaos Fury's story, but that wasn't what was affecting her efforts. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to actually fight Khaos Fury like she was before. Now, more than anything, she was just trying to avoid getting struck down by the angry mare's attacks. Twilight Sparkle kept trying to speak out, but would always be cut off by Khaos Fury's continuous volley of attempted strikes.

Meanwhile, Dark Lightning was practically surrounded by the other five mares of the Mane Six. They had not been kind to him at all during their exchange in the brawl. Dark Lightning was a powerful unicorn and a great fighter, but even he had his limits. Apparently that included fighting five ponies all at once who had saved Equestria over a dozen times. He tried to hang on for as long as he could, throwing all he had at the mares from magic to physical attacks and sometimes attacks that were both.

But now it had gotten to the point where he was being bested no matter what he did. It was clear he was on his last legs in terms of staying in the fight. He was down right exhausted and all the pain he had suffered throughout the fight had finally accumulated to a point where he couldn't stand any longer. He was turning to try and attack Rarity when he felt a roundhouse kick hit him in the side of the head, compliments of Rainbow Dash. He then suffered a swing of Rarity's horn, followed by a karate chop and spin kick from the unicorn mare.

He was then hit in the sides by Pinkie Pie's front hooves for some severely painful body shots. Then Applejack bucked her back hooves first into the side of Dark Lightning's face, then one of his front legs. Dark Lightning cried out just before he suffered a judo throw by Fluttershy. As soon as the unicorn stallion crashed into the ground, the five mares lined up next to one another before Rarity fired a beam from her horn. The beam struck Dark Lightning with a burning pain that made him scream out like he never had before.

Upon hearing her brother's cries, Khaos Fury instantly turned away from Twilight Sparkle and gasped in horror at the sight she saw. Twilight Sparkle took the opening by swinging a right hook across Khaos Fury's face followed by a left uppercut. Then Twilight Sparkle shot several blasts of her attack magic at Khaos Fury, each shot hitting her. Twilight Sparkle followed up by turning away and bucking her back hooves into Khaos Fury's body, sending her flying back. Before she could get far, Twilight caught Khaos in her levitation magic and pulled her back in her direction.

Twilight Sparkle didn't wait, instead flapping her wings to fly at Khaos Fury as she kept on coming. Eventually this led to a collision where the tip of Twilight's horn struck Khaos Fury in her chest, causing a burst of sparks. Khaos Fury crashed into the ground as Twilight Sparkle kept on flying, changing her trajectory to head higher. She eventually stopped and turned back to Khaos and fired several shots of her attack magic, followed by a bunch of lightning bolts, and finally a single energy beam. Everything hit Khaos Fury, making her scream out in anguish all the while.

Despite all she had taken, it was only seconds before Khaos Fury tried standing up again. Though she tried to force herself to rise, each overly aggressive effort resulted in her falling back down. After four failed attempts and falls, Khaos finally decided to take it slow the fifth time, which felt like forever. It actually seemed to be paying off, though and that told Twilight Sparkle it was time to strike once again. She flew down to meet Khaos Fury at her top speed like an arrow falling from the sky.

She even started to spin like a ball rolling through the air on a direct course for Khaos Fury. The evil mare had just gotten back up when she turned and saw Twilight coming at her. All she had time to do was scream before the alicorn princess's horn came down upon her, striking with the force of a lightning bolt. A bunch of sparks erupted from every spot Twilight's horn hit, which increased Khaos' pain that much more. It didn't end there, for Twilight Sparkle continued to swing her horn across Khaos Fury's body anywhere she could in any pattern she thought of.

Each blow caused more sparks to burst from where Khaos Fury was struck, making her scream out more and more. Twilight Sparkle must've swung her horn eleven times before stopping to shoot a continuous beam that knocked Khaos Fury several yards away. The gray coated unicorn fell to the ground in a heap with the most sickening of thuds like she would splatter all over the place. While that didn't happen, it was obvious she still wasn't getting back up again; at least not right away. Her body did tremble, though, as she let out several soft shuttering sobs.

Twilight Sparkle stood on her hooves trying desperately not to fall while she caught her breath. Like the rest of the Mane Six, her body heaved heavily with every inhale and exhale she took. The others all gathered around Twilight, much to her gratitude. Just having her friends there by her side was enough comfort for Twilight Sparkle to proceed. She started to walk over to where Khaos Fury had fallen and the others all followed after her.

As they walked, all eyes turned to Dark Lightning, though he didn't look like he'd be getting up again either. Still, a few of the mares kept their eyes out while keeping most of their focus on Khaos Fury. The unicorn turned her her head when she heard the Mane Six's hoof steps coming towards her. Upon seeing the half dozen group, her eyes widened as she tried to crawl back away from them. It was useless, for she had taken too much punishment to move like she wanted to.

"Wait!" Twilight Sparkle said as she held out a hoof. Khaos Fury stopped squirming and looked up in surprise. "Please, wait, Khaos... I... I heard what you said. Believe me, I understand where you're coming from.

"To be perfectly honest... it actually... kind of makes more sense than- than the minotaurs' shtick... B- But I don't think you went about fixing things the right way, namely trying to destroy the world. I don't know why Princess Celestia didn't answer your letters. I've written to her more days of my life than I haven't by far. She always answered me and always helped me the best way she could.

"I don't know why she didn't do the same for you, but... maybe we could find out together. I- If you come with us... I swear I'll do everything in my power to see to it we sort this thing out."

Khaos Fury's eyes widened.

"You can do that?" Khaos Fury asked.

"You're darn right I can," Twilight Sparkle said.

"And... you'd be willing to?" Khaos Fury asked further. "Even after... all this... You'd be willing to do that... for me?... For us?"

"Yes, I would," Twilight Sparkle said. "While you may have done some terrible things, you did them out of an anger that... quite frankly... wasn't completely unwarranted. I still fully and fundamentally disagree with how the two of you reacted to the situation... but it's not too late to make it better. You still have a chance to right the wrongs you've done and to see that the wrongs done against you are righted, at least to some extent. So... please... will you come with me, Khaos?"

The gray furred mare's eyes trembled with emotion as she tried to gather herself and fully comprehend what Twilight was saying. Then she started to wonder if it was all really possible and if Twilight would keep her word assuming she could do what she promised. She thought as hard as she could through the pain and emotion she was feeling at that point. That was when she looked to see Twilight Sparkle was now extending a hoof to her. Khaos Fury looked up to see the princess's face giving her a small smile as if to reassure her what she was saying was the truth.

Khaos Fury looked away once more as tears started to welled up in her eyes. A few seconds passed before she finally looked up again, her eyes glaring angrily as ever. She slapped Twilight Sparkle's hoof away, much to her shock and that of her friends.

" _Got to Tartarus!_ " Khaos Fury shrieked as passionately as she could.

" _Twilight, watch out!_ " Fluttershy screamed.

The violet coated mare turned her head as she put up a barrier around her and the others. A beam of energy bounced off the magic shield and blasted into the cave roof above. Dark Lightning stood defiantly, his horn bright as ever.

" _Twilight, now!_ " Rarity called out.

With that, Twilight touched the tip of her horn to Rarity's. The two magical instruments lit up instantly before a large beam of power was released from the tips. Dark Lightning's eyes widened with fear as the big wave of power flew at him with great speed.

" _No!_ " Khaos Fury screamed as she saw the beam hit her brother.

The collision ignited several explosions of sparks all around and all over Dark Lightning. The unicorn stallion's body flew through the air. The scene almost looked unreal like it somehow wasn't happening, at least not on the same plain as everything else around it. But it was all real and the fact sunk into Khaos Fury's mind as she watched her brother fall. Time appeared to slow down for that moment, one of horror and utter disbelief for Khaos Fury to see Dark Lightning in the situation he was.

Once the unicorn stallion's body finally fell, time seemed to speed up to compensate. This included Khaos Fury screaming and actually getting up to run to her brother's side. Some of the Mane Six couldn't believe what they saw. Only seconds ago the evil pony mare seemed like she might possibly not ever walk again, let alone run. Yet they were all seeing Khaos Fury run to her brother's side like she was a completely healthy, finely tuned athlete.

They all saw the completely devastated look on Khaos Fury's face. She had it the entire time she was running to Dark Lightning and even when she finally knelt down beside him. None of the Mane Six could believe they saw Khaos Fury actually acting like a decent pony. They were seeing her be genuinely concerned for someone. Even if it was her brother, seeing Khaos act the way she did was far more shocking to the Mane Six than they ever thought it would be.

They continued to look on, doing nothing else except walk in a little closer as the scene between the two unicorn twins played out. Khaos Fury's eyes trembled as she looked Dark Lightning over with all the worry and concern a good sibling could ever have.

" _Oh, no, no, no, no, no!_ " Khaos Fury let out frantically as she kept examining her brother. " _No, Dark Lightning, no! Please be okay! You have to be okay! I need you, brother!_

" _I need you to be here with me to the very end! I can't live one second on this stinkin' rock without you! Please, Dark Lightning, please! I love you!_ "

The Mane Six continued to watch the scene play out and, for some reason, they couldn't help but find themselves getting emotional as well. They couldn't understand it, for these two ponies had been such long standing enemies to them. Yet seeing them the way they were with Khaos Fury crying over Dark Lightning's fallen form seemed to stab at the emotional center of the Mane Six's hearts. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity even looked to each other, silently asking if they had made the right choice in how they took down Dark Lightning. Finally, as some of the Mane six started to shed tears of their own, Khaos Fury raised her head up and screamed into the air, unloading a great deal of emotion.

It would never be enough, for the white maned unicorn mare was certain she had lost her brother forever. Khaos Fury started to lower her head and then draped her body over Dark Lightning's when, suddenly, something truly amazing happened. As if he had just traveled back from the plain beyond, Dark Lightning gasped out and began to cough. Khaos Fury's eyes widened as she sat up and looked down at her brother. She actually screamed out in joy as a smile formed across her face.

She was still shedding tears, but now most of them were joyful ones.

" _Yes, yes, yes!_ " Khaos Fury exclaimed happily. " _That's it, Dark Lightning, come back to me! You can do it, you're strong! You've always been so strong our whole lives together! You're stronger than me, you are, you can do it!_

"I'll help you through this anyway I can. Just hang in there, Dark Lightning.

Dark Lightning started to moan and groan in agony as he looked up to see his sister looking at him. The Mane Six weren't that far behind, but he didn't care about them at all. The only things he cared about were the anguish spreading through every part of his body and his sister.

"Li- Li- Lilly Berry..." Dark Lightning managed to gasp out. "Li- Lil- Lilly Berry..."

"Yes, Sky, I'm here," Khaos Fury said before wiping a few tears away and stifling back a few more. "I'm here for as long as you need me."

"Lilly Berry... help me," Dark Lightning groaned.

"I will," Khaos Fury said. "I swear to you, I will, Sky Bolt. I promise."

The Mane Six looked to one another in confusion.

"Lilly Berry?" Twilight Sparkle said questioningly.

"Sky Bolt?" Fluttershy added on.

A dark glare full of deep seeded hatred and anger filled Khaos Fury's eyes. She violently turned to look at the Mane Six in disgust.

" _He's given name is Sky Bolt!_ " Khaos Fury exclaimed with all the contempt of the world in her voice. " _My name... is Lilly Berry!_ "

The Mane Six all looked on in surprise.

"Wh- Wh- Wha?" Pinkie Pie asked. "So, if Khaos Fury's name isn't Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning's name isn't Dark Lightning... is my name not Pinkie Pie?"

"Oh, shut up, and quit acting like you care," Khaos Fury demanded. "We just decided we didn't want those names anymore. They were and still are our slave names! The names we went by our whole lives before coming here!"

"We do care Kha- Lilly," Twilight Sparkle said.

" _Don't call me that, you tramp!_ " Khaos Fury shouted. " _Don't you dare act like you know me at all! You only came here to kill us and save your precious world full of pretty ponies and friendship magic and all that gag worthy slop!..._ I don't want to hear any more from you... any of you. I hate you all with a passion... especially you, _princess_... but I've got more important things to do right now.

"So, if you're really gonna do the whole save the world spiel, get out of here and do it elsewhere. Leave my brother and I alone so we can tend to our own matters."

"But, Khaos, I can help your brother," Twilight Sparkle said.

" _No kind of help you could give I would want!_ " Khaos Fury shouted. " _Neither of us would! Just leave us alone! Get away from us! Leave!_ "

The emotionally unstable unicorn turned away from the Mane Six to continue tending to her brother. Her horn started to glow as she tried working up her magic into a spell that could probably help Dark Lightning. The Mane Six stood in silence for a moment, not being sure about how to proceed. Finally a look of regret and even defeat came over Twilight's features as she used her magic to teleport the explosive packs of the Mane Six back to them.

"Alright, girls, let's go," Twilight Sparkle said.

"But, what about setting the bombs up here?!" Rainbow Dash asked as the others looked on with puzzled expressions.

"We're just going to set them up in the mine like we had planned before," Twilight Sparkle said. "We'll go in, help Surelious free the hostages, assuming he's made it there, and then teleport them out. After that, we'll set up the bombs, I'll teleport you all out, and then I'll detonate them as I'm also teleporting myself out."

"But, Twilight, I-"

"Please don't argue with me, Applejack," Twilight Sparkle said. She looked back to Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning with remorse before turning back to her friends. "Look at the condition they're in. It's pretty obvious they're not getting out of here. I figure it's best to just let them be. Let them have what little time together they can."

"But... we're not even going to help them at all?" Fluttershy asked.

"Why should we?" Rainbow Dash countered. "After all they've done, they don't deserve our help."

"You heard what she said," Twilight Sparkle interrupted. "They don't want our help, so we might as well go find those that do. Let's just do this thing we've got to do and be done with it already."

The Mane Six all stood silently, though the looks they wore on their faces said a thousand words each.

"Alright, Twi," Applejack finally said, sounding like a pony totally drained.

"We'll follow you, darling," Rarity said.

"Okay, then, let's go," Twilight Sparkle said. "Wait, I've got an idea."

Her horn started to glow as she started to focus on harnessing the energy of the red Alpha Stone. Soon Twilight's horn was glowing red, as was the stone itself. This caught Khaos Fury's eye for only a moment as she looked on in disbelief. When she saw Twilight Sparkle starting to turn towards her, the dejected mare instantly looked away. The alicorn mare looked as somber as ever in that moment. Part of her wanted to say something to Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning, but she couldn't think of anything that would be right.

So, Twilight Sparkle instead turned away and proceeded with her spell. Having now harnessed the power of the stone, Twilight first healed herself and her friends and then teleported them away. Out of the corner of her eye, Khaos Fury saw the red glow had disappeared. Any other noise that was there before was now gone as well.

 _So, they found the red Alpha Stone, huh?_ Khaos Fury thought to herself. _Well... maybe they were the right ones after all. I mean, we were looking for that for who knows how long? Yet they were the ones to find it and it's gotten them farther in only a short amount of time than any of us here had gotten up until now... I still hope they die slow, agonizing deaths, though._

Khaos Fury turned all of her attention to Dark Lightning, her face looking worried as ever as she kept feeding magic into an attempt at a healing spell. The magical energy washed over Dark Lightning's body in multiple waves as he groaned and tried to move.

"Please don't budge, Dark Lightning," Khaos Fury said. "Let me just do all I can for you."

"K- Khaos... I'm sorry," Dark Lightning said. "I'm sorry for everything... I'm sorry I couldn't help you get the alicorn like you wanted. I'm sorry I used your slave name before. I'm sorry I... wasn't strong enough.

"I- I- I've failed you."

"No, no, no, Dark Lightning, you didn't," Khaos Fury said. "You did the absolute best you could. It... It just wasn't meant to be, I guess. We both put our best into all this and it still wasn't enough. I- If you failed... then I failed right along with you.

"Fate probably had something else in mind, I suppose."

Both ponies were shaken to the core with fear when the loudest and most horrifying noise filled the air. It was unlike any sound the two had heard before and it was far too close for comfort of any kind. It was like the cry of a giant titan, but one that was in pain, letting that pain fuel it with anger, hatred, and fury. Khaos Fury instantly looked to the kaiju generator and the shape she saw inside was one she'd been waiting to see for a long time. Seeing it now, though, and up so close was the most terrifying experience in her life.

Or at least it was at first. Slowly as the horror faded into the back of her mind and other thoughts formed, a devilish smile crossed Khaos Fury's face. She took in the sight of the new beast and realized the implications its birth finally occurring meant for all her enemies. The cave suddenly started to shake very violently as Khaos Fury started to laugh.

"Do not worry, my brother," Khaos Fury said. "We'll have our revenge... and Mons-Ahgar we'll be our instrument. _Destroy them all, beast! Trash the whole world and let them know our wrath!_ "

Khaos Fury continued to cackle on as the shaking of the cave increased ever so more with each passing second. The only thing that could be heard over the rumbling of the earthquake were the roars of the newly born Mons-Ahgar.


	37. Chapter 37: Fight For Freedom

Strong Courage was back on the job, which meant he was slaving away, swinging a pick at a wall of solid rock. He had been pulled out of his cage to work almost immediately after meeting the pony mares, who had infiltrated the minotaurs' base to save the pony slaves. Knowing they were still out there somewhere trying their best to save everyone imprisoned within the mine was just about the only think keeping him going. He had been put through a great deal even before becoming a prisoner of labor, especially given his advanced age. Before being captured and forced into slavery, Strong Courage was one of the two chiefs that ran Willowbrook, the other being his wife, Moon Bright.

In the time since he had become chief he had put his all into fighting back against the minotaur menace that threatened his fellow ponies so. He did everything within his being and gave it all his might, but doing so at an already fragile age wore down his body that much faster. Strong Courage never let it stop him, though and he never back down in the struggle against the minotaurs. Unfortunately, all his bravado and machismo seemed to have been leading up to his capture by the minotaurs, who immediately put him to work. In all that time, he had been forced to go far beyond his regular limits, which was taking an extra hard toll on his physical health.

Many of the other ponies around Strong Courage wondered how he was even still alive, being sixty seven-years old and working in a mine as hard as he was. It was like he had an iron will keeping him on going that wouldn't ever allow him to quit or die no matter how hard he was worked. While they didn't understand how it was possible, everyone of the other ponies were beyond happy that Strong Courage was still with them. Since being captured and thrown in with the rest of the ponies being forced to work in the mine, he had come to mean a lot to them. He already had a strong relationship with several of the other ponies, having been one of the chiefs of the village they came from.

The others had come to appreciate him, especially as a leader since that's the role he basically fell into when he was brought into the mine. He pretty much took the bull by the horns, so to speak, and organized the ponies better, among doing other things for them. Because of all he was trying to do for the other ponies, he sort of became their unofficial leader. He only cared for this role because it allowed him to watch over and help the other ponies. It wasn't made easy for him, though, for he was still a stallion of advanced age being forced to work nearly twenty four-seven in a mine.

He may have been an Earth pony, the species actually built for such rigorously physical labors, but even that could only take Strong Courage so far. He'd been working nearly non-stop for many months. All that forced work, plus all the extra abuse he would take from the guards on occasion, was getting to him. The white furred stallion's body had taken all it could take and much more. Now, it felt like Strong Courage was at the end of his rope and that this would surely be the day he'd be taken from this world.

Strong Courage was panting as heavily as he'd ever done in his life. His heart beat rapidly as tremors went through his body like it might start to fall apart any moment. The large mining pick fell out of Strong Courage's mouth as he fell to the floor. He was certain it was his time and he was prepared for it. The guard closest to him had other feelings on the matter.

" _Get up, you lazy dog!_ " the guard said as he pulled out his whip. " _Get back up and start working now!_ "

The cruel minotaur cracked his whip at the ground just barely missing Strong Courage's head. Pieces of dirt and rock flew up from the ground, some of it getting into the fallen stallion's face. Several other ponies looked to the scene upon hearing the sound of the whip cracking. They weren't allowed to look for long; the other minotaurs on guard forced the ponies back to work almost as soon as they stopped. Still, most of those near to Strong Courage got a small glimpse, which was all they needed to fill their hearts with sorrow.

They wanted nothing more than to give their leader their full, undivided attention and check on him. Unfortunately, they were forced to do nothing but work. This emotional conflict from within effected the work of some of the ponies, which the minotaurs on guard took notice of. They responded with harsh, physical punishment, which, while horrible, was typical for such an environment and situation. Ponies cried out as they suffered the physical tortures their minotaur oppressors forced upon them.

" _You hear all that?!_ " the minotaur with the whip screamed down at Strong Courage. " _That's all on you! If you want us to stop hurting your worthless little friends here, you'll get up and start working now! Do it, or I'll-_ "

"I'm up, I'm up!" Strong Courage barely managed to gasp out as he forced himself back up again.

He nearly fell back down, but he just barely managed to catch himself. The minotaur guard smiled cruelly as he watched the pony force himself to stand and pick up his mining tool.

"That's a good doggie," the guard said. "Maybe next time you'll think before you-"

" _Help!_ " a voice screamed out.

All eyes fell to the main entrance of the cave, even those of the timberwolves acting as guard dogs. What everyone saw none of them, especially the pony slaves, were expecting and it shocked them to their cores. An especially large minotaur stumbled in just barely keeping a hold of the sword and battle ax he was mostly dragging along with him. He was covered in many a different bodily injury, several of which were bleeding badly. What was all the more shocking to the minotaurs there was that they recognized this minotaur as one of the greatest warriors in their ranks.

" _Surelious!_ " several different minotaurs cried out.

Others murmured in conversation to one another while there were those who remained silent, though all of them seemed to be somewhat in a panic. They were shocked, alarmed, and confused, some not even being able to focus on making the ponies work. Many were also unsure how to proceed, so just watched as three minotaurs ran up to Surelious. Two of them acted as braces and led him over to a spot off to the side while the third briefly examined him.

"Surelious, what's happened to you?" the third minotaur asked.

"Help me, Kira," Surelious said as those holding him up gently lowered him to a sit. "They need us before it's too late."

"What do you mean?" Kira asked. "Who needs us? What's going on? What happened?"

"I- In Isarem's chambers," Surelious managed to say. "There were several intruders. They... They managed to sneak into Isarem's quarters and attacked him."

"No, that can't be," Kira replied. "Not Lord Isarem. He is our guide to the light, the chosen one. There's no way he could fall so easily."

"He didn't," Surelious said. "He fought with everything he had, but he still fell. These- These outsiders, they're... they're something else. They managed to make their way through the depths of our sanctuary and do... such unspeakable things... most of them to Lord Isarem."

"I don't believe it," Kira said in a stunned tone. "These trespassers... they must _truly_ be something else."

"They are," Surelious said. "Which is why I'm telling you, we must send all available troops to Isarem's chamber. I just came from there myself. Me and all the troops I had weren't enough to stop them. So, before it's too late, you must send whatever forces you can spare to help!"

"Of course we will," Kira said before turning away. " _Attention, all! Lord Isarem is in danger! We must send what forces we can spare to his aid. We're going to send two squads to help!_ "

Kira briefly turned back to Surelious as he said, "Do not worry, Surelious, we _will_ do what we can for our great and glorious leader!" Kira then turned away and shouted, " _Someone get him medical treatment, now!_ "

Kira then walked away as he prepared to assemble what troops would be leaving to aid Isarem. Meanwhile, Surelious' eyes wandered over to Strong Courage, of all ponies, who was standing nearby with his mining pick in his mouth. He was trying as hard as he could to get himself back to work when heard a light 'psst', making him look to see Surelious staring at him. As he grabbed at his heavily injured and bleeding side with one hand, Surelious used the other to point to Strong Courage's pick. The stallion's eyes lowered to the mining tool in confusion before he looked to see Surelious pointing at some other minotaurs nearby.

Strong Courage looked over to them for a brief moment before looking back to Surelious. He swung his hand as aggressively as he could without anyone else noticing, acting as though he was holding something. Strong Courage stared for a few seconds before he finally caught on to what the heavily injured minotaur was implying and gasped. Was this minotaur really telling him to revolt against those who had imprisoned and tortured Strong Courage and so many other ponies? Was Surelious actually telling him to fight back against his fellow minotaurs?

If that were indeed the case, that would leave the question as to why he were doing so. There were several other questions this raised as well, not the least of which being whether or not Strong Courage would go along with it. Could it be some kind of trick this minotaur was playing? Strong Courage was so conflicted, so confused, so unsure about what to do. That is, until he looked back to Surelious and saw the look in his eyes.

He had absolutely no idea what it could've been, but Strong Courage saw something he had not seen in any minotaur before. For some reason, when he looked into the eyes of the injured minotaur across from him, he saw a genuineness that seemed to come straight from the soul. Somehow it actually seemed like this minotaur not only wanted him to fight back against those that had oppressed him for so long, but that he would help him do it. It actually seemed like if Strong Courage decided to stand against those evil beings, this minotaur would be there by his side. Fear, amazement, disbelief, confusion, uncertainty, and even a tinge of excitement ran through Strong Courage as he wondered what to do next.

He looked back to Surelious, who mouthed a single word to him. "Understand?" The stallion thought about it for another moment before his face hardened and he nodded to Surelious. The minotaur smiled as he nodded back to the Earth pony and even gave him a thumbs up before mouthing, "Spread the word."

Strong Courage did just that, spreading the word to a few ponies who then spread it to others in a chain that went on until the last pony got the word. Many reacted the same way Strong Courage did, some with even more hesitation, but, amazingly, they reached a collective agreement to go ahead with the plan. While many were nervous, even bordering on terrified, they decided the risk would be worth it. One way or another, their pain and suffering would end that day. But before the attack would begin, the ponies kept up appearances as they watched half the minotaurs and timberwolves rush out of the mine to go aid Isarem.

Many a pony was deeply concerned for Strong Courage, even a little more than for themselves, especially after seeing him drop to the ground previously. However, the Earth pony stallion felt somewhat renewed, as if anticipation for this new plan alone had given him the boost he needed to go through with it. While he knew it was very likely he wouldn't live past this coming battle, he felt he couldn't just stand by and let it happen without him either. A lot of the other ponies felt increased anxiety as they also anticipated the impending conflict. They wanted so much to believe they stood a chance and that this coming fight would be worth it, but the shadow of doubt would not leave them.

All the minotaurs staying in the mine with them were born with a desire for battle and spent years training to learn how to use that desire. How could the so few ponies compare to the bigger number of minotaurs, who also had superior fighting skills and were much more physically healthy than them? Strong Courage both saw and felt the doubt within his fellow ponies, though he didn't blame them and knew there was nothing he could do about it. He also knew they were going to go ahead with the plan, too. He felt it deep within him and though he deeply regretted he'd be leading them into battle, all of them knew they had to do it.

With that in mind, Strong Courage turned and looked back to Surelious, who now had two other minotaurs tending to his injuries. He waited for Surelious' signal to start the attack, though he did so impatiently. The large minotaur saw the stress on Strong Courage's face and put on his best face to try and reassure the Earth pony. But then he had to turn away because of the minotaurs looking him over. Surelious' eyes wandered over and watched the minotaurs leaving until the last of them had exited the mine.

He waited a few seconds before he was ready to signal the start of the attack. He stopped himself and flashed a fake smile when he noticed one of the medical minotaurs looking him in the face. Surelious watched the two minotaurs examining him until he thought it was safe to look away and nod to Strong Courage. It was finally time and now the Earth pony was more anxious than ever, though he still nodded his head in agreement.

"Say, could you hold something for me?" Surelious said to one of the minotaurs checking on him.

Immediately following Surelious sank his sword deep into the gut of the minotaur he was talking to. Said minotaur gagged on his pain as he felt life leave his body. Before the other minotaur could react properly, Strong Courage's mining pick came crashing against his head. Death was immediate as the minotaur dropped to the ground while Surelious and Strong Courage stood tall.

" _NOW!_ " Surelious and Strong Courage shouted together.

With that, the minotaurs still in the cave were hit with a shock that they absolutely did not, in anyway shape or form, see coming. All at once, the vast majority of ponies up and working turned to the minotaurs closest to them and went on the attack. Whatever they had to use, shovels, picks, stones, even their own chains, the ponies used anything they could get their hooves on as weapons against the minotaurs. The sounds of pandemonium filled the mine as all-out havoc and mayhem broke out into a vicious brawl. Surelious and Strong Courage exchanged quick glances and then rushed to join in the fight.

Surelious held his sword and battle ax high as he fought against any oncoming adversaries, cutting them down with what seemed like great ease. It looked like he was charging in aimlessly when in fact, Surelious was completely on point with great precision in everything he did. He would run up, jump around, flip all over, anything to reach his next opponent and take them down. In addition to swinging his weapons around in several different ways, Surelious also made use of a variety of kicks, among other physical strikes. He was also easily able to block or dodge the majority of attacks that came his way.

Unfortunately, the same couldn't always be said for the ponies he was fighting alongside. While the initial surprise attack had yielded promising results, the progression of the fight didn't go in the ponies' favor. A great many of them were physically drained from all the work and abuse they had to endure for so long. It was worse for unicorns and pegasi because they wore restraints that kept them from using natural advantages they had like flying and magic. They were able to take down some minotaurs, but not nearly enough.

Instead, it was far more easy for the minotaurs to take down any pony that came there way. They just seemed to be too naturally gifted as fighters for the ponies to overcome. All that Surelious was able to do to the minotaurs he fought, the other minotaurs were able to do even more easily to the ponies. Then there was the extra added hurtle of the timberwolves still in the mine. They were highly dangerous, truly fearsome predators who tried to tear apart any pony they could get a hold of.

No matter what the ponies did, as the fight kept going on, the negatives were far outweighing the positives. Even with Surelious on their side, that advantage could only go so far. As great of a warrior as he was, Surelious was still mortal and had taken a lot of damage getting up to this point. Though he was doing better than what could be expected, he still took his share of hits. He took a club to the back, a stray kick, even ocassionally took tiny shurikens being thrown into his body.

Surelious had his fair share of punishment, but fought through it all and was usually able to put down whoever had hit him. Surelious was even able to pull off an amazing tornado kick on a foe before cutting down another with his sword and ax. He then spotted three timberwolves attacking a group of ponies and quickly acted on it. When he was a few yards behind the snarling beasts, Surelious jumped up into the air. He landed hard, stomping his hooves down on the back of the wolf in the middle before jumping and corkscrewing up and over the trio of mutts.

He landed in front of the three enchanted canines and instantly took his weapons to them.

"Face me, beasts!" Surelious exclaimed.

The timberwolves were more than happy to oblige Surelious and certainly didn't make the fight easy for him. All three came at him like the vicious, brutal, predatory animals all knew them to be. They even managed to swipe him with their claws a few times. While most of them were tame enough that he could shrug them off, one particular swing of a wolf's claws cut Surelious so deep in the side it forced him to scream out in agony. Many ponies thought that would be the end of Surelious, but shockingly he forced himself to press on in his gambit against the three timberwolves.

It was a spectacle for any who managed to catch sight of the struggle between Surelious and the trio of predators. The timberwolves were fantastic creatures, but the minotaur was just as great of a warrior, especially when it came to using his sword and battle ax. He swung them with such expertise and moved so effortlessly around the wolves as if he had been amongst these kinds of beasts his whole life. At one point, when it looked like a timberwolf would make him lunch, he thrust his sword up through its lower jaw until the tip of the blade stuck out of the top of its head. Then he pulled his sword out, taking half the wolf's face with it before finishing it off with a deadly combination of both his sword and ax.

After that, Surelious used his well trained hooves to perfectly execute several spin kicks that took pieces of the other two timberwolves. The raging minotaur then ran at one, smashing his horns into it like an actual bull would. He ripped them out and shook off whatever pieces were still there before stabbing his sword into the timberwolf's side. He saw the other one coming and kicked it in the face before swinging his ax into its upper back. Surelious then spun around, holding his weapons out at his sides, allowing them to slice into the two wolves.

After a few seconds, Surelious stopped spinning and snorted as he dug a hoof into the ground and then charged forth at the timberwolves. He finished them both off with his weapons he wielded so well. The ponies he'd rescued from the timberwolves looked on in awe, having already been stunned to see a minotaur of all creatures helping them. Before Surelious could go to check on them, a stray timberwolf came up from behind and tackled him away, snapping its jaws all the while. Though Surelious was pained greatly by the surprise attack, it still wasn't enough to keep him down.

In fact, whereas most would probably be put out of commission, the sneak attack seemed to motivate him to keep pressing on. Surelious demonstrated this when he forced the timberwolf to roll with him across the ground in a bitter struggle. It went on for a little bit, but eventually Surelious managed to break himself free, as he rolled away from the timberwolf. By the time he managed to get back on his hooves, the howling mad canine was running at him like an out of control freight train. The wolf leaped into the air, fangs bared and front claws outstretched in preparation to rip Surelious apart.

Rather than just stand there and let it happen, Surelious ran under the incoming timberwolf and grabbed a hold of him. Surelious had lost his weapons in the previous scuffle and thus used his bare hands to press the beast over his head. With a mighty scream the courageous minotaur tossed the timberwolf against a stone wall. Several ponies at a higher level pushed a cart full of huge rocks over the side, making them roll on top of the fallen wolf, smashing it to bits. Surelious looked up to the ponies with an approving smile and a thumbs up.

His moment with the ponies was interrupted when he felt three new sharp pains in his back. The ponies gasped as Surelious grunted and groaned while trying to fight back against his pain. He turned to see the minotaur who had thrown the shurikens in into his back standing there and ready to throw a large knife at him. Surelious ran at the bull just as he threw the small blade. Much to the knife thrower's surprise, Surelious easily caught the blade in his hand, still running forward all the while.

Before he could get away, the minotaur was caught by Surelious, who pulled him in close as he sunk the knife into his mid-section. The minotaur gasped out just before Surelious snapped his neck. Suddenly, a roundhouse kick caught Surelious in the face, forcing him to stumble back. The minotaur that kicked him moved in and threw several punches across his face. After several well placed swings, the minotaur followed up his punches with a massive spin kick to Surelious' chest.

Surelious' back crashed against a stone wall as he felt a lot of air leave his body. He was in more pain than ever, but he forced himself to fight through it when his saw his foe running at him. The minotaur had his head lowered in an attempt to impale his horns into Surelious' body. Surelious reacted quickly and kicked his hoof up into his foe's mid-section, instantly making him stumble back. Surelious then kicked him in the chest and face before throwing several great punches of his own.

Surelious then pulled his opponent's own sword from its holster and cut him down with it. Unfortunately, he then suffered a club to the back, followed by another minotaur stabbing a tiny dagger into his side. Surelious forced himself to swing his sword around, taking down the three minotaurs that had surrounded him. Many more minotaurs came at him, most of them holding one or two weapons with an intense desire to fight plastered on their faces. Surelious met them all without an ounce of fear showing, looking more so like he welcomed the challenge.

While that may or may not have been true, one fact was: Surelious was nearing the end of his rope. As great of a fighter as he was, he could only go so far, especially fighting against those who had similar training to him. Though he may have stood defiant against an army, it was still a force of many, whereas he was only one. The fatigue and injuries he had sustained had all mounted up to a point Surelious simply couldn't get past, no matter how hard he tried. He wielded his sword as best as he could and used all the tricks of his trade that were still available to give him any sort of advantage in the fight.

Even then in the most desperate moment of his life, Surelious was still pretty impressive, though it was clear the odds were against him. The ponies he fought alongside were in exactly the same dire situation as their lone minotaur ally was. When the fight first started it had seemed somewhat more even, but as it went on things changed drastically. The ponies lost the initial element of surprise they had and what resources were available to them were either used up quickly or rendered useless. The ponies had heart, but they were physically and mentally tired and hurting slaves fighting against a natural military force they couldn't hope to conquer.

With their superior skills, weapons, and the timberwolves at their side, the minotaurs would no doubt overtake those that tried to rise against them. It seemed like that no matter how hard Surelious and the ponies fought back they would fall to the cultists. These soldiers, these drones, these followers of a dark cause allowed their outrageous beliefs to motivate them in a way that only they could understand. With no fear of death and a faith as blind as could be to go with everything else they had, the minotaurs were certain to be the victors in this fight. That's how it seemed until, all of a sudden, something amazing happened.

Up on the the highest ledge of the mine, a great flash of light appeared that blinded all who saw it. It was accompanied by a noise that sounded like thunder rumbling after the greatest of lightning bolts. The strange phenomenon lasted only a few seconds, but it left quite the impression on all those in that enormous cave, even the timberwolves. Eventually the thunder faded away and the light disappeared, leaving all to look at what they left behind. Just about everyone was shocked to their very core by what came seemingly as a result of the strange event.

While Surelious was shocked, he was also given a renewed sense of hope like no one could imagine, as was Strong Courage. Almost no one in that mine recognized the six ponies standing up above them. What they saw was that, unlike everypony else in the mine, they looked to be in perfect health and physical condition. Beyond that, they even seemed to be calm, cool, collected, confident, and, most surprisingly, kind of cocky. All of them wore smiles on their faces, the likes of which nopony had seen in a long time.

Besides Surelious and Strong Courage, only a lone child in the crowd knew who these newcomers were. Seeing them again filled him with joy beyond all compare. As unexpected and surprising as the new mares were, the object floating in front of the violet alicorn stole the show for most. It looked to be about the size of a large dinosaur egg and was even shaped like one. Also the jewel was glowing red with an intense aura that none in the mine had seen in a long while.

"So, are these the ponies not getting their work benefits?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she looked down smugly.

"Yup, none whatsoever," Pinkie Pie said. "No medical, no dental, not even a lunch break."

"My word, no _dental?!_ " Rarity exclaimed. "My goodness! What's worse, I heard they have to work twenty four hours a day, seven days a week without taking holidays."

"I hear they ain't even gettin' paid," Applejack said.

"What kind of sweat shop you guys running here?!" Rainbow Dash asked as she hovered above her friends.

"Sorry, but it looks like we're going to have to shut your work place down... _permanently_ ," Twilight Sparkle said with an intense glower. The rest of the Mane Six allowed equally angry looks to form on their faces as they stared on. "You fowl creatures have abused and mistreated these ponies for a false cause long enough! Your evil deeds are at an end, having gone on for far too long!"

"In other words, y'all should have never gotten started," Applejack said.

Twilight Sparkle lifted the red Alpha Stone closer to herself with her telekinesis. Then the glow of her horn intensified, as did the light around the stone. There was a brilliant flash of light that made everyone look away. When they turned back, the stone was much smaller and now encrusted within a golden necklace around Twilight Sparkle's neck.

"I may have changed the way it looks, but you all still know what this is, don't you?" Twilight asked.

"Looking at you especially, ya dull horns!" Pinkie Pie cried as she pointed out multiple minotaurs.

"That's right, _we_ have the red Alpha Stone!" Twilight Sparkle said as she stood tall. "We, the ponies you have treated so cruelly in the past now hold the most powerful of the four stones! We have that, which was to be the ultimate key in your moronically misguided plans. This should be proof positive how right we've been to rebel against your evil ways! You've been searching for this for Celestia knows how long and it ended up with us!

"Not only that, with it we have single hoofedly destroyed your kaiju lab. We also beat half your army... And we even defeated, as well as permanently crippled, your lord and master, the minotaur called Isarem!"

All of the minotaurs gasped before hushed, uncertain, and even frightened voices started to murmur amongst their masses. The ponies, on the other hoof, felt countless positive feelings they'd developed expand more and more by the second. Seeing the Mane Six stand tall with the stone and hearing of their fantastic accomplishments sparked more warmth, joy, and splendor than they'd felt in years. In fact, it was the best anypony that lived on Pony Tale Island had felt since the minotaurs spread their darkness over the land. The Mane Six all looked on happily, seeing all the shudders they'd sent through the minotaurs and the good vibrations they sent through their fellow ponies.

"So, that leaves you with only two options," Twilight Sparkle went on. "You either let these ponies go and give up your evil ways. Or you can decide to keep following this lost cause... _and we make you release them!_ "

" _Yeah!_ " the rest of the Mane Six said together.

All capable ponies cheered out as loudly as they could. Others either just smiled or were too incapacitated to even do that. Surelious was one of the few who looked on in silent happiness despite all he had gone through. After a few moments everything went quiet. All pony eyes fell on the minotaurs to see what they would do next.

The only problem was that most of the minotaurs seemed unsure about what to do next themselves. Collectively they'd been hit with several figurative bombshells, though they weren't certain that the Mane Six were telling them the whole truth. Still, all of them looked to be stunned from having heard it all. Besides that, it was pretty obvious the object the six mares had was the true red Alpha Stone like they'd boasted. It wouldn't take a genius to figure that one out, but what the minotaurs still couldn't figure out was what to do next.

Finally a heavily breathing minotaur raised his sword high above his head and yelled as loud as he could. That seemed to be a signal to all the other minotaurs that the decision had been made for them. It seemed good enough to them because they all did the same before they resumed their battle with the ponies. Half of them continued on exactly as if there had not been an interruption while the other half attempted to go after the Mane Six. The group of pony mares looked on with anger and annoyance on their faces.

"Some flat heads just never learn, I guess," Rarity said as she shrugged.

"Well, we'll just have to work harder to get the lesson across!" Rainbow Dash said as she slammed her front hooves together. "And school's in session! Am I right, girls?!"

The other pony mares all clamored together in agreement.

"Then let's begin our class today, starting with physical education!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. "Let's whip these steak donors!"

The Mane Six all rushed down to meet the minotaurs coming at them. Some ponies allowed themselves to slide down the side of the rocky wall on their hooves while others actually ran. Twilight Sparkle led Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in a triangular flight pattern. The alicorn princess fired several shots at random minotaurs, taking them down instantly. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy charged at minotaurs full speed ahead, smacking their hooves across their faces and knocking them out instantly.

Pinkie Pie kept jumping at minotaurs, either knocking them down with a flying kick or hitting them with one of their own weapons she picked up along the way. Rarity would charge at minotaurs, stabbing her glowing horn at them, igniting an explosion of sparks upon impact and knocking them away. She would also occasionally make use of her martial arts skills in a variety of ways that paid off significantly. Applejack would either kick large rocks at her opponents, out punch them with her superior boxing skills, or easily kick them away through the air with her hind legs. To all who saw them, the Mane Six looked like the greatest fighters there were against the minotaurs they fought.

Though they'd just begun, their efforts against the minotaurs proved more fruitful than anyone could expect. What was more, they all made it look so effortless, though thanks to the red Alpha Stone, it pretty much was. In only a matter of minutes their addition to the fight did more for the pony side than anything done for them before. A great many minotaurs and even a few timberwolves fell at the hooves of the Mane Six, who looked to be almost untouchable. They just plowed through the minotaurs like they were bags of flour and nothing more.

Twilight Sparkle continued to fly high above the scene, shooting various attack spells from her horn at any adversaries she got in her sights. Electric blasts, tiny laser bolts, energy orbs of varying sizes, and beams ranging from small streams to large waves, Twilight Sparkle used them all. In addition to these attack spells, Twilight utilized other magical enchantments as well. Any trick she could think of she executed them flawlessly, for her horn's magic and her body's stamina appeared to be almost never ending. While Twilight Sparkle's wings gave her an extra advantage, what she saw amongst the fighting masses made her more than willing to abandon it.

Out of the crowd of those battling it out, the princess spotted a lone minotaur fighting against his brethren. Instantly Twilight Sparkle knew it was Surelious, who looked to be in almost as bad of shape as when she and the others first saw him before. She also saw that he was surrounded by several other minotaurs coming at him with many different kinds of weapons. Surelious was doing a decent job of fighting them all off, however, putting every ounce of his being into the fight. He swung his sword around and moved swiftly in a variety of ways to attack or avoid his opponents.

While he was impressive, Surelious was still one going against many after already being put through a lot, which started to show in his performance. For every three opponents he managed to fight back, another one managed to hit him in one way or another. The pain that resulted from the blows he took varied depending on where he got hit, how hard he got hit, and what he got hit with. Eventually all that started to mount up again and slowly overtake Surelious despite his best efforts. It almost seemed like the minotaurs gathering around him would finally put him down once and for all.

But that was only until Twilight Sparkle interfered with her various blasts of attack magic. The alicorn fired from above as she flew down to Surelious' side where she started shooting more magical blasts. Occasionally she would also swing or stab her horn at any minotaur that she saw. Sparks flew from every spot on every minotaur Twilight hit with her magical attacks. Surelious stopped only for a moment to look to the courageous pony.

She caught his gaze and gave him a reassuring smile and a wink, to which he responded with a nod of his head. With that, the two stood with their back to each other as they fought off any and all adversaries that came their way. The two of them working together was like a force of power from the gods themselves, for they tore through all who they fought against.

"Looks like we got here just in time!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed in between fighting opponents.

"A couple minutes before wouldn't have hurt either!" Surelious responded as he fought on.

"I know, but what are you going to do?!" Twilight Sparkle asked. "We weren't just talking to boost our reputations. We really did do all that stuff we talked about."

"Of that I have no doubt!" Surelious said. "But most of us down here were hanging on by our last threads before you girls showed up!"

"Fair enough!" Twilight Sparkle said. "It's okay, now! We're here and we're going to put everything we have into helping you all!"

"I've noticed!" Surelious said before he and Twilight shared a chuckle.

Between Twilight Sparkle's incredibly powerful magic and Surelious' natural fighting prowess as a warrior, they almost seemed unstoppable. Surelious looked around him and quickly took notice that the same wasn't so true for their allies. Many a pony was still suffering at the hands of the minotaurs they tried so desperately to fight against. While the Mane Six were doing great against the minotaurs and the timberwolves, the other ponies around weren't so lucky. Surelious knew something had to be done and he knew exactly what it was, too.

"Twilight, use the stone's magic!" Surelious said as he turned to the princess. He then brought up his sword to block another bull's blade before he was shot down by Twilight Sparkle. "Help the other ponies! Set them free! Heal them!

"Give them back what they've been denied for so long!"

Twilight Sparkle followed Surelious' finger as he pointed around at all the ponies. She saw how all of them, apart from her friends, seemed to be struggling. There was no hesitation at all as Twilight nodded her head and focused on harnessing the Alpha Stone's magic into her horn. Surelious fought back any minotaur or timberwolf that tried to come up and attack the alicorn princess. Both parties' efforts paid off, for Twilight Sparkle had focused the gathered magic into a spell she spread into every single pony within the confines of the caves.

The magical energy spread in the form of a circular wave of red light that washed over everything. Only the equines there were the ones to feel the effects of it, though. It was a sensation unlike anything they felt before. But it was okay, because everything they were feeling felt incredibly good for the body, the heart, the mind, and even the soul. Any and all physical ailments they felt before were instantly gone and any confines, such as chains and, in some cases, cages were made non-factors. Everypony was now completely healthy and free to do as they pleased.

Pegasus ponies could fly, unicorns could use their magic, and Earth ponies could make full use of their enhanced physical attributes. Every minotaur felt a shiver of fear run down their spine when they realized how much more the playing fields had been evened. Some were even starting to think about retreating, for while they didn't fear death, they knew it wouldn't be that simple. Every minotaur there knew that after what they put all those ponies though, they wouldn't be satisfied with just ending their lives. More than likely the mass of equines would want to make them suffer as much as possible before axing them off to the great beyond.

Those sentiments were confirmed by the looks on the ponies' faces after they got over their initial surprise at what Twilight's spell did for them. Now it was time to set things right, to put down the minotaurs, to see that they could do no more evil. Now fully prepared to continue the battle, the ponies all charged back into the fray. This time the results were quite different than before; instead of just six powerful ponies to deal with, the minotaurs had to take on a whole army and the strain of such a task showed. The minotaurs were still great warriors, but now they were dealing with hundreds of ponies who had advantages they didn't.

Pegasi flew around, either hitting minotaurs from above, picking them up and lifted them high before dropping them, or just throwing an object down on them. Then there were the unicorns who used all the same kind of magical attacks and spells as Twilight Sparkle and Rarity would use. Also like the two magic wielders of the Mane Six, they would use their horns as stabbing weapons, while also using any non-magic skills that could aid in the fight. Then there were the Earth ponies, all of whom put their extra enhanced physically abilities to great practical use. Their strength made any physical attacks feel like a small wrecking ball had hit whoever they aimed for.

Their speed allowed them to run laps around their opponents, allowing them to easily avoid any opposition or flank their foes. Their extra high jumps were also a large factor, being so great that some might even think they could fly, even without wings.

"Looks like ponies can do a lot more than you thought they could, huh?" Pinkie Pie said, seemingly to no one.

Unicorns blasted away at timberwolves with their attack magic while also using their telekinesis to tear them apart. They would then throw the pieces at whoever they saw fit. The pegasi hit them from above with rocks and other things they could find to drop on the timberwolves. The Earth ponies just tore through them with their fantastic physical prowess. No matter how mighty of creatures the timberwolves were, they couldn't match the ponies, all of whom were now renewed and even enhanced by the red Alpha Stone.

Alone, it would usually take a special kind of pony to take on a timberwolf, let alone a whole pack. Together as a super charged army, however, this massive group of ponies managed to make short work of the mythical creatures in ways most thought impossible to do. Both minotaur and timberwolf alike looked to be no match for the ponies they were once able to dominate so easily. The power of the red Alpha Stone was great, as was the hearts in all those ponies who fought back against those that had done them such great wrongs. It was actually really inspiring to see the tremendous effort the ponies all put in to get back at the evil fiends that were once their forceful masters.

It certainly touched the hearts of Twilight Sparkle and Surelious. They watched it all play out, allowing it to fell them with a warm feeling inside. It actually brought smiles to their face, which they shared with each other. A quick look of regret flashed across Surelious' face when he remembered he was associated with the cult for so long. He was quickly comforted by Twilight's hoof rubbing the side of his face.

Looking to see her supportive smile encouraged Surelious to keep on fighting alongside his new pony allies. With that, the mighty minotaur raised his sword and ran off back into the fight. Twilight Sparkle thought about following Surelious, but lost him in the crowd. Instead, she went off in her own direction and started shooting small shotgun bursts of her attack magic at random minotaurs. Eventually Twilight Sparkle came across a group of about thirteen or so minotaurs, all of whom she was more than happy to fight herself.

The aura of Twilight Sparkle's horn began to glow even brighter as it extended in length. Then the alicorn and the group of minotaurs ran at one another in a collision of epic proportions. Every minotaur swung their weapons like the expert soldiers they were with admirable precision. But none of what they did was enough to match Twilight Sparkle's magically enhanced fighting ability. She swung her horn around and effortlessly took down many of the minotaurs that surrounded her.

Sparks flew every time she struck a foe and their weapons usually burst into pieces whenever they made contact with her horn. Between her horn swinging, her fast punching and kicking hooves, and her great agility, it looked like Twilight Sparkle didn't need any help at all. That didn't stop a lone Earth pony from coming in and beating the tar out of ten more minotaurs that tried to get involved. When Twilight Sparkle took down the last few minotaurs she was fighting, she stopped to watch the Earth pony make short work of the other group of minotaurs. Instantly she recognized the white furred, brown maned stallion.

Strong Courage had been at death's door, but with the aid of the Alpha Stone, he felt like he was twenty five years old again. In fact he felt even better and had a burning mad demeanor to go with it. Now that he had this renewed energy and furious temper, he was ready to take it all on the vile beings who put him in such a fowl mood. Strong Courage certainly lived up to his name, pushing forth with incredible strength, speed, and agility, looking as fearless as could be as he did so. He would buck both his front legs and back legs at his foes in between throwing more traditional punches and kicks.

Sometimes all he needed to do was ram his head or body into those he stood against and he sent them flying away like they were nothing. Twilight Sparkle marveled at the fighting ability of Strong Courage. To her he looked like he could be the god of war because of how great a fighter he was.

 _Wow, he's incredible,_ Twilight Sparkle thought to herself. _I almost hate to admit it... But he's three times the fighter TJ is._

Strong Courage was down to his last minotaur, whom he bucked right in the face, knocking him out cold. The Earth pony stallion looked down at his fallen adversary for a few moments before turning to see Twilight staring at him in wonder.

"Miss me?" Strong Courage asked with a sly smirk and a raise of his brows.

"More than anything," Twilight Sparkle said as she came up and hugged Strong.

"You mean besides my son, right?" Strong Courage questioned as he raised his brows once more.

"Uh... sure," Twilight Sparkle said as an embarrassed smile crossed her face. "I suppose so."

"Red looks good on you, but violet's definitely more your color," Strong Courage said.

The two ponies smiled at each other for a moment before turning to see how the rest of the fight was progressing. Much to their pleasure, it looked more and more like the tide was turning in the ponies' favor. It was looking more than certain that they would take victory that day. Each passing second saw the ponies' side getting stronger while the minotaurs' resources were depleting.

"Looks like everything's going our way," Twilight Sparkle said.

"It's not over yet," Strong Courage said as a more serious look crossed his face. "We need to keep pressing the fight further until all of these monsters are on the ground. None of them can be allowed to still be standing when this is over!"

"Right!" Twilight Sparkle said. "Then let's go help everypony else make it so!"

The two nodded to each other before running off in different directions. Twilight Sparkle used her levitation magic to pick up several minotaurs, weapons, rocks, and mining carts, all of which she tossed at any potential foes nearby. Strong Courage ran through a bunch of minotaurs like they were bowling pins before snatching a wooden club in his mouth. He then jumped, flipped, and spun around in the air several times, smacking a bunch of different minotaurs with his club each time. After five straight minutes, Strong Courage finally took pause to admire his handy work before spitting out the club.

"We're just gettin' started!" Strong Courage said with a confident smile before taking off to continue fighting.

Meanwhile, a large group of minotaurs were starting to make their way over to where all the children were huddled together. A small group of adult ponies stood between the foals and the two legged bulls, but the children still couldn't help but be concerned. There were more minotaurs than ponies in this scenario and each one of them held a nasty-looking weapon of some kind. Their worries were answered when a strange blur flew across the minotaurs coming towards them. The group of ponies couldn't really tell, but it almost looked like this blur was hurting the minotaurs.

Then when the blur slowed down enough, it was revealed to everyone what it really was. Rainbow Dash flew fearlessly at the minotaurs utilizing a combined effort of her boxing and martial arts skills. In all sorts of angles and formations the rainbow maned pony moved through the group of minotaurs without missing a beat. No matter how hard the two legged bulls tried to fight back or get any sort of advantage, even their combined might didn't seem to be a match for Rainbow Dash.

"Wow, is that really all you guys got?" Rainbow Dash asked when she stopped for a moment.

The disappointed look on her face and the matching tone in her voice actually offended the group of minotaurs. All of them growled in anger as they moved aggressively to try and put Rainbow Dash down. They were met by another terrible assault from the pegasus mare that made them all want to cry out and drop to the ground. She stopped after a few seconds and sighed while shrugging her shoulders.

"Well," Rainbow Dash said, "if that's the best you got, then I guess I'm just gonna have to mess you up."

She then proceeded to beat on the minotaurs as hard as she could. All of them cried out with every punch or kick they had to take.

"Is that all you got?!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she continued to press her attack harder and harder.

Being born with such natural abilities as fighters, it was thought impossible that one pony or even many could take on such a large group of minotaurs at once. Yet there was Rainbow Dash taking them all on like it was nothing. It was clear she didn't need any help whatsoever. That didn't stop several other ponies nearby from taking notice and deciding to get involved. A large number of other ponies came in and assisted Rainbow Dash in her fight with the minotaurs.

Several unicorns started blasting at the minotaur group as they ran in, slamming their glowing horns into the first foe they came up to. Then several pegasi tossed rocks down on the minotaurs from above before flying down to fight them head on. Finally a bunch of Earth ponies came in and started throwing their might around and using the full extent of their physically enhanced bodies. Though Rainbow Dash didn't really need any help, it still made her beam as bright as could be to see all those ponies at her side. She ran with it and fought alongside those ponies against the minotaurs very effectively.

It was all over in a matter of minutes with each minotaur that tried to go after the kids lying on the ground. Rainbow Dash admired the work she and her group had accomplished before looking to each one of those ponies approvingly.

"Nice work, guys," Rainbow Dash said. "I think we should all stick together."

"Lead the way," a unicorn stallion said.

"And we'll follow you," a pegasus mare finished.

The rest all agreed as Rainbow Dash felt her ego grow just a tiny bit bigger.

"Alright, let's do it," Rainbow Dash agreed. She then turned to the ponies that had been watching the foals before. "You guys just keep on looking out for the kids, ya hear?"

"We will," a unicorn mare replied.

"You can count on us, boss," an Earth pony stallion said. "We'll take good care of them."

"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash said before leading her group into battle.

Elsewhere, Pinkie Pie was hoping around, looking as chipper as ever.

"La, le, la, le, la, le, la!" Pinkie Pie sang as she hopped along.

More often than not she would end up bouncing off the heads of minotaurs who were too busy fighting other ponies to notice her. The distraction she provided allowed the other ponies to strike and take down the minotaurs. Pinkie Pie kept on going until she found a minotaur that wasn't fighting ponies, though he looked like he really wanted to.

"Oh, my, lookie what we have here," Pinkie Pie said as she hopped along. "He don't have any playmates. I'll fix that up right quick. Meep, meep."

Pinkie Pie ran up to the minotaur just like a high speed, loony cartoon character. The minotaur turned to face the pink mare who stood stood still for a moment. Then she stuck her tongue out at the bull before laughing in his face, kissing him, blowing raspberries in his face, and then laughing again. The minotaur angrily swung his giant war hammer at Pinkie Pie, but she easily avoided it. The snorting mad bull looked around for where Pinkie Pie may have ran off to, though he didn't have to look long.

"Yoo-hoo!" Pinkie Pie called out. The minotaur turned and looked to the Earth pony as furiously as he could. All Pinkie Pie did in response was sing, " _You can't catch me!_ "

The minotaur ran at Pinkie Pie and tried to swing his hammer down on her again and missed her once more. Pinkie Pie had easily dodged the hammer by jumping away and landing on another minotaur's head.

" _You can't catch me!_ " Pinkie Pie sang out again before sticking her tongue out at the minotaur with the hammer.

He growled furiously before running up and swinging his hammer at Pinkie Pie once more. Like before she got away and this time the minotaur hit his comrade on the head. The minotaur with the hammer ignored his ally's cries of pain and looked for the pink pony who angered him so.

"Yoo-hoo," Pinkie Pie called again. "You still can't catch me. Meep, meep!"

The minotaur swung his hammer low this time and ended up hitting another minotaur, who Pinkie Pie had been standing next to, right in the back. Again the minotaur ignored that he had accidentally attacked one of his companions and kept going after Pinkie Pie. It went on like that for a while with Pinkie Pie jumping on or near a minotaur and making the minotaur with the hammer hit them by accident. All the while Pinkie Pie kept singing and chanting all sorts of things.

" _You can't catch me! You can't catch me! You can't catch me! Ha, ha, ha! Nah, nah, nah!_

" _Missed me, missed me, now ya gotta kiss me!_ "

Pinkie Pie must've made him hit at least fourteen other minotaurs before she finally skidded to a stop. She gave the tired out minotaur a sideways glance.

"Wow, you really can't hit me, can you?" Pinkie Pie asked. The minotaur just kept looking on hatefully while Pinkie Pie allowed a small smirk to cross her face. "You can't get me, but it looks like you can sure got your buddies there pretty good. And I think they want to tell you how much they appreciate it, too."

Pinkie Pie pointed her hoof and the minotaur looked to see several of his fellow minotaurs glaring as angrily as ever. The minotaur looked on fearfully as he dropped his hammer before offering a apologetic and fearful smile. The minotaurs responded by jumping on top of him and pummeling him into the dirt.

"Yeah, yeah!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she punched out her hooves. "Give him a right and a left! No, your other left! Well then, hit him with his own left or that guy's left! Just do something, yeah!"

When it was over the minotaur that had been holding the hammer was as good as done for. With him out of the way, the others all turned to Pinkie Pie, still looking as angry as could be.

"Uh-oh," Pinkie Pie let out with a blank stare on her face.

But then a mischievous smile crossed her face before she ran at the group of minotaurs. In turn, all the minotaurs ran at her, screaming at the top of their lungs as they raised their weapons high. When Pinkie Pie was about halfway from the group of minotaurs, she jumped high into the air. She ended up landing on top of the minotaur right in the middle of the group, taking him off his hooves. The other minotaurs all turned to Pinkie Pie, who now stood between them.

While seeing her face angered them, it also delighted them to know they had Pinkie Pie surrounded. Still smiling, the pink coated mare looked around her.

"Oh no, I am surrounded," Pinkie Pie said with obvious sarcasm. She then brought her front hooves up to the sides of her face. "Whatever shall I do?"

All the minotaurs screamed out as they ran at Pinkie Pie full speed ahead. The pony mare stood there for a few moments looking as calm as could be, even taking the time to examine a hoof. Finally Pinkie Pie responded to her situation by...simply ducking down and crouching into a ball. None of the minotaurs were able to properly respond before they all ended up crashing into one another and gathering up in a big wreckage of a pile. Pinkie Pie managed to squirm her way out from underneath the pileup and get back to her hooves.

"Oh, so that's why goons don't usually attack all at the same time," Pinkie Pie said as she stared at the pile of fallen minotaurs. "I guess you just can't find good help nowadays."

At the same time Rarity was plowing through the minotaurs that stepped up to her. She flew through the air with the greatest of ease, jumping and spinning around as she kept on the attack. With her mighty repertoire of flying kicks, punches, and horn attacks, she looked to be nearly unbeatable. That idea was tested after a spinning back kick to the last minotaur that stepped up to Rarity. The purple maned unicorn was admiring her success in the battle when the howls of timberwolves caught her attention.

Rarity turned and saw that indeed there were several timberwolves stalking towards her, most of them accompanied by two or more minotaurs. Rarity merely smiled as her horn lit up and an orb of energy formed at its tip. The bright glowing object grew in size becoming as big as three wrecking balls. Then the orb separated into several smaller parts that flew at the minotaurs and timberwolves that surrounded her. All the minotaurs were taken off their hooves and the timberwolves were blasted to pieces.

Rarity wasn't done yet, for she used her telekinesis to pick up the bodies of the minotaurs, the pieces of the wolves, several giant boulders, and a few mine carts. She then sent them all flying at other enemies nearby, taking most minotaurs off their hooves and smashing a few timberwolves apart. The wolves that managed to stay in tact ran off whimpering. Rarity pressed the attack by smacking a few other minotaurs with pieces of the fallen timberwolves with her levitation magic. Many ponies around Rarity cheer and applauded at her dominance while she smiled in appreciation.

"Lots of ponies underestimate us dressmakers," Rarity said in her most cutesy voice. Then a furious frown crossed her face as she screeched out, " _Which is why we're so dangerous! Never mistake our quiet and calm nature for weakness!_ "

Not too far away, Applejack was holding her own as well as her friends had been. She'd been plowing through many a minotaur as if they weren't a problem at all. Her physical prowess gave her too much of an edge to overcome, as did her fighting skills. She started out using a wide variety of attacks, but now she was sticking mostly to bucking out her back legs and kicking away her foes. It was still very effective, for no minotaur managed to do anything to harm her the whole time she was bucking.

That didn't keep Strong Courage and an Earth pony mare from coming in and helping Applejack clear away the rest of the opponents around her. When Applejack saw these two allies come in to aid her, the orange furred southerner stepped up her game and fought even harder than before. With the three Earth ponies working together, it wasn't long before the minotaurs were all out cold. The trio examined their beaten foes before smiling to one another.

"Nice work, everypony," Applejack said.

"You would've done fine even if we didn't come in," Strong Courage said.

"Maybe, but it's nice to get things done faster," Applejack said.

"You can say that again," Strong Courage Said. "Just remind me to stay on your good side."

Applejack laughed a little before looking ahead. Strong Courage and the extra Earth pony mare followed her gaze. They spotted three mining cars ahead of them, all filled with rocks. Ahead were several minotaurs, of the few that were still left. All of them were fighting desperately against the ponies that had them on the ropes.

The three Earth ponies turn to one another with sly smirks on their faces.

"Y'all thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Applejack asked.

"Let's do it!" Strong Courage exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Hey, Rarity!" Applejack called out.

The unicorn mare turned and looked down from the higher ledge she stood on.

"What can I do for you, Applejack, darling?" Rarity asked.

"I need you to move all them ponies up ahead out of our way!" Applejack said as she pointed.

Rarity looked to where he friend was directing her. With a smile and a nod, Rarity activated her horn's magic without ever questioning her friend. All the ponies that were fighting the minotaurs Applejack had targeted were teleported to a safer area. That was Applejack, Strong Courage, and the stray Earth pony mare's cue to line up.

"Thanks, Rare," Applejack called out as she and the other two ran up to the mine carts.

"You're perfectly welcome, AJ," Rarity called before she went back to fighting.

The three Earth ponies ran up to the mine carts and then turned their backs to them.

"Y'all ready?" Applejack asked.

"One, two, _three!_ " Strong Courage counted down.

With that the trio of Earth ponies bucked out their hind legs, kicking the mining carts as hard as they could. The immense force the physically enhanced ponies put into their bucks sent the mining carts rolling forth at the minotaurs that were targeted. The majority of them were looking around in confusion for the ponies they had been fighting. It was during that search that one of them heard and then spotted the mining carts coming their way. The minotaur screamed out to warn his brothers-in-arms while also pointing.

The minotaurs all quickly turned and ran when they saw what was coming their way. It wasn't nearly fast enough, for every single one of them was sent flying through the air via a collision they all had with the carts. Each time one got hit it made the sound of a bowling ball hitting a group of pins. Even after all the originally targeted minotaurs were knocked down, the mine carts kept going. Eventually they were stopped by colliding with several larger rocks sticking out of the ground.

The rocks inside the mine carts were sent flying through the air, smashing into many more minotaurs and through timberwolves, too.

" _Yes!_ " Applejack, Strong Courage, and the pony mare exclaimed together.

As they celebrated together, Fluttershy was stepping backwards with many a minotaur and timberwolf trailing her. She looked on like she was the most scared living thing walking the green Earth. This delighted all the minotaurs to see after having so much trouble with the ponies before. Here was one pony that at least looked like she would be easy pickings. It warmed the very center of their black hearts as was seen by the cruel-looking grins on their faces.

Fluttershy shuddered with terror as she looked up with the most fearful eyes. That is, until she got to a certain point where she just stopped and grinned as big as ever.

" _Now!_ " Fluttershy called out, looking up to her left.

The minotaurs and timberwolves all looked at the yellow furred mare in confusion before looking up where she was looking. They all gasped in horror to see several ponies all pushing down giant boulders and mine carts at them. Fluttershy giggled cutely as she flew up to avoid the coming onslaught. The minotaurs and timberwolves tried to run out of harm's way, but it was too little too late and they were done for. Fluttershy looked down at what her team had accomplished while they applauded and cheered for her since it was her idea.

"Thank you," Fluttershy said shyly as she smiled as cute as ever.

Elsewhere, two of the most unlikeliest of allies bumped into each other once again. The two turned and met each other face-to-face, really for only the second direct time. Surelious held his sword high as he and Strong Courage stood in battle stances. They instantly recognized each other. Both of them held their guard up and looked silently at each other for a few moments.

" _Duck!_ " Surelious called out in alarm.

Strong Courage did as instructed as Surelious thrust his sword forward into the chest of the minotaur that tried to sneak up on the Earth pony. The stallion looked on in surprise before Surelious pulled his sword out of the dead minotaur's abdomen and let him fall to the ground. Strong Courage then turned to Surelious, still looking surprised while the minotaur warrior merely smiled. Strong Courage kept looking before his attention was taking by something else.

" _Look out!_ " Strong Courage said before jumping up high.

Surelious was amazed by the Earth pony's ability to leap clean over his head, turning and watching his path all the while. He saw Strong Courage hit his target, an ax wielding minotaur, with the most impressive of dropkicks. Strong Courage landed safely on the ground while the unconscious minotaur collapsed with a hard thud. Surelious and Strong Courage both looked to each other with respect before both gave a nod of approval. With that, they ran off to continue on in the battle.

It wasn't long before it became clear who was going to win this all-out war. The minotaurs didn't want to admit it to anyone, but it was pretty clear that the ponies had bested them. They were pretty much in denial as they kept on forcing themselves to fight a losing battle. Even when the last of their timberwolves were taken down they tried to keep on fighting... at least at first. After several more minutes when there were only a few minotaurs left and they compared their remaining numbers to that of the many ponies still left, they were finally done.

They tried to retreat, to run, to flee so they could fight another day, but that couldn't be allowed.

"Don't let them get away or they'll just bring more!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

It actually ended up being her and the rest of the Mane Six together that led the charge. Strong Courage led several ponies in blocking the minotaurs' path. It didn't seem necessary, for the Mane Six and the ponies that followed them easily caught the fleeing minotaurs. The remaining bulls all looked on fearfully, not even resembling a shell of their once mighty former selves. Twilight Sparkle and the others all just looked on with big smirks, though a stray few wore hate filled frowns.

"This may come as a bit of a shock to you," Twilight Sparkle said.

She unleashed a giant wave of lightning at the fifteen or so remaining minotaurs. After a few seconds, Twilight ceased fire and looked on at the results of her electric charge. The minotaurs all stood in place with burnt black marks all over their bodies while their fur and hair stuck up all over with smoke flowing off them. Occasionally tiny waves of electricity would crackle and move over different parts of their bodies before disappearing again. The looks on their faces spoke a thousand words, though even without them the ponies would still know all they needed to.

"Well, hopefully they still found the little talk you had with them stimulating," Rarity said mischievously.

All the ponies laughed as Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy blew air from their mouths at the electrocuted minotaurs. This caused the last few minotaurs to fall to the ground. The ponies all looked down at the fallen minotaurs for a moment before turning to look at all the rest around them. As they looked on and saw what they had done, the full reality of it all started to become more clearer. For most of them this was the ultimate in redemption and vindication, for they had conquered those who had enslaved them and done them wrong for so long.

Those that would torture the ponies and call themselves their masters had been bested by the very ponies they harmed in the name of their cause. At last the ponies were free and they had used their freedom to fight back against the evil minotaurs. It was accelerating beyond all compare.

"We hit them high," Rarity said.

"We hit them low," Applejack added.

"All one the floor," Pinkie Pie continued.

"Ready to go," Fluttershy chanted further.

"We be fast!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

" _And they be slow!_ " the Mane Six all shouted together as they jumped and then embraced one another.

With that every last one of the ponies within that mine stood up proud and cheered as loud as they could. It was absolute pandemonium with many jumping, applauding, some even dancing. Absolutely none of them could contain themselves, nor should they. Everypony was as happy as ever and after all they'd gone through, they had every right to be.

* * *

 **Seeing as how this might be the only chapter I post this month, I wanted to say a Happy Hanuka, a Happy Kwanzaa, and a Merry Christmas to you all. Happy Holidays.**


	38. Chapter 38: It's Not Over

"Guard the entrance!" Strong Courage barked.

Several ponies rushed to the mouth of the cave and stood ready for any possible trouble. They still had as much of their attention, however, on the six pony mares that bravely led them into the battle. They stood up on a ledge high above the rest of the ponies. who looked up at them from ground level. Twilight Sparkle flew out and hovered above the ponies as she prepared to speak.

"Alright, everypony, please listen well," Twilight Sparkle called out, her voice echoing and reverberating all over the mine. "Now, you all may have heard me say this already or maybe you put it together when we led you to victory against the minotaurs. In case neither is so, let me make it clear that we didn't come here and free you just for the kicks. No, we did it with every intention to see that you were all truly free of the minotaurs and able to get back home to your families and live your lives again."

All the ponies cheered out loudly, all of them looking happier than school ponies at a candy shop. It did the Mane Six good to see all their fellow ponies look so joyful after they'd seen them all look so despairing before. Twilight Sparkle beamed as she looked down to the red Alpha Stone.

"Now, we're going to do that with this," Twilight Sparkle continued. "Using the Alpha Stone, we'll be able to easily teleport all of you out of here and right back to where you need to be."

Many ponies gasped and stared in wonder and awe while others looked to each other and spoke excitedly.

"Wait, what about the other stones?!" a pony from the crowd called out.

"That's right, we know these minotaur have at least two more," another pony said.

"They were all destroyed," Twilight Sparkle called out.

Many ponies gasped again before pelting the alicorn with questions.

"You heard right, the other three stones were blown to pieces," Applejack said.

"It happened when we attacked the kaiju lab before coming here," Fluttershy went on.

"This is the only one left," Twilight Sparkle said.

"And it's in our possession," Rarity said.

"We got it, we won," Rainbow Dash said.

"And now we're going to use it the right way by helping all you!" Pinkie Pie finished.

"But what about the rest of the minotaurs?!" a pony in the crowd called out. "You said there were probably more out there while we were still fighting."

"That's right and what about their monsters?!" another pony asked. "They could sick those vile beasts on us at anytime."

"Not to worry, my friends," Strong Courage called out. "Those monsters you speak of have been dealt with."

The ponies in crowd all started to murmur amongst their own masses, discussing what they'd just heard.

"How do you know that?!" another pony asked.

"Look, it doesn't matter!" Rainbow Dash said. "What does matter is that you can't stay here either way! You all have family, friends, and lives you nee to get back to whether there are monsters out there or not. If anything, that's more of a reason to get back to those ponies you love! Wouldn't you rather face something like that together instead of separated?"

The ponies were silent for a moment as they went over in their head what the pegasus mare said. Her words made more sense as time passed by with some either whispering to each other in agreement or merely nodding their heads.

"Good, glad to see we're all on the same level now," Applejack said.

"Nice work, Dashie," Fluttershy said as she smiled up to her friend, who responded in kind.

"Now, as for the rest of the minotaurs here," Twilight Sparkle said. "You're right, they need to be dealt with and they will be. Coming here it was always an intention to stop the minotaur threat immediately after we took care of you all."

"How you gonna do that?" a pony asked.

"With the stone?" another pony asked.

"No, with these," Twilight Sparkle said before her horn started to glow.

The others all watched as the magical aura got brighter until finally there was a large puff of smoke. When it dissipated everypony looked on in confusion, minus the Mane Six and Strong Courage. They all knew exactly what the full bags were. Twilight used her magic to pull out some of the items from the packs, which she had kept hidden during the whole fight in the mine.

"Using these explosives, we're gonna bring this whole place down," Twilight Sparkle said.

"The volcano?" a pony asked.

"No, just these caves," Pinkie Pie explained. "I mean, I think it'd be a little rash if we tried to destroy the whole volcano! Could you imagine what it could do to the island?! We'd be shooting ourselves in the hoof if we-"

" _Anyways_ ," Rarity said, cutting off her rapid mouthed friend who spoke five words a second. "Whatever these caves may have been before, they've been tainted by the minotaurs' evil acts. Plus, it's the only way to be sure to get rid of them all."

"We know that every minotaur on the island is in these caves right now," Fluttershy said. "This will probably be the only time we can be sure to stop them."

"And these explosives are the best way to do it," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Are you sure you have enough for the job?" a pony asked.

"More than enough," Rainbow Dash boasted.

"Now, are you all with us?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

Everypony thought about it for a moment, but they all quickly came to a collective agreement to follow the Mane Six. The positivity of the crowd boosted the Mane Six's optimistic spirits even higher.

"Great, then let's get to it," Twilight Sparkle said. "Fair word of warning, though. To all the ponies who lived in Willowbrook... I'm sorry, but you won't be able to go back there. It suffered a terrible attack that ripped it in half and made it uninhabitable for the time being."

Many a pony felt their hearts ache ever so slightly at the news of their home's fate. The somber tone was a small tremor, but not enough to break the ponies who were more so just happy they'd be out in the sun as free ponies again.

" So, because of what happened to Willowbrook, we're sending all of you to Seaside Hoof," Twilight Sparkle said. "All the other ponies on the island are there and it has been completely deserted, void of any minotaur life."

While there was some reluctance within the mass of ponies, they still agreed nonetheless.

"Looks like you got your answer, Princess Twilight," Strong Courage said. "We're with you all the way."

"Just Twilight, please," Twilight Sparkle insisted. "But thank you. All my friends call me Twilight." The alicorn mare then looked to all the other ponies. "Are you ready to truly be free?"

There were many enthusiastic whoops and hollers from the crowd.

"Alright then," Twilight Sparkle said. "Just remember to be careful of your eyes. They may need some time adjusting back to the sun."

"Totally worth it!" Strong Courage exclaimed.

The others all cheered in agreement as Twilight Sparkle focused her horn on harnessing the Alpha Stone's magic. In response, the glows of both Twilight's horn and the stone intensified. Many ponies in the crowd felt a tiny bit antsy, but more so they were all happy to finally be leaving and going home to all they loved. Some got emotional to the point that tears fell from their eyes, including Strong Courage himself. He even turned to the Mane Six and silently mouthed the words, "Thank you".

The spell was over in an instant, for just one bright flash of light later and all the ponies were gone, minus Twilight Sparkle herself. Suddenly a wave of warm comfort washed over her as if she were feeling the jubilation in the hearts of everypony in Seaside Hoof. If it wasn't happening right then and there, Twilight knew that soon all in the town would no doubt be in the mist of many a happy reunion. Twilight Sparkle looked at the bags of explosives she still held in her levitation spell, thinking of how confused her friends had to be.

"Sorry, girls," Twilight Sparkle said out loud. "But I'm not risking any more lives now that I don't have to." She then looked down to the Alpha Stone. "With this, I can do everything by myself without having to put any other pony in harm's way. In fact, since I do have the stone"

Twilight Sparkle used the Alpha Stone to help her replicate the bombs and even increase their explosive capabilities. Now with twice the bombs at double the blasting power, Twilight Sparkle placed them all over the mine. From top to bottom, wall-to-wall, and roof-to-floor, stretching all the way to the end of the mine, bombs were placed everywhere. Twilight Sparkle was careful in her placement, only putting a few bombs next to each other, otherwise picking places stretched out as far as could be. When Twilight was done, she examined her work and it seemed like the most essential places had been chosen to her.

"There, perfect," Twilight Sparkle said. "Now, just use the stone to make a magical barrier to protect myself, send out the signal to blow up the bombs, then teleport myself out of here. Then from there it'll be clear sailing all the way."

"No... wait," a voice just barely managed to call out.

Twilight Sparkle's eyes grew wide as she realized who the voice belong to.

"Surelious!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as she turned.

There she saw him, the largest minotaur she'd ever beheld and one she had come to respect most above any others. Unfortunately he looked like he had seen much better days. Surelious appeared to be in the worse condition Twilight Sparkle had ever seen him or anyone else not kaiju-sized in. He was hurt so bad he could barely even stand, having to use his sword as a brace. Surelious barely managed to rasp out a breath, reaching out a trembling hand to Twilight Sparkle.

"Le... Let me..."

Surelious couldn't even finish his sentence before he lost all ability to keep his balance.

"Oh, no!" Twilight cried out as she watched Surelious start to fall. She caught him in her levitation magic and gently lowered him to a sit before she started to examine Surelious. "Oh, my gosh, look at you! Look at the shape you're in! You poor thing...

"Wait, I know! The stone! I can use it to-"

"No!" Surelious shouted out.

Twilight Sparkle looked to him in surprise.

"What?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she tried to comprehend what Surelious said.

"I... I said... no," Surelious managed to heave out between heavy breaths. "Don't... you dare waste another... ounce of magic... on me."

"But if I don't do it... you'll die," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I... would anyways," Surelious said. "We all... have to die... eventually."

"Yes, but it doesn't have to be now, Surelious!" Twilight Sparkle insisted.

"It would be... anyways," Surelious said.

"Wha... What do you mean?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "What do you mean you'd die now anyways?"

"Because... I'm... I'm gonna blow up... these caves," Surelious said.

This made Twilight Sparkle tilt her head a little.

"You're not blowing up the caves, Surelious, I am," Twilight Sparkle said. "Not stop being stubborn and let me-"

" _No!_ " Surelious shouted even louder than he thought he could. Twilight Sparkle jumped like someone who'd just heard a gunshot for the first time. "Listen to me, Twilight, I cannot keep living like everyone else. Not after the horrible things I've done for so many years of my life. I regretted doing all those unspeakably and now I know, truly evil things, but I still did them.

I did them all and for what?! A cause led by a lunatic that I actually was gullible enough to believe?! Even if any of those I wronged in one way or another were willing to forgive me, which I'm not asking for, I could never live with myself. I could not and will not live on this same planet with so many wonderful beings knowing all the terrible things I've done, directly or indirectly. Everything I did today since leaving Isarem's chambers was not so I could redeem myself, but so that those who were wronged could have their lives back.

"I wanted to do at least one thing right with my life; something actually truly useful for a truly just cause... Now my life is nearing it's end, which is just what I want. I want this, Twilight, I want to die. But I don't want to die without at least doing one more right thing... I have the chance to do it by blowing this place sky high so you don't have to, keeping you safe as a result.

"Sure... with the stone you could probably make a barrier strong enough to protect you from the blast. But I'd rather not take that chance... You're... too important... Princess Twilight Sparkle... in more ways than one. You know I'm right... that this is the way it has to be. So please... grant my request... and leave now... so that you can go on living with all the other beautiful souls that are the ponies of this island."

Twilight Sparkle hesitated greatly, saying nothing as she looked on, conflicted as ever. A few seconds went by as she silently contemplated what decision to make. Finally she looked to Surelious, her face sad as could be, as she reluctantly nodded her head. This made the near death minotaur smile as though he were walking on clouds.

"Okay, Surelious... I'll do this for you," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Thank you, Princess Twilight," Surelious said.

"But... just call me 'Twilight', okay?" Twilight Sparkle said. "None of my friends call me 'princess'."

Surelious' eyes widened slightly as he looked on in surprise.

"I... I'm your friend?" Surelious asked.

"Only if you want to be," Twilight Sparkle replied.

A warm smile crossed the minotaur's face as he looked on at the pony with a heart of gold.

"I want to be," Surelious said.

"Then I'm happy to call you my friend," Twilight Sparkle said. "Is there anything you want me to do before I go?"

"Y- y- Yes," Surelious managed to say. "M- Make the bombs more easily combustible. That way... no matter w- what I throw at them... they will explode."

"Done," Twilight Sparkle said as she turned away.

Her horn glowed brightly, as did the Alpha Stone, both emitting a wave of light that washed over all the bombs. Then Twilight Sparkle looked back to Surelious as guilt and remorse at leaving her new friend behind rushed through her.

"Do not be sad for me, Twilight Sparkle," Surelious said. "I want it this way."

"I know... but I don't," Twilight Sparkle replied.

"Fair enough," Surelious said. "But you'll still let me?"

"Like you said... it's what you want," Twilight Sparkle said as tears started to welled up in her eyes. "Goodbye, Surelious."

"Goodbye, Twilight," Surelious replied. "Maybe we'll meet again, possibly... in the great beyond. I do still believe in Paradise... but I don't think the way we went about getting there was right... Nor do I think I'll actually go there... A guy can hope, though."

"Well... I know... I'd let you in," Twilight Sparkle said. Hearing the princess say those words made Surelious' face that much brighter, making him almost seem like he wasn't minutes away from the end. "While I can't speak for everypony else, I can speak for me... And I... I forgive you, Surelious."

The minotaur said nothing, but his face spoke all the gratitude in the world, the kind only two friends could share. That was all Twilight Sparkle needed, despite her still looking sad as she used her horn to harness the Alpha Stone's power and teleport out of the mine. Now alone in the dimly lit cave, Surelious felt like he was on a whole world all to himself... all alone. Depression came with it, but it was fought back by the good feeling Surelious had gotten from befriending Twilight. He planned to take that good feeling with him in his last breaths doing what he knew he had to do.

Surelious groaned as he felt every injury internal and external ache like crazy from him forcing himself to stand up. It felt like it took him forever to get up and even longer to get over to a bomb despite how many there were all over the mine. He still had to use his sword as a walking cane, for he was afraid if he didn't he'd fall and never get up again. Surelious knew he couldn't do that with one last, highly important thing to do.

 _I will not die a monster,_ Surelious said to himself. _Rather, I'll be a monster slayer instead. I've been dying a little bit inside for the past several years, so this won't be a problem. I'll actually be glad it's finally over with. At least I'll be doing the world a favor while I'm going out.  
_

Surelious kept on moving until there was a bomb laying right in front of him. He stared down at the explosive object for a moment, which turned out to be a moment too long. He heard steps coming towards him and looked to see several minotaurs come through the mouth of the giant cave. All of them looked as though they were staring at a wasteland of a war zone, which, technically, they were. They saw all the bodies strewn all over the places, all the wreckage and debris, everything, and it shook them to their cores.

Their shocked and somewhat horrified eyes eventually made their way to Surelious himself. They saw the condition he was in, what he was standing in front of, and how it was one of many similar devices all over the cave.

"W- What are you doing?" one of the minotaurs managed to let out. He looked around again, just to make sure he was seeing what he really thought he saw, before turning back to Surelious. "Wh- What's going on?... What has happened?!"

"Hey... we live... in a... volcano... don't we?" Surelious just barely managed to say. "So... I... I... I just thought... I should... turn up the heat."

Surelious tried to form even the smallest smile on his face as the lightest of chuckles escaped his throat. But then, out of nowhere, his face lost whatever expression it had left. It went completely blank, all the color instantly draining out of it as well. His eyes no longer saw, being barely more than blank dots with no vision left in them. His body had stopped trembling, stopped moving at all while his heart that had been beating so rapidly before no longer had a beat left to give.

Surelious had left the world of the living, which meant he could no longer balance his body in any sort of way. First his sword started to fall, but then his body quickly followed as it dropped forward... onto the bomb in front of him. All the minotaurs' eyes widened as they watched it happen. All the screams they tried to let out were instantly cutoff when Surelious' body fell on the bomb, igniting the first of what would be many explosions.

 ** _KA-BOOM!_**

It wouldn't take long for all the individual blasts to come together and form one giant wave of flames, force, and devastation that would spread throughout the whole channels of caves. It was almost guaranteed that if anything was still living inside any of those caves, they wouldn't be living for much longer.

* * *

 **ELSEWHERE IN THE CAVES, MOMENTS BEFORE DETONATION:**

The minotaur soldiers all rushed as fast as they could into Isarem's quarters. Along the way they'd gone through many different tunnels where they saw the devastation that had been brought upon their brothers-in-arms. Given the information the squad had ahead of time, they could only assume all they had seen was a result of the intruders Surelious had mentioned. As capable as they knew Isarem was, seeing what these intruders were apparently capable of made the group of soldiers all the more concerned for their master.

 _Must hurry,_ Kira thought to himself

The minotaurs' concerns were validated when they and the timberwolves they brought along ran through the open door to Isarem's quarters. Those at the front of the pack were the first to see the sight of their master laying on the ground, his bottom half pinned under a gigantic rock. Eventually all saw and gasped in horror at what they considered to be the most tragic of sights.

" _Lord Isarem!_ " Kira cried out before he and the others ran up to the pinned bull. He knelt down to Isarem's side and examined him as best he could. " _Lord Isarem! Quick, get that rock off of him!_ "

Several minotaurs moved to do as they were instructed while Kira did all he could to try and awaken Isarem, who seemed to be out cold. All the while Kira looked down at Isarem like a lost child who had just found their father dead. He took notice that Isarem's hands seemed to be wrapped around his own throat, as if to give himself a way out of his situation. Kira felt as if he could cry at that moment. His heart ached in his chest as though he'd lost the greatest of loved ones.

Suddenly Isarem's eyes shot open as he sat up and shrieked out in anguish. Kira looked and saw the other minotaurs were rolling the rock off Isarem's legs. More than likely this was probably what caused the minotaur overlord's sudden awakening. The entire time Isarem screamed like he was feeling the pain of a thousand suffering souls in Tartarus. It only took a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime to Isarem.

He turned his head away and shut his eyes, refusing to look at his legs.

"Lord Isarem, I-" Kira started to say.

"Quick, send me to ascension!" Isarem cried out.

"What?" Kira asked in bewilderment. "I- I-"

"Shut up and do it already!" Isarem demanded. "Do it so I may ascend and be reborn anew. I cannot continue on this plain in such a vulnerable state! This fragility and weakness is why we must ascend, so do it for me, now! I command you!

"Please! The pain!"

Suddenly a loud noise was heard, that being the ' _boom_ ' of what seemed like a massive explosion. The entire place shook aggressively, taking all the minotaurs that were standing off their hooves and making them all sprawl across the ground. The cave shook so hard cracks formed through all the walls, the ground, and even the cave roof. Chunks of varying sizes were taken out of the walls and top of the cave that fell to and rolled all across the ground. Isarem was so desperate to avoid the falling debris, he actually rolled on his belly and tried to force himself to stand.

He tried pushing himself up while also crawling/stumbling away from where he was laying. Of course, having broken legs in a room shaking so violently, he dropped back down before he could even get partway up. To seemingly add insult to injury, one of the smaller rocks dropped down right on the back of his head. Isarem screamed out as he grabbed at the area of his skull where he was struck, but something strange happened. The vision seemed to flash before his very eyes, starting with a montage of his past life leading up to that moment in the shaking and crumbling cave.

But then when there were no more memories to see, Isarem saw something else, something that put the fear of death in him that had been missing for so long. It was dark, pitch black, nothing could be seen, at least at first. It somehow felt ice cold as well, despite Isarem technically being inside a volcano. But then there were flashes of light as several different visions of many different environments and situations appeared before Isarem. Some showed cold areas where minotaurs were having ice pressed against their bare skin after having been shaved of their fur. They would even get hit with large chunks of ice or would be frozen themselves before being smashed out of their icy prisons to do it all over again.

Some minotaurs were held, whether by chains, hooks, or other such torturous mean, in places lit by a hellish glow of red. Some had actual fires, some were only stone, and some were both. Whatever the case may be, the stones and the fires were used to help torture these once mighty warriors now only shells of their former selves. There were other means used to torture the minotaurs, many of which were so unspeakable or even unthinkable in how brutal, cruel, and wickedly sinister they seemed to be. All the methods used to brutalize his fellow minotaurs were beyond anything Isarem could possibly imagine.

Then there were some means of psychological brutality that had every minotaur exposed to them screaming like raving lunatics. It made Isarem want to scream just being an outsider looking in on the terror. The worst part about this was that Isarem recognized a lot of these minotaurs, having known some in the past both personally and as a comrade in their shared cause.

"Impossible," Isarem let out as he looked on at the visions in terror.

Another thing that frightened him so was the sight of those who inflicted most of the physical and even some of the mental tortures on his fellow minotaurs. They came in many shapes and sizes, some standing even bigger and looking even stronger than the biggest minotaur Isarem had ever seen. These weren't minotaurs, though; rather they looked like wolves. Most of them had black fur, all of them had yellow glowing eyes, and all of them were very frightening and intimidating sights for any to behold, even Isarem. They looked mean as could be, almost like demons, but what was most intimidating was how casual they seemed to be about torturing all the minotaurs.

Everything Isarem saw chilled him to his very being, but the worst was yet to come. The one overseeing all this was a sight that Isarem never found intimidating before, but was very terrifying for him to look at in that moment. A pony watched over, and only occasionally joined in on the tortures the minotaurs were being put through. This pony was different in so many ways from anypony Isarem had seen before, even those that had bested him in his previous battle. This pony was all the more intimidating to look at even beyond his other worldly appearance and demeanor.

It was even worse when it seemed like the pony had looked directly at Isarem. Yes, though this was only some sort of bizarre, unexplainable vision, it somehow seemed like the white faced pony was staring directly at Isarem. This black leather and armor clad alicorn stallion appeared to be staring into Isarem's very soul with cold, unfeeling, unemotional red eyes. His hard, blank, expressionless stare sent tremors through Isarem like he never felt before.

"Checking in?" the alicorn stallion asked in a deep, semi-raspy, authoritative voice that would make the very mountains shiver in fear.

His horn lit up in a yellow glow as he used his magic to bring up a razor sharp black hook connected to a chain covered in sharp points.

"What have I done?" Isarem barely managed to say.

It would be the last thing he would say in that plain of existence, for a large burst of fire and force tore through the room and engulfed everything and everyone. They were only some of the many who felt the wrath of the mighty shock wave of explosive power that tore through the entire channel of caves and tunnels and passageways. Not a single living soul, minotaur, timberwolf, or otherwise, survived. Several different tunnels were torn apart by the massive blast. Though many stone walls would still be standing after the explosion was done, none of them would look the same, as would nothing else.

Death and destruction fanned out through the entire place with no area being spared, not even the minotaurs' laboratory. It had already seen it's fair share of explosive destruction that day, but it was in for far more, being one of the last places engulfed in the demolition. Any of those within the lab still living had cleared out long before the explosion... all except one. Within the confines of the gigantic kaiju generator, a restless, freshly born, yet full grown beast unlike any other stood. It did not wish to be held within the giant contraption that gave it life any longer, though.

Thus it acted accordingly, utilizing overly violent and aggressive tactics, including thrashing its body about in its tight surroundings in an gambit to break free. The massive and possibly mentally unstable giant of a monster let out all of the most unearthly cries. It called out over and over again as it threw itself about to free itself of its confining environment. It was confused, it was angry, it had violent urges only death and destruction could satisfy, yet it didn't know why. This only irritated the monster even further, making the creature hidden within the kaiju generator thrash about even more aggressively.

Normally there would be someone there to flip a switch that would open up the generator, allowing the kaiju to escape. However, there were no living souls left in the cave and the control console with the switch on it had been destroyed. This left the newly born abomination of unholy origins to try and free itself as violently as possibly. It seemed like all of the kaiju's ruthless aggression was about to payoff when one of its monstrous hands broke through the yellow glass-like casing of the generator. That also happened to be the time when the shock wave of the explosion reached and engulfed the lab in its terrible wrath.

The kaiju cried out in an almost psychotic rage, for it thirsted for the chance to wreak its own special brand of havoc. At that moment, though, it could only stand and witness the desolation that was not its own, which seemed to infuriate the beast all the more.

* * *

 **MEANWHILE IN SEASIDE HOOF:**

TJ's pacing had become more like a slow jog as he moved all around the restaurant. Those with him inside the re-purposed establishment watched him with great unease. All his antsy movements made them all feel even more trepidation than they would have otherwise. The longer it went on, the more agitated they got. The doctors were able to ignore it for the most part as they looked over their patients.

The only thing that made them feel truly uneasy was that one of their patients they were examining was a minotaur. Even if he was supposedly on their side and had helped against the other minotaurs, they couldn't help it. It was hard to shake off so much bad blood built up over such a long time. Kerchek understood it and didn't say anything, having no hard feelings at all for the hesitations of the ponies around him. He did, however, get more unnerved by TJ's constant fast paced trot like everyone else was.

Kerchek, along with Muse, Moon Bright, and Firefly, kept getting more and more irritated as they heard TJ's hooves scrape against the hardwood floor as he paced on. They didn't blame him since all of them felt the same anxiety to varying degrees, but he wasn't helping them at all with what he was doing. It finally got to be too much for one pony who personified TJ's pacing as an annoying buzz in their head that got louder and as the seconds ticked on.

"TJ, will you stop that?!" Firefly exclaimed as she sprung up from the chair she was sitting in. "You're driving me crazy!"

The pink furred pegasus' sudden outburst made everyone else jump. They all looked to Firefly with surprised expressions, though they were actually glad someone said something. Then everyone turned to TJ to see how he would respond. He stood with a surprise, but still understanding look on his face. His frantic voice, however, would end up sounding less understanding.

"I'm sorry, Auntie Firefly!" TJ said as he put a hoof up to the side of his head. "I can't help it! They've been gone too long! They should've been back by now!"

TJ resumed his pacing, though he tried to control himself better while pressing his hoof harder against his temple.

"Yeah," Muse said. "Because sneaking into an evil fortress hidden in a volcano filled with all sorts of bad guys and monsters to blow it up is just like a walk in the park."

TJ stopped pacing and turned his sights to his younger alicorn sister. The dark look he gave Muse had no affect on her at all, being used to getting them from him during their sibling... _debates._ The Earth pony stallion let out a deep sigh, however, as his face and body language softened.

"I know, I know," TJ conceded. "I just can't help it." He trotted up to a window and looked out at the smoking volcano. "I'm just starting to think more and more that we shouldn't have let them go up there alone. I know they have each other, but I still think they should've had us, too."

The others all looked on thoughtfully, showing their own signs of concern in the process.

"A large part of me wants to agree with you, TJ," Firefly said. "My daughter _is_ one of those ponies up there after all."

"Perhaps I should've stayed up there to try and assist them further," Kerchek said.

"No, no, Kerchek, you did fine," Muse reassured. "Honestly, you did more than I thought any minotaur was capable of. Guess it should go to show that just because there's a pretty big group that acts a certain way, it doesn't mean they're all like that."

"Thank you for such kind words, Muse, my friend," Kerchek said. "And, indeed they are truer beyond what you may think. The number of good minotaurs outweighs the number of bad. As a race, the mass majority of minotaurs honor a specific code, a lifestyle, a declaration. It has been in place for the masses since as long as any can remember.

"I know because before coming here I lived in Almythara, the minotaur homeland, for a good many years. I came to this island looking for a slight change of pace from what life was like in the homeland... I could've never imagined things would turn out like they did."

"How many years have you spent on this island?" Muse asked.

"Ten," Kerchek said. "And in all that time I allowed myself to be manipulated into doing things strictly against the minotaurs' warrior code of honor. I did... so many things that had been forbidden. I went against the morals I was raised on in hopes of finding my own identity. When I finally came to and realized how wrong everything I was doing was, I wanted so much to help stop this madness and make things right.

"That's why I helped your friends like I did. Now... I'm sort of wishing I'd helped them out more by actually staying by their side."

"No, Kerchek, Muse is right," Moon Bright finally said. "You did enough just being there for as long as you were. You sabotaged them whenever you could. You helped our friends inside. And you told us the truth about the cult.

"You risked a lot coming here the way you did and look how we welcomed you. No, you've done enough."

"Yeah, Kerchek," Muse agreed. "I didn't know how to feel about you at first, but... you turned out to be a stand up guy."

"Thank you again, Muse, and you, too, Moon Bright," Kerchek responded.

"Still... I'm starting to think TJ was right about one thing," Muse said.

""That's a first," Firefly said with a slightly amused smile. "You two usually never agree on anything."

"Well, we agree this time," Muse said bluntly. "We probably could've given them more help going up into those caves on the mountain. I don't mean us specifically, because I still don't think I'm ready for something like that. But we could've sent them up with more ponies."

"That's what I'm sayin'!" TJ exclaimed, his concern for their friend being heard loudly.

"I know what you're both getting at," Moon Bright said. "To an extent I actually agree. But they made the decision to have it just be them who go up there. They asked that we just let it be them and no one else. They asked that the rest of us to just relocate here.

"I know it seems wrong to leave all the work to them. It probably is, but they came here to help us and this was the way they decided to do it. The decision was theirs and theirs alone. They're our friends and our strongest allies and they've never let us down before. The destruction of Willowbrook can't be seen as, and absolutely _isn't_ , their fault.

"Honestly, it almost seemed inevitable and maybe even should've been something the minotaurs could've done long ago. The fact that it happened when Twilight and the others came to help us has nothing to do with them. If anything, they helped minimize what could've been a whole lot more damage and death. If they can do that and if we can put so much faith in them that we actually bring them here to help, then we have to keep believing. They're our friends, they've come to mean a lot to us all.

"I mean, I know I sure love them with all my heart and I know you all do to. Some of you more than others." Firefly smiled warmly while TJ wore more of a slightly embarrassed grin. "So until they give us reason to think otherwise, we have to believe in the best of them."

The others were quiet as they took in all Moon Bright had said. But she could tell by the changing expressions on their faces they were getting what she was trying to say to them.

"Yeah, you're right, Mom," Muse said.

"Well said, Crescent," Firefly added.

"Your words are truly wise, Chief Moon Bright," Kerchek concurred.

"Yeah, I understand what you're saying, Mom," TJ said. "It makes sense... I just... I just wish we knew for sure if they were alright." TJ stared out the window at the volcano that spewed ever more black smoke into the sky. "I wish we had some sort of sign."

Suddenly the ground shook, catching everyone by surprise and nearly rocking them to the floor. At the same time the crackling of thunder rang out as a bright flash of light appeared outside the complex's doors. It all lasted for only a few seconds, but it still startled all who experienced it. Even when it was over, they all had a hard time getting past the strange phenomenon. But everyone forced themselves to get past it so they could check on Moon Bright.

They all gathered around her and helped the unicorn mare up to her hooves as they all clamored with words of worry asking her if she was okay.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Moon Bright said with more annoyance than she meant to. "Jeez, I'm old, not a fragile glass vase. What the heck even was that anyways?"

"I don't know," TJ said.

"Me neither," Muse added.

"I was hoping someone could tell me!" Firefly exclaimed.

"I haven't the slightest idea," Kerchek said.

"The light... and the thunder... they all seemed like they were coming from right outside!" TJ said.

Everyone looked to one another before standing and making their way to the door. As they moved they heard a commotion start to breakout amongst the masses outside. It grew in volume with each passing second, peaking the group's interest to the point where some broke into a light jog. As they reached the door, a familiar black furred stallion stepped into view.

"Moon Bright, TJ, everyone!" Hard Rock exclaimed. "Come outside, now! You've got to see this!"

The excitement in his voice intensified everyone's curiosity to the point where they moved like a mob chasing down a crook. They all gathered outside the restaurant and piled up around on its porch. TJ, Firefly, Moon Bright, Muse, and Kerchek all gasped at what they found. Not only did it looked like the whole population of ponies had gathered outside, it seemed to have somehow doubled in size.

"Hey... I recognize some of those ponies," Firefly said in a stunned tone.

"Me, too," Moon Bright said. "But I haven't seen a lot of them in a long time."

"It's almost as if..."

TJ didn't finish his sentence, instead gasping again, as did the others while also looking to one another. They had all figured out what was really happening and it sent their hearts a flutter. Quickly the ponies of the group all rushed into the crowd while Kerchek stayed on the porch of the restaurant, being cautious about being around so many ponies. He watched happily as excitement and high emotions ran strong in the crowd. All the positivity irradiated off everyone and somehow seemed to make a greater feeling of ecstasy in the air.

TJ and the others got caught up in it all as they saw and happily greeted faces they had not seen in a long time. They were only a few of what was many ponies; from friends to family members, all of whom had been lost to each other for so long. All of these ponies had now been reunited. After being without those deep bonds and connections for so long, it felt absolutely rapturous to get them all back. All the love, joy, happiness, all the positive feelings this reunion brought were simply indescribable.

TJ and the others were beyond happy, not just to have back the ponies they knew personally, but all those who had returned after being lost so long. Yet all of them knew without actually saying it that they were looking for a particular group of ponies who meant more to them than could be imagined. Once the sounds of cheers broke out over all the other sounds of joy and rapture, they instantly knew where to go. TJ led the others through the crowd until they got to the very middle of it and saw those that received such praise. Not even noticing it was only five of the Mane Six there, TJ, Muse, Firefly, and Moon Bright rushed to greet them.

The majority of the ReMane Five were busy accepting the praise from the crowd when Pinkie Pie spotted their friends coming to greet them. She quickly pointed them out to the rest of the mares and they moved to meet their friends in what was another glorious reunion. Emotions ran as high as they did for any other ponies that had been reunited in the massive mob. Warm embraces, and many excitedly spoken words were shared amongst the group of friends that were only a few of many more happy ponies. So much was said at such fasts paces; most of the words got lost in a cloud of high volume voices all speaking at once, but the shared sentiments were well understood.

"Thank Celestia we finally have you back!" TJ exclaimed joyfully. "We were so worried about you! I can't begin to tell you all just how... just how glad I am to see you all again!"

"The feeling couldn't be more mutual, TJ," Applejack said before she and the stallion shared another hug.

Muse was still sharing a hug with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. But then she pulled back so they could see the gleam she had about her, which the two pink maned mares shared.

"I'm so glad to have all you girls back," Muse said gleefully.

"It's great to be back with you, Musey," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah, we were really missing our little Muser," Pinkie Pie said before rubbing her hoof through Muse's mane.

"Oh, you girls," Muse said.

Firefly and Rainbow Dash kept switching back and forth between hugging each other, smiling at each other, and telling each other how happy they were to be together again.

"Thank the alicorns above for you, Dashie," Firefly said. "I know it sounds silly... But I was starting to worry that I may not see you again... Any of you." Firefly looked around to the other mares. "But I can't help but be biased towards you, my little Dashie."

The other mares agreed Firefly's feelings were understandable.

"Oh, Mom," Rainbow Dash said more emotionally than she usually let herself sound. "It's great to see you again, too. I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, Rainbow Dash," Firefly said before embracing her daughter tighter than ever before.

"Though I tried to keep up moral, a large part of me was worried about you all, too," Moon Bright said. "Just like everyone else here, your safety was always one of the biggest concerns on my mind. I kept telling myself you all knew what you were doing, but a pony can't help but stress themselves a little bit in these situations."

"Of course, Moon Bright, darling," Rarity said. "The truth is we were all worried ourselves while we were in there and for so many different reasons. We worried whether we'd be successful at all, if we would save all the ponies inside the cave, and most importantly, if we'd ever see our friends and family again. That includes all of you who we've come to know and love so dearly. In more ways than one, it was the thought of you all that helped propel us through the darkest of times."

"And I'd say it paid off all thanks to you," Rainbow Dash said.

"Just look what we were able to do," Applejack said as she waved a hoof.

TJ and the others took another look at all the happiness around them from all the joyous reunions. It made their hearts feel all the warmer as they looked on.

"You girls did all this because of how strong your hearts and souls are," TJ said. "While I would've liked to have been there myself, maybe in place of you, I have a feeling it wouldn't have been as successful as it was."

"Oh, there were... _hiccups_ here and there," Rainbow Dash said.

"That's certainly _one_ way of putting it," Rarity said. "It wasn't exactly smooth sailing."

"We got into quite a few pickles in there," Applejack said.

"But that's to be expected," Firefly said. "You girls still pulled through when it mattered the most."

"And we love you all the more for it," Muse said.

"I know I certainly do," TJ said.

"So do I," Moon Bright said.

"Make that four who love you more!" Firefly exclaimed brightly.

All of them exchanged individual hugs with one another again before sharing a single group hug. It was truly a fantastic moment had by all, but one that was still going to get better.

"Ooh, speaking of ponies ya love!" Rainbow Dash said as her eyes lit up.

The rest of the ReMane Five seemed all the more giddy as well, their friend's words reminding them of what was yet to be revealed.

"I do believe Rainbow Dash is right," Applejack said. She looked to TJ and the others with the most loving, yet serious of eyes. "There's a pony here waiting to see y'all."

"One you've been waiting to see yourselves!" Pinkie Pie squealed before she giggled giddily.

Instantly they all knew who the mares were talking about and it put more butterflies in their stomachs than they'd ever felt before. TJ, Muse, Firefly, and especially Moon Bright had rushed into the crowd with high hopes of seeing the pony the ReMane Five were referring to. Being reunited with their friends momentarily distracted them, however. But now there were no more distractions as everypony prepared themselves to meet, or rather reunite, with this pony. No amount of time or preparation would be enough, though, for just the mere mention had sent them all on emotional highs.

They tried to hold it back as much as possible as the ReMane Five moved away, Applejack calling out to a pony in the crowd. "Hey, Strong, they're all waiting for ya!"

Everypony shuddered as their emotional anticipation spiked. All their built up emotion was nothing compared to when they actually saw the white furred, brown maned Earth pony stallion coming towards them. He was exactly as they had all remembered him, yet for more than one reason he seemed to be even better. It was clear he was feeling just as emotional as his family was as he approached.

"Dad?" TJ let out in an emotionally shaky voice.

"Oh, my gosh..." Moon Bright said just as emotionally. "Strong Courage?"

"Hi, honey, I'm home," Strong Courage said with an emotional tone in his voice and a smile to match. "What's for dinner? Or do you want me to make it tonight?"

Everyone was so full of emotion to the point where tears freely fell from their eyes. It became too much to the point where TJ, Moon Bright, Firefly, and Muse all rushed up to Strong Courage to embrace him just as he did for them. Nopony wasted a word, instead letting the wonderful reality and compassion of the moment sink in silently. There were a few emotional gasps and exclamations let out from those involved in the large group hug. Besides the sobs TJ, Strong Courage, Moon Bright, Muse, and Firefly just enjoyed quietly being in one another's company as a full family once again.

The warmth and comfort of such an embrace was just as great as they had all remembered it being and they loved it.

"Daddy," Muse finally let out.

Strong Courage pulled back enough so he could look down at his step daughter, his eyes trembling.

"I've been waiting to hear that from you for such a long time," Strong Courage said. "It... This... All this here... It was all worth it."

They all shared one final group squeeze before they dissipated. TJ was unable to help but lunge for a hug just shared between him and his dad. While he wasn't expecting it, Strong Courage quickly recovered and returned the gesture to his son. After a few seconds, the two stallions pulled back and looked at each other for a moment in silence. Strong Courage wiped away some of his son's tears, but he was crying just as many, if not more.

"Dad... Uh- I..."

"I know, TJ," Strong Courage said. "Me, too."

The two shared another quick hug. Then Muse came up and shared a hug with Strong Courage, who ended it by kissing his stepdaughter on the head. Then Firefly stepped up to Strong Courage. The two exchanged smiles before clapping each other on the shoulder.

"Dang, Strong... you're looking better than you have in years," Firefly said before sharing a hug with him.

"Thank those fine ponies right there," Strong Courage said as he pointed to the ReMane Five. Everyone gazed lovingly to the group of mares, some of whom looked appreciative, one bordering on egotistical, and then there were those who looked flattered. "You guys couldn't have picked a better group of heroes. They gave me back my life."

"Yeah... they're something else," Firefly said. She then leaned in as she whispered, "But I'll bet you still can't beat my bench pressing record."

Strong Courage chuckled before saying, "We'll have to see about that later."

The two shared another quick hug before Firefly stepped aside and Strong Courage approached his wife. Moon Bright still looked as emotional as could be as she gazed in near disbelief at the stallion that was her husband.

"I... I can't... How..."

"It's like I told you, my little beam of moonlight," Strong Courage said, though he still sounded just as emotional as her. "We may get separated, but it'll never stick. You and I are forever, girl."

Moon Bright let out a few soft sobs before sharing a hug with Strong Courage. The two held each other in their embrace for a few seconds just swaying almost as if they were slow dancing. Everyone looked on as joyfully as could be as they continued on like that for several moments. Finally Strong Courage and Moon Bright pulled apart just enough to exchange a passionate kiss, the likes of which none of the other ponies had seen or felt before.

"Aww... mushy stuff," Pinkie Pie said between tears.

"It... It won't get to me and make me act sappy," Rainbow Dash proclaimed, despite her being just as emotional.

"Don't be lying, Rainbow Dash, we can all see you," Applejack said. "I know my eyes are pouring water like a broken spout during a storm flood."

"Just let out and roll with it, Dashie," Rarity added as she extended the handkerchief she'd been using to dry her own tears.

Fluttershy used it before extending it to Applejack, who then used it before extending it to Pinkie Pie. She then wiped her tears away before actually blowing her nose into it and then handing it to Rainbow Dash, who did the same. They then blew their noses together before Rainbow Dash handed the handkerchief back to Rarity. The purple haired unicorn held the little square cloth in her levitation spell a specific distance away from herself as she stared in disgust. She decided to crumple it up and throw it away before looking back to a sight she actually liked seeing.

Strong Courage and Moon Bright finished their make out session and followed up with Moon Bright laying her head on Strong Courage's chest. He held her close as he kept switching from looking to her to all the others around him. Seeing such friendly, familiar faces he adored so much made him feel all the more warm inside. He reflected on this even when Moon Bright stood up and looked deep into his eyes once again. The unicorn mare slowly looked to the ReMane Five as she wiped away her tears.

"You... You _girls!_ " Moon Bright exclaimed. "Th... Thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart. You've made me... happier than I've been in years."

"That goes double for me," Strong Courage said. "Where did they find you? It most of been at the pearly gates themselves. You must be gifts from above."

"I certainly think so," Firefly said. "That goes double for my little Dashie."

Rainbow Dash blushed as she rubbed a hoof over the back of her neck.

"We're just some ponies from Ponyville who like to do the right thing and help out is all," Applejack replied.

"We really can't thank you enough," Muse said. "You gave us back our hope after it was taking from us for so long."

"You girls... are the best friends this island ever had," TJ said. "Th- Thank you so much."

"Thank you for letting us be your friends," Fluttershy said.

"You guys are awesome friends, too!" Rainbow Dash said.

"The very best!" Rarity and Pinkie Pie said at the same time.

"Aww," several ponies all said together as they came together for another group hug.

The moment seemed just about perfect to all involved. That was until they all remembered something was missing TJ particularly being the first to notice. His eyes shot open before he abruptly pulled out of the hug and started looking around. The others broke off the hug and looked to the young stallion with concern.

"TJ?" Strong Courage asked.

"Where's Twilight?" TJ asked, his eyes looking frantic.

It was like a cold wind had blown in, interrupting the good feelings and sending a shiver through everypony else. The other islanders had looks of realization on their faces while the ReMane Five wore expressions of deep regret. The mares all saw their friends looking at them and turned away to one another. They wore questioning looks, though they all knew very well what the answer was. The ReMane Five turned to Strong Courage who looked just as upset as they did.

"TJ... darling," Rarity began. "T- Twilight... Well, she-"

"She volunteered to place the bombs and set them off on her own," Applejack said.

TJ looked as if an arrow had been put through his heart.

"And you agreed to let her do it alone?!" the frantic Earth pony asked.

"We let her?" Rainbow Dash said in an offended tone. "Yeah, you can say that because you were totally there and saw how it all went down!"

"Rainbow, please," Fluttershy said as she moved to try and calm her flustered friend.

"You see, TJ, darling,"Rarity said, "we... didn't exactly _let_ Twilight take on the task herself."

"She sort of, kind of... took the decision out of our hooves," Pinkie Pie said.

"She teleported us out with the island ponies without telling us she was gonna," Applejack said. "We figured she decided to just do everything by herself since she had the red Alpha Stone."

" _Twilight Sparkle found the red Alpha Stone?!_ " Moon Bright exclaimed.

"Well, technically Pinkie Pie found the stone," Rarity said, to which her pink friend flashed an appreciative smile.

"But she was the one who used it," Strong Courage said. "And she did it very well, too. She used it to make us... well, to put it plainly, super ponies. It was like being reborn as a whole new pony, yet still being yourself at the same time; just the best version of yourself. It was incredible.

"It was thanks to the princess we all got out and were given our lives back. It was thanks to her we were able to overcome and stop the minotaurs for good... She's just like the rest of our Equestrian friends here. That Twilight... she's something else."

"I know she is, that's why I don't like this right now!" TJ said. "I don't like her being there alone with no one to help, Alpha Stone or no Alpha Stone! Somepony needs to be there for her! Somepony needs to be by her side!"

"You mean somepony... like you, son?" Strong Courage asked.

TJ paused for a moment looking a bit surprised. Slowly a serious look crossed his face as he said, "You bet your flank somepony like me. In fact, not _somepony_ like me, _me!_ "

Strong Courage smiled, as did a lot of the other ponies. He then walked up to his son with Moon Bright right alongside him. He then put a hoof on TJ's shoulder.

"Well, son, I'm gonna tell you right off that I get it," Strong Courage said. "Really, I do. You meet a pony in your life that you want to do anything and everything for. You want to give them the world and do the best to see that they have it, but only so long as you're there to shield them from the harsher parts of it. I met my special somepony like that a long time ago."

Strong Courage looked to his wife and shared a quick kiss with her. "But you also got to trust them enough to make their own decisions and even to be strong enough to brave the harshest of storms by their selves. I know that sounds hard, especially with how you feel about them. But never forget that they were a strong pony before you and they can be just as strong of a pony with you. And while I can certainly see what you see in her and why you'd want to be her knight in shinning armor, don't forget... this filly can obviously take care of herself."

TJ smiled as a light blush came across his face. He remained quiet as he let his dad's words sink in. Slowly a look of understanding crossed his face as he nodded.

"Yeah, you're right, Dad," TJ said before giving him a quick hug. "Twilight's a very resourceful, amazing pony... It's just that... she's so amazing that... I want to be with her all the time. Such an awesome pony deserves having someone watch their back... I hope she's okay."

Suddenly there was a flash of light in the middle of the crowd that caught everyone's attention. While many ponies gasped, the ReMane Five and TJ's family somehow felt a more personal stake in this strange event. They looked to one another before running to confirm what they believe this strange phenomenon signified. None ran faster than TJ, who was the first to reach the spot the light had come from, even when Rainbow Dash and Firefly took wing. He gasped and his eyes grew wide when he saw the new pony was exactly who he and the others thought it would be.

" _Twilight!_ " TJ called out.

The alicorn princess turned and let the biggest of grins cross her face.

" _TJ!_ " Twilight Sparkle called back before running towards him.

The two ponies met each other with the biggest hug two ponies could share. For a moment while holding each other, the rest of the world disappeared and only the two of them existed. It was just Twilight Sparkle and Thunder Jack, both of whom felt like they were floating on a cloud in paradise. But then Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes and saw the others all watching them nearby. The violet furred mare cleared her throat, which made TJ pull back enough to see her face.

She nodded towards the others and when TJ saw them he exclaimed before he and Twilight completely broke off their hug.

"So... um..." TJ said as he rubbed a hoof against the back of his neck.

"Yeah," Twilight Sparkle said as she looked down.

Both wore somewhat embarrassed smiles with blushes to match.

"It's so cute when almost couples are embarrassed together," Pinkie Pie said.

"So adorable," Rarity agreed.

"I think it's sweet," Fluttershy said.

"No arguments here," Muse added.

"It's... It's great to have you back, Twily," TJ said.

His eye widened in alarm when he realized what he called her. His face quickly changed it to a smile, to which Twilight Sparkle giggled.

"Thanks, Jacky," Twilight responded. "It's great to be back with yo... everypony!"

"And we're glad to have you back, darling!" Rarity exclaimed happily.

"Hiya, Twilight!" Muse cried enthusiastically. "It's great to finally see you again! I was a little scared there when you didn't come back with the others. But now you're back and I couldn't be happier!"

"I'm glad you made it out of there, princess!" Firefly said with a wink.

"Me, too, Twilight," Fluttershy said.

" _Oh, Twilight, I missed you so much!_ " Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she lifted Twilight off the ground and hugged her tightly, swinging around as she did so.

"Pinkie... missed, too," Twilight gasped out. "Pain... Can't breathe... Not that long."

" _But it was to me!_ " Pinkie Pie cried before conceding and letting Twilight down after a final squeeze.

"It was to me, too!" Rainbow Dash said, sounding a bit confrontational. "What the heck was up with that, Twilight?! We all agreed on a set plan and then you go back on it and teleport us out of there without telling us what you were up to! Why didn't you tell us what you had in mind?!"

"Because I was afraid you'd all try to stop me from doing it on my own," Twilight Sparkle answered. "I know it seemed strange and that it upset you, Rainbow Dash. Well, all of you actually. But I wanted to make sure I could keep as many ponies safe as possible by teleporting you all out of a dangerous environment that was going to get even more dangerous. While everypony's life was on my mind, I also really wanted my friends to be as safe, especially seeing what you went through in there."

"But you went through it with us, because we're a team!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "We're suppose to do this stuff together because that's what a team does! They don't make secret plans and then spring them on other teammates right out of the blue, at least they're not suppose to!"

"Calm down, Rainbow Dash," Applejack said with an authoritative voice.

"Fine," Rainbow Dash huffed as she crossed her front legs.

"But, I gotta say I kinda see where she's coming from, Twilight," Applejack added.

"So do I, Applejack," Twilight Sparkle agreed. "I'm sorry, girls. I just wanted to do what I thought was right."

The other mares of the Mane Six were silent for a moment.

"Well... I certainly won't be mad at you for that," Fluttershy said. "While it kind of surprised me, too, I figured you had a good reason for what you were doing. So, I won't be mad at you for trying to do something nice for us and so many other ponies."

"Hear, hear," Rarity agreed. "I'm just happy we're all here, safe and sound."

"And how!" Applejack agreed.

"Another group hug, now!" Pinkie Pie demanded as her front legs stretched out more than they should've been physically able to.

She grabbed all the other members of the Mane Six and pulled them to up to her in a tight embrace. The majority of them smiled before turning to Rainbow Dash, who still seemed a bit upset. She turned and looked to the others, all of them staring back with hopeful eyes. Finally the light blue pegasus smiled and joined in the hugging.

"I guess it doesn't matter so long as the best happened," Rainbow Dash conceded.

"Very well said, Rainbow Dash," Moon Bright said as she and the other islander ponies walked up to the Mane Six. "And I do believe the very best has happened thanks to you girls. We were all lost for so long. We tried to make ourselves push on like we still had a sense of where everything was going. But in reality we were trapped in darkness. You helped lift us out of that pit and have shown us a truly beautiful light filled with love, friendship, and maybe even redemption.

"With the success of your mission, I do believe we can all finally move on with our lives and become the ponies we were always meant to be."

"Thank you, girls, for everything," Strong Courage said. "But a special thank you to you, Twilight, for being so brave as to stay behind and set off those bombs by yourself."

A sad look crossed Twilight's face as she remembered what she left behind.

"I... I didn't do it, though," Twilight Sparkle said.

The others looked on in confusion while also taking note at their friend's change in demeanor.

"You didn't set off the bombs, Twilight?" TJ asked. "So... the minotaur base hasn't been destroyed?"

"Oh, it has... I'm pretty sure," Twilight Sparkle said.

"But if you didn't blow up the base," Muse began.

"Then who did?" Fluttershy finished.

"H- He did," Twilight Sparkle said. She looked around and saw many of her friends were even more confused. "Surelious did."

The eyes of the rest of the Mane Six and Strong Courage widened in realization as they remembered their unlikely ally in their gambit against the minotaurs.

"Oh, my gosh, that's right!" Fluttershy exclaimed.

"I completely forgot about him!" Rarity said.

"So did I," Applejack said. "But I really wish I hadn't. He was such a great help to us!"

"Wait, who was?" Firefly asked. "Who's Surelious?!"

The Mane Six and Strong Courage looked to one another before answering together, "A minotaur."

The other island ponies looked on in shock.

"Did you just say... a minotaur helped you?" Muse said. "Not only did he help you, but he helped you by blowing up the minotaur base?!"

"Yeah," the Mane Six and Strong Courage said, some nodding their heads.

"He finally saw through the lie their leader had been feeding them," Twilight Sparkle said. "He saw past the curtain, so to speak, and decided to stop their little show. Surelious did everything he could, including fight alongside us before..."

As the alicorn princess's words trailed off, the others got what she was implying.

"If he stayed to set off the bombs," Pinkie Pie said, " then that means he..."

Sad faces abounded and a few eyes even got a little teary upon realizing Surelious' fate.

"But... why?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"But if he... then that means... Twilight, did you-?"

"Yes, Applejack, I did," Twilight Sparkle said. "Surelious didn't want to go on any further in this life. While I thought there was a better way... his reasons were still pretty sound, so... I let him go out the way he wanted to... He died to make sure we all had a better tomorrow."

"He's a minotaur, though," TJ said. "How do you know he actually-"

"TJ... son... trust me, he did," Strong Courage said. "If Twilight says he did, then he truly did."

"I'm not doubting Twilight," TJ said. "I'm just-"

"I know, son, I know," Strong Courage said. "If you'd actually been there, though... You'd know without a doubt it's true."

There was another moment of silence where the Mane Six and Strong Courage chose to mourn for the lost soul they'd fought alongside in battle. The other island ponies seemed to still be a bit skeptical, but they slowly came around to agreeing that what the others were saying was true.

"Well..." Fluttershy said as she wiped away a tear, "I'm glad at least that he turned out to be... a good guy after all."

"Wow, who'd a thought it?" Firefly said. "Who'd a thought we'd find two minotaurs that were actually pretty cool dudes?"

Strong Courage tilted his head to the side.

"Two?" the stallion asked.

"Oh, yeah, that's right!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. She looked around and eventually saw who she was looking for. "Kerchek!"

The others looked to see the smiling minotaur was still on the porch waving to them. Twilight Sparkle used her magic to teleport him to their circle of friends. He looked bewildered at first, but it quickly changed to alarm when he saw where he was.

"Don't worry, we won't let any of them harm you," Fluttershy said.

"Besides, they all look to be distracted at the moment with their lovely reunions," Rarity added. "So, don't worry, darling, I'm sure they aren't exactly itching to do you any harm."

"Well... any more than they already have," Pinkie Pie said.

"I was gonna say," Rainbow Dash added. "You look like you got a load full from some of the locals."

"Sorry again about that," Muse said.

"It's perfectly fine," Kerchek said. "I understood their feelings and where they came from. It's the exact same reason I wanted to get away from those scoundrels as soon as I could. They did not represent what a minotaur is actually suppose to be."

"I think one of them sure did," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Make that two," Pinkie Pie corrected.

The others all smiled to one another and then to Kerchek.

"Yeah, two," Twilight Sparkle agreed.

"Two?" Kerchek asked.

"We'll explain later," Fluttershy said. "Let's just say... things weren't as black and white as we thought they were."

Kerchek thought about it for a moment before smiling when he realized what they meant.

"Ooh, Twilight, that's pretty necklace you got," Muse said. "It kind of reminds me of what you told me the Elements of Harmony looked like."

Twilight Sparkle looked down at her golden piece of jewelry as did everyone else.

"Well, those are what I based this off of," Twilight Sparkle agreed.

"You made that?" TJ asked in amazement.

"Mostly," Twilight Sparkle said as she pointed a hoof. "The jewel wasn't mine, though. I just shrunk that and made the rest of the necklace around it."

"Why would you shrink a jewel?" Moon Bright asked.

"To make it easier to carry around," Twilight Sparkle said. "It was much bigger before."

The rest of the Mane Six spoke in agreement.

"While I would've preferred it to remain its original size," Rarity said, "I do understand why you had to shrink it."

"Maybe you could tell me then," Firefly said. "Why shrink it? Why even have a jewel with you on such a dangerous mission?"

"Unless..." TJ gasped as he looked on in astonishment. "Twilight... is that...?"

"Yes, TJ, it is," Twilight Sparkle said. "Everyone, I give to you the red Alpha Stone."

The others, minus the mares of the Mane Six and Strong Courage, all gasped as they stared with mystified looks on their faces. They couldn't believe they were staring at another of the legendary gems. While they didn't know much about the stones, they knew each one basically held the power of a god inside. While they weren't as awe struck as the others, even the Mane Six and Strong Courage were still mesmerized by the powerful stone.

"I cannot believe it!" Kerchek said. "We minotaurs were looking for that for so long!" He looked to the Mane Six, his face never losing its amazed expression. "You ponies truly were just where we weren't. This is proof, a sign from above."

"This is... This is unreal!" Firefly said as she placed her front hooves against the sides of her head.

"I just can't believe it!" Muse added.

"The most powerful of the stones..." Moon Bright said before looking around at the Mane Six, "and you girls found it."

"Yup, we sure did," Applejack said.

"Without that stone... I don't think we would've made it," Fluttershy said.

"You would've if you'd of let me go with you, stone or no stone," TJ insisted.

Twilight Sparkle giggled as she raised a hoof and lightly stroked the side of the Earth pony's face.

"I don't doubt that for a second... my sweet Jacky," Twilight Sparkle said. "My dear, sweet Jacky."

"Aww," several voices called as they looked on at Twilight and TJ.

"Hey, is that a minotaur?" a voice called out.

Twilight and the others looked around them in concern when they realized ponies were starting to take notice of Kerchek. All of them were nervous, but none more so than the minotaur himself.

"Yeah, it is!"

"He's the one that got away from us before!"

"Let's get him!"

Ponies started to gather around, all of them wearing angry faces full of determination to do great harm to Kerchek. The minotaur stood ready to try and run should it come time to. He was surprised when several of his pony allies actually gathered around him and formed a barrier. Their stances implied they would spring into action to defend them if they had to, which surprised Kerchek even further.

" _Don't come any closer!_ " Strong Courage demanded.

Twilight Sparkle then lit up her horn as bright as could be, the Alpha Stone's light also igniting to a brighter intensity. Instantly all the other ponies stopped in their tracks as they looked on in awe. Twilight deactivated her horn's magic and that of the Alpha Stone before flying up over the crowd.

"Everypony, please, stop!" Twilight Sparkle called out.

"But that's a minotaur!" a pony protested.

"Yes, we're well aware that' he's a minotaur," Twilight Sparkle said. "He also happens to be a minotaur that helped us to bring all the other minotaurs down."

Several ponies gasped and began to murmur to one another.

"But he doesn't look like the minotaur that helped us out in the mine," a pony said.

Many more ponies started to speak in surprise at this new revelation.

"No, he's not," Twilight Sparkle said. "That was another minotaur, but that doesn't mean Kerchek here isn't a good bull, too. Things aren't exactly like we thought they were. It turns out there were a select few minotaurs, in an army of many who were brainwashed, that managed to see they were deceived by a lie. They saw past the facade and wanted to help put an end to it.

"That's exactly what happened, too. Fillies and gentlecolts, I'm pleased to tell you that as of now, the minotaurs' operation is completely shut down! Their base has been totally destroyed and it was thanks to information this minotaur here today gave us!"

Several ponies all cheered loudly and applauded at the news they'd been waiting to hear for so long.

"So, now every minotaur that was a burden on us has been completely wiped out," Twilight Sparkle went on. "There may be more evil minotaurs in this world, but none of them are on this island. We mustn't forget also that many other creatures have the potential to be evil, just like they have the potential to be good. That includes ponies, just like it does minotaurs, or even yaks, buffalo, many others. Things aren't always as simple as we'd like them to be.

"Just as many of you were forced into a life you didn't want, so were some minotaurs, including the one with us here today. Are you going to let the sins of the guilty cloud your judgement of a minotaur not just innocent, but, in some aspects, a hero who helped us take the death cult down?!"

"Wow, she can really draw in a crowd," Strong Courage muttered.

"You have no idea," Rarity replied.

The ponies all looked to Kerchek, who still seemed to be quite nervous. It was clear the ponies were all thinking very hard on what decision to make. Several still looked angry and had a desire to take out their aggression on the minotaur. Their vote was outweighed by the bigger majority that softened their faces into smiles, their angry fighting stances shifting into normal pony posture. Some even thanked Kerchek for the part he played with others expressing greater gratitude.

One mare actually hugged Kerchek and kissed him on the cheek. The few that still didn't want Kerchek around remained quiet and slowly slunk away. As they remembered what Twilight said about the minotaur cult being gone, the ponies actually all started to cheer, applaud, and celebrate all over again. There were laughs, some ponies even broke into song while others danced. Eventually it turned into a huge party of a celebration in the town of Seaside Hoof.

The Mane Six, TJ, his family, and Kerchek looked on happily. A few kids actually ran up and pulled Kerchek over, insisting he join the celebration. Kerchek gave his pony friends a nervous look, but they gave him supportive smiles that inspired him to go ahead and join in.

"This is... the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Moon Bright said with tears of joy.

"Second for me," Strong Courage said as he looked to his wife.

The married couple then shared a kiss. They jumped in surprise when they were interrupted by Pinkie Pie jumping over them as she screamed, " _Defeating the minotaurs party!_ "

They watched as Pinkie Pie jumped into the crowd laughing all the way as she joined in the fun antics. Several of the other ponies looked to each other before wordlessly agreeing to join in the celebration. Twilight Sparkle and TJ smiled on as they hung back and watched the fantastic scene play out. They then turned and gazed deeply into each other's eyes.

"So... tell me, TJ... how could it get any better than this?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well..." TJ said, "I can think of one way."

"Oh, you can, can you?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she stared affectionately at TJ, her eyes and smile telling a whole story. "Why don't you show me?"

TJ seemed a little nervous at first, but another look into Twilight's almost seductive eyes made everything else fade away. All that remained was how much TJ cared for Twilight Sparkle and how much he wanted to show her he cared. Slowly TJ moved in with Twilight following suit soon after. Their eyes started to close being open only the slightest bit as their lips got closer.

" _Twilight!_ " Fluttershy called out.

It was like the tires of a car were screeching to a halt as TJ and Twilight opened their eyes. They nearly collided with each other as they tried to quickly pull away and make themselves look as casual as possible. Fluttershy, Muse, and Rarity came running up to them.

"Twilight, we're starting to worry about Godzilla and Anguirus!" Fluttershy said.

Twilight Sparkle and TJ's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, my gosh!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. "We completely forgot about them!"

"Exactly!" Rarity cried out. "We left them on that mountain alone!"

"We didn't even bother to check on them!" Fluttershy said. "I'm worried sick!"

"So am I, Twilight," Muse said. "We were so happy about beating the minotaurs we didn't even bother to try and find out what happened between Godzilla and Anguirus, and those other two monsters."

"Calm down, calm down, everypony!" Twilight Sparkle said. "Now we do know they were pretty much in control of the fight the last time we saw them. Heck, they even killed Hedorah."

" _They did?!_ " TJ and Muse asked together.

"Yes, they did," Twilight Sparkle confirmed. "And I'm willing to bet they beat Solomon, too."

"How can we be sure?" Rarity asked. "There's a chance these ponies could still be in danger if that monster hasn't been defeated yet."

"Well, we'll see about that," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'll just use the Alpha Stone to help me see how things are going with Godzilla and Anguirus. Fluttershy, if everything's good and they beat Solomon, you call them back here, okay?"

"Absolutely," Fluttershy said.

"What if they haven' yet?" Muse asked. "What if they're still fighting Solomon. What if... they're actually..."

"Muse, come on," TJ said. "You really think a glorified bat-gorilla thing could beat Godzilla and Anguirus together?"

The young alicorn thought about it for a moment before nodding her head.

"I guess I can see your point," Muse finally replied.

"At a girl," TJ said with a beam. "But seriously, Twilight, what if they haven't beaten him yet?"

"Well... let's hope we haven't exceeded the stone's power yet then," Twilight Sparkle replied.

Before she could do anything the whole ground started to quake. It came suddenly and got very violent very fast. Many ponies had to struggle to stay on their hooves.

"What is this?!" Rarity screamed. "What's happening?!"

" _The volcano!_ " TJ and Muse screamed together.

The group looked up and saw nothing but blackness blotting out the sky. It soon covered every spot high above, leaving no blue skies or any white clouds to be seen. The ponies all followed it back to the source, which was as TJ and Muse had said. Of all the things shaking on the island, the volcano was by far the most violent.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Twilight Sparkle said, not even bothering to try and hide the worry in her voice.


	39. Chapter 39: Fight on

Godzilla suddenly stopped, Anguirus following soon after. The four legged, spiky shelled monster looked up to the larger kaiju next to him, standing vertically on two feet. He tried to read what his larger than life friend was thinking, but his face wore the same stoic, unreadable expression he'd had for the last several minutes. It was clear Godzilla had a lot on his mind, but whatever he may have been thinking, he didn't seem willing to share. Instead he kept it to himself as he looked around at everything going on.

Anguirus thought maybe Godzilla was angry, but then he felt what seemed to be small hints of joy here and there in his friend's aura. Other times he got the feeling that maybe Godzilla might even be somewhat sad. Then there were times were it somehow seemed like a combination of the bunch, which confused Anguirus further. He didn't get anything from reading Godzilla's face, but his unseen aura seemed to be irradiating off of him with many conflicting moods. It agitated Anguirus greatly, not helped at all by the unsettling situation they were in standing on the side of an active volcano.

It shook with tremendous force just waiting to be released in what was sure to be a massive eruption. Several gigantic rocks were shaken free of the main body of stone that was the volcano and tumbled downward. Meanwhile, black smoke continued to fill the sky, blocking out everything in it with the only source of light being the red glow from the volcano's crater. It was like the gods above were venting their rage because of creatures like the kaiju walking upon Earth, the very planet they made. Were they angry because most who saw a larger than life kaiju were so easily able to confuse them for gods walking among mortals?

It got to be too much for Anguirus, who finally howled out in demand to know what Godzilla was thinking. The legendary monster turned to his friend, looking a bit more agitated than the quadruped would like to see. But then Godzilla's demeanor softened as much as a beast like him could in such a dangerous situation. Godzilla let out several growls explaining that he thought the ponies were all safe now, or as safe as they could be. When Anguirus asked him to explain further, Godzilla said he no longer felt any pony presences in or around the volcano.

This worried Anguirus, making him think maybe the ponies inside could've met their ends. Godzilla, however, doubted it greatly and was more inclined to believe they had found a way out of the volcano and were now in Seaside Hoof. Anguirus then asked why they weren't heading that way if that was, indeed, the case. Godzilla's facial expression hardened as he turned and looked up at the volcano. He roared out, saying he was feeling some uneasy disturbances from within the smoking mountain.

At first Anguirus figured it was the obvious, that it was the volcano itself, but Godzilla wasn't inclined to agree. For some reason, he felt as though it was something the volcano was hiding, something unnatural that was trying to get out. Anguirus asked what he thought it could be, to which Godzilla replied, saying he wasn't sure. All he was certain of was that it could most likely cause trouble even far beyond the borders of Pony Tale Island. Because of that, Godzilla felt he needed to stay behind to handle whatever was lurking within the volcano if it was actually there.

Godzilla roared out, saying he would understand if Anguirus wanted to head down to the town without him. Anguirus looked out beyond as far across the island as he could see. Seaside Hoof was barely even a speck from where he stood, but it was there all the same. The dinosaur-like kaiju thought about it long and hard before turning back to Godzilla. He roared, saying he was going to stay by Godzilla's side and face whatever this troubling force might've been with him.

Godzilla let a small, appreciative smile cross his face before roaring out his gratitude to his good friend. Then the two's faces shifted into those intense stares only kaiju could convey. Godzilla was more appreciative to have Anguirus by his side than the four legged monster would ever know. He didn't say it, but, as mighty as the king of monsters was, he had a strong feeling he was going to need all the help he could get against whatever this force may have been. Such a notion actually frightened Godzilla.

Yes, the great monster king actually knew fear. It was not for himself, though, but rather for everything else this thing could do damage to should he and Anguirus fail. Godzilla, however, was more determined than ever to make sure that didn't happen, despite what he had already been through. He just had to hope that would would be enough to get him and Anguirus through whatever may come at them next.

* * *

A great several ponies in Seaside Hoof cowered as the island's volcano vented its rage, showing off the great forces of nature's natural disasters it was capable of. Pieces of ash fell from the sky almost like black snowflakes as the entire island continued to shake violently as could be. No longer did the mighty mountain of blazing fury only spew black smoke. Burning embers of various sizes shot from the mouth of the volcano before falling gently all across the island. The embers and the ash were about the only things gentle in what was a cataclysmic event that only seemed to foretell worse things to come.

Everypony looked as terrified as ever, including Twilight Sparkle and TJ, who stood at the head of the crowd. They looked on with everyone else as the volcano continued to unleash its wrath. The two then turned their eyes to each other for a second or two before seemingly being forced to look back at the volcano. The noises of a natural disaster brewing were soon accompanied by the cries and calls of many an animal. Twilight and TJ watched with everypony else as many hundreds of birds of various species took to the air like death itself was after them.

Everypony watched as the large, seemingly uncoordinated, unruly, reluctant flock of different birds cluttered together passed over them. The added noises and sight only served to making the scene all the more ominous, sending several more shivers up and down the ponies' spines. Only a few moments later did the ponies' ears pick up the sounds of many feet approaching at breakneck speeds. They looked beyond the outskirts of the town where the road met the confines of the Willowing Forest. It wasn't long before the sight of several animals of all shapes and sizes came bursting out of the forest as fast as they could go.

" _Stampede!_ " Rainbow Dash and Firefly exclaimed as loudly as they could.

The ponies were all horrified to see that the wave of fleeing animals running down the path that would carry them to and eventually through Seaside Hoof. What worried them the most was exactly how the term ' _through' would imply in this situation._ Many ponies ran and hid while others were too scared to move and continued to cower in place. It seemed like no time at all before the animals reached the town and were rampaging through the streets in a desperate attempt to escape the volcano's wrath. Ponies screamed as those previously unable to move now joined those trying to run and avoid the bevy of animals.

Not all the ponies fled, however, for it was actually Fluttershy who was the first to step up and stop running.

"Alright, that's enough!" the pink maned pegasus pony proclaimed. "Somepony needs to get this situation a little more under control, starting with these animals."

Fluttershy flew off to do what she could in stopping the stampede. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Muse, and Firefly soon followed, rounding up a few more volunteers as they went along. Twilight Sparkle and TJ watched them go before what sounded like thunder forced them to look back to its source, that being the volcano. Then the sound of earth cracking and breaking apart caught their attention, making them look to see small breaks in the ground starting to form around them.

"Ohh, this is bad," TJ said fearfully.

"This is really, _really_ bad," Twilight Sparkle agreed.

"What are we gonna do, Twilight?!" Pinkie Pie asked as she jumped to her violet friend's side. "I mean, we gotta do something! But what something are we gonna do?! Because if we're gonna do something, we gotta do it now! So, what are we gonna do, Twilight?!"

" _Pinkieeee!_ " Twilight Sparkle screamed out, making TJ jump and Pinkie Pie cease her fast paced babbling. Then the alicorn mare said in as normal of a voice as she could, "I don't know what we're going to do. I don't even know what we can do. I mean, how do you stop a volcano on the brink of eruption?!"

"What about the Alpha Stone?!" Firefly asked as she flew up to everyone else and landed into their cluster. "It was able to make you do all these crazy things before. What's to say it can't do something as crazy as make a volcano chill out when it has such a hot head?"

"Maybe Auntie's onto something, Twilight," TJ said. "Maybe you could fly up and make the Alpha Stone stop the volcano from erupting, or something?"

Twilight Sparkle looked up at the volcano as it continued to vent in preparation of letting loose the load that had been held back for so long.

"I don't know," Twilight Sparkle replied. "I don't think I should leave the town when something like this is happening, especially not with the stone. If anything happens, we may need it here to protect everypony. It may be too late before I get to the mouth of the volcano if I did decide to go."

"Can't you just use it from here?" Firefly asked.

"Well... I suppose I could try," Twilight Sparkle said.

"What about Godzilla and Anguirus?" Moon Bright asked. "They're still up on the mountain. What if whatever you did to it effected them, too?"

"What's to say they haven't suffered a terrible fate already?" Firefly asked. "I mean, I hate to be crude, but they are right in the middle of all that going on. They're even worse off than we are."

"Hmm... could something like this effect a kaiju?" Strong Courage asked.

"I don't know," TJ said. "It's not often when two forces of nature meet each other like this. It's like a hurricane meeting a meteorite or something. An unstoppable force meeting an immovable object."

"Well, we can't just leave them up there!" Rarity said. "And we can't just stand here like sitting ducks and do nothing!"

"If we were sitting ducks, how could we be standing?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"We have a source of great power," Rarity went on, ignoring her friend's logic. "We should use it somehow."

"I agree, completely," Twilight Sparkle said. "I just don't know how we should use the Alpha Stone."

"Well, we'd better figure out how _real_ soon," TJ said.

" _Look!_ " Kerchek exclaimed from the crowd as he pointed. " _The volcano's about to give us all it's got!_ "

" _It's erupting!_ " Muse screamed.

Ponies gasped as they looked to the smoking mountain, as did all the animals without wings, none of them having the will to run anymore. As Twilight, TJ, and their group looked up to the volcano, it finally gave into its built up pressure and unleashed a blast, the likes of which nopony on the island had ever seen. A great burst of liquid fire shot up into the air, the sound of said eruption sounding like the world itself was blowing apart. The ponies watched on in horror as the eruption continued, though the flash of light it caused stung their eyes slightly. What worried many ponies, however, was the pieces of lava breaking off from the main eruption and making their way down to Earth.

The bits of flying fire were aimed at several different spots all over the island, more than guaranteed to hit their mark. The horror-stricken ponies felt their fear and anxiety increase tenfold, for they knew it was much more than likely their town would be struck by the falling projectiles. Several ponies screamed, some ran in panic, those with children held them close, and some silently prayed for a miracle or at least a quick, painless death.

" _Twilight!_ " TJ exclaimed as he looked to the alicorn princess.

She didn't need any more prompting; Twilight used her horn to harness the mighty power of the Alpha Stone. The gem lit up even brighter than Twilight Sparkle's horn before its aura changed from pink to red, matching the glow of the stone. Then a beam of power shot forth from Twilight Sparkle's horn, flying straight upward several hundred meters high. The end of the beam began to expand out farther than the town was wide. The ends of the magical field then curved downward until they touch the ground, forming a large, magical dome around Seaside Hoof.

Several ponies looked on in awe at the amazing feat of magical ability. Their wonder and amazement were quickly cut off when the first few pieces of falling, hot debris smashed into the dome. Several pieces had hardened into stone during their fall to Earth, but they were still hot enough to ignite explosions against the dome when they hit it. Then there were several globs of lava that had not been turned to stone that splattered against the dome. It felt like the whole island was shaking harder with each impact, not just against the dome, but other parts of the land that weren't protected.

Ponies watched on fearfully as the land outside was blasted and torn apart by both the earthquake and the falling projectiles shot out by the volcano. Lava melted what ever it touched, fires were ignited that started to spread fast, and craters were left all over the place. It seemed, however, that the dome protected everything from the chaos outside. No matter what hit the dome, it would not break, though the ground still shook with each impact, unsettling a lot of ponies. As time went by, however, they all started to calm ever-so-slightly, for they were starting to believe the dome would not break at all.

Even the animals Fluttershy and her team had rounded up seemed to calm down somewhat since they now knew they were a lot safer than before. All eyes fell to Twilight Sparkle, who was concentrating all her focus into the force field she made. She kept harnessing the Alpha Stone's power, and feeding said power into the force field around Seaside, desperate to keep up. TJ saw the state Twilight was in and worried that she might be straining herself too much. He looked to his mother and father, but they seemed just as lost on what to do as he was.

Then they looked and saw Muse coming up to Twilight Sparkle's side. The multicolored alicorn turned to her family for a moment before proceeding.

"T- Twilight?" Muse said. "Are... Are you doing okay?"

The violet furred mare smiled to her fellow alicorn, looking as confident as a hero in an adventure book series.

"With the Alpha Stone's aid, I'm just fine, Muse," Twilight Sparkle assured her friend.

Suddenly Pinkie Pie began to act even screwier than usual. Her whole body twisted and turned around as she shuddered.

" _Pinkie Pie!_ " Muse let out frantically, other islanders looking just as concerned.

The other mares of the Mane Six already knew exactly what was happening.

"Pinkie sense," the mares all said together.

Muse and her family looked at them in confusion as they let out a collective, "Huh?"

"It's just something Pinkie Pie can do," Twilight Sparkle said.

"You really shouldn't question it," Rainbow Dash added.

"That's her doozier than a doozy twitch, though," Rarity said. "It's kind of late, don't you think? The volcano's already blowing its top. Plus, we're safe under the dome, so why start twitching now?"

"Unless..." Applejack said, "the volcano ain't what she's twitchin' about."

The others all looked to the southern mare questioningly.

"What else could it be if it's not the volcano?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Lookie there!" Applejack said as she pointed to a crack in the ground.

Several pairs of eyes followed as they noticed something unusual about the fissure. Something appeared to be coming out of it. They couldn't quite make it out, but their ears were picking up something that sounded like a kettle of boiling water whistling when it's been on the stove too long. Twilight, Applejack, TJ, and Muse exchanged looks before the Earth pony stallion walked up to the crack. He approached as slowly and cautiously as possible before gingerly reaching a hoof out to the fissure. He instantly wished he hadn't, his eyes widening as he sucked in his lips.

" _Youch!_ " TJ screamed as he jumped up and grabbed at his hot hoof. He ran back to the others as fast as he could. "That smarts!... It's steam, boiling hot steam like I've never fel!."

The Mane Six and TJ's family all exchanged more looks before an extra violent tremor ran through the town. Ponies screamed as the sounds of more cracks filled the air. Soon after, more hissing sounds were heard like those made from the steam escaping the first crack. Everypony looked around as the newly formed cracks began to expand.

"Oh... I got a really bad feeling about this," Rarity said with terror in her voice.

* * *

All across the island, devastation ran rampant like no one could believe. The volcano continued to blast out its burning hot contents, distributing it all over the land. But Pony Tale Island didn't just suffer the fury strewn from up above. No, in fact, the terrible quaking in the ground revealed yet even more scorching rage from below. Hot steam seeped out of cracks that opened wider as time passed by until eventually the steam was replaced by spouting lava.

It even seemed like the cracks in the ground were spewing fire like a dragon would breathe from its mouth. The entire scene looked near apocalyptic; the island was lit up in an ominous glow of red, orange, and yellow light while the sky above was blotted out by black smoke. The ground (what hadn't been blasted through yet) was littered with the bodies of forest creatures who could not escape the cataclysmic tragedy befalling the island. Whether by heatstroke, suffocating from the smoke, being burned to death by the flames, or blasted apart; as many animals that got away, there were twice as many that didn't. It was like the forces of Tartarus itself were rising up from out the depths of the underworld to destroy the mortal realm.

The wildfires, flowing lava, and the falling projectiles launched from the volcano were spread far and wide, destroying all in their path. The volcano itself was starting to feel the effects of its own wrath. It shook so violently that even bigger parts of it had started to crack apart, releasing more hot steam, molten lava, and fire all over. As the volcano proceeded to release another eruption of burning wrath, a particular part in its side seemed to be suffering more than the rest. A small section of the volcano seemed to be getting pounded on by something from the inside fighting aggressively to get out.

While small in comparison to the rest of the volcano, large sections of rock were being pushed and smashed apart as they extended out of their original place on the mountain. It seemed like an eternity for the creature inside the volcano's interior, but it only took a matter of seconds for it to be freed. It smashed and pushed the rocks blocking its way to freedom like they were nothing. The gigantic, frightening sight that was the newborn monster unleashed a scream, the likes of which sounded all to unearthly. It was like the battle cry of a demon ready to unleash Judgement Day on the whole world.

The newly created, yet already fully grown kaiju very much looked the part of a world breaker. Standing at nearly three hundred and forty eight feet tall, the monster's skin look more like organic armor, somewhat like an exoskeleton. It was mostly red in color, but it had streaks of black all over it as well, with five fingered and five toed hands and feet with yellow colored claws and talons. It stood up vertically with an only semi-humanoid bulky body structure and had a long neck that ended in a head with a triangle-shaped snout. The ends of said snout were sharply pointed, beak-like ends that stuck straight out with a mouth full of jagged teeth.

The back of its triangle shaped head formed a pattern of pointed ends while two tiny horn stood atop of its crown. It had two rows of spikes going down from the top of its neck all the way to the end of its tail, first growing in size on its back, then shrinking down again as they continued. There were also six spikes on the sides of its legs, three for each limb and it even had twin spikes on its shoulders. While its tail was not the longest a kaiju has had, it was far from a stub, looking like it could sweep away a city block if given the chance. Mons-Ahgar had arrived on Earth and the orange eyed monster was ready to celebrate it by destroying the whole planet.

As if this monster couldn't get any more frightening, it also had an insane desire to go out and destroy everything it saw. It felt like its only purpose in life was destruction and it wouldn't be satisfied until everything it saw was gone. The anger of seeing everything around it not yet fully destroyed actually almost felt painful to Mons-Ahgar. It was like all the needles in the world had been dipped in burning, stinging acid and had been pressed deep under its armor-like flesh. Whether wreaking the destruction it sought would really get rid of that pain or not, Mons-Ahgar didn't care; he just wanted to destroy everything.

The psychotically roaring monster stomped its way out of the hole it'd made in the volcano and looked out to the world it wanted to destroy so much. It didn't even notice the lava dripping off of its body or the stream of it flowing around its feet. To Mons-Ahgar, it was like the burning magma wasn't even there at all, its usually melting hot properties having no effect on him whatsoever. Mons-Ahgar continued to stomp his way along the side of the mountain as he looked out at what was happening to the island around him. The destruction he saw did not please him, though, for the beast, programed and designed to be deranged, wanted to be the one causing it all.

The fact that such desolation started without him infuriated the soulless kaiju all the more. Its screams of anger were still terrifying to mortal ears, but it almost had the demeanor of a child throwing the world's most demonic temper tantrum. Mons-Ahgar's orange eyes seemed to glow as a result of his anger, the light intensifying with each passing second. The bizarre occurrence culminated in two, almost dart-like blasts of power escaping from Mons-Ahgar's eyes. Mons-Ahgar watched as the two beams traveled at speeds he almost couldn't follow.

They flew out into the burning and crumbling valley, not stopping until they collided with the land. The result was two massive explosions of great magnitude, being almost of legendary proportions. The glow of the two enormous balls of fire merging into one illuminated in Mons-Ahgar's evil eyes. It delighted in seeing what it had caused, but was agitated because it had stopped and wanted to keep wreaking more havoc. Mons-Ahgar roared out before firing off more of its dart-like blasts from his eyes in a rapid succession.

More massive explosions were ignited all across the Willowing Forest, destroying trees, land, and whatever else the beams might've hit. Mons-Ahgar let out several satisfied and enthused roars before he shot off more blasts from his eyes. As if Pony Tale Island didn't have enough to deal with, the added assault of the deranged kaiju made it almost a guarantee the island would be totally destroyed. One could argue that was already a sure thing given its state before, but with Mons-Ahgar, it now seemed like the deadline might've been moved up. Mons-Ahgar's assault spelt certain doom for the island and possibly even those creatures still living on it.

* * *

All those in Seaside Hoof screamed when the mass of great explosions suddenly began. They looked on in horror as the great balls of fire and force went off all over random places on the island, filling their hearts with terror, as if they didn't already have enough. Among these ponies, the Mane Six, TJ, Muse, Firefly, Moon Bright, and Strong Courage stood at the front of the pack. They watched the desolation play out and it made their hearts sink with great despair.

"I don't... I don't understand," TJ said. "Why... How could all this have happened? Are we being punished by a benevolent force for sins we've committed in the past? Is it just our fate that life will continue to beat us down, even when we're at the moment we're about to rise back up? We were just about to be happy again... and then all this happens?

"Are we just play things to be smashed apart by the forces of nature?"

"No, TJ, that's not it at all," Twilight Sparkle said as she placed a hoof on his shoulder. "You know you were meant for better things."

"Then why aren't better things happening, Twilight?!" TJ exclaimed. "Why did all this have to start happening just as we were about to be happy again?! We beat the minotaurs, but now the whole island's going to be destroyed! Why?!"

TJ was cut off by more explosions blasting across the Willowing Forest. Everypony watched in fear as they wondered if any of those explosions would start heading their way. They may have been protected by Twilight's magic dome, but with their situation the way it was, most were afraid the defensive measure couldn't keep them safe forever. Twilight Sparkle herself was wondering about that when she noticed something. She nearly missed them the first few times, but once they had her attention, she saw them as clear as daylight.

She noticed several glowing projectiles flying across the way into the forest and concluded they must've been the source of the new explosions. This was confirmed when a new set of blasts went off where Twilight saw several of those projectiles heading only a second before. As menacing as the volcano's wrath was before, those projectiles were like nothing she had seen it release previously. Upon further inspection, Twilight Sparkle saw that the beams seemed to be coming from the side of the volcano, rather than the mouth. She couldn't see a source for the beams since the volcano was too far away, but she was confident they were not of natural origins.

"Those explosion's aren't being caused by the seismic event!" Twilight Sparkle blurted out. The others looked to her in confusion like they had no idea what she said, making her groan. "The volcanic activity and the earthquake combinations aren't making those explosions. I think there's another source on the side of the volcano making them. Just look."

Twilight Sparkle pointed out some of the beams coming down from the volcano that hit the forest with explosive results. "That's not something that usually happens, even in these kinds of situations. It has to be something else."

"But what could that be?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well... Godzilla and Anguirus are still up there," Moon Bright said hesitantly.

"You're not trying to suggest they're responsible, are you, Moon Bright?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, no, no!..." Moon Bright said. "Well... I honestly don't know what to think right now, Rarity."

"What about you, Twilight?" TJ asked. "Do you think it could be Godzilla or Anguirus?"

"Not for a minute," Twilight Sparkle said as she looked on. "No, I think it has to be something else."

"But what else could it be?" Muse asked. An alarmed look overtook the young alicorn's facial features. "Do you mean... it could be something... like maybe another monster, Twilight. A new kaiju, is that what you're saying?"

As if everypony didn't feel uneasy enough; Muse's suggestion made them feel all the more trepidatious. Could there really be a new kaiju out there so evil enough to willingly help destroy a whole island? It wasn't helped by Twilight not only not refuting Muse's suggestion, but the expression on her face seeming to imply it as accurate.

"You mean," Applejack asked, "there really is a new kaiju up there on the mountain blowing everything to kingdom come?!"

"But how?!" Rarity asked. "Where could it have come from?!"

"Yeah, we destroyed the place, didn't we?!" Rainbow Dash asked.

"More accurately, didn't Surelious blow up the caves?!" Pinkie Pie asked.

"We were all too late," Twilight Sparkle said, a hint of defeat in her voice. "We didn't blow up the base in time. It was finished and born before we could destroy it."

None of what the alicorn princess said was doing anything to ease the unsettled nerves of the ponies around her, not that it was meant to.

"But that's impossible!" Firefly said. "How could an animal, even one that big, survive such a massive explosion?!"

"You forget how resilient and durable kaiju have proven to be in the past," Twilight Sparkle said. "No matter what ponykind may have thrown at kaiju, the only thing that's ever truly been able to stop one is another kaiju. Plus, if this one is what I think it is, then it's also powered by the combined energies of the other three Alpha Stones, the ones we tried to destroy before this thing could be born. Kaiju's power levels were already hard to get a fix on before, but now we can't be sure how powerful this one might be. We don't even know the extent of the power of just one Alpha Stone by itself, let alone several together."

More explosions were set off startling the ponies of the town into another fit of screams.

"How can we be sure it's a new kaiju?" TJ asked. "I mean, as powerful as the ones we've seen before are, this is... way beyond that!"

Twilight Sparkle thought about it for a moment before she came up with an idea.

"Light bulb," Pinkie Pie said.

"I know what we can do," Twilight Sparkle said.

She looked to the Alpha Stone before closing her eyes and focusing on her magic. Her horn and the stone lit up brightly like many times before, getting brighter with each second before Twilight cast her spell. A beam shot out of her horn, the end stopping high above the ponies' heads and then expanding.

"What's she doing?" Firefly whispered to her daughter.

"I have no idea," Rainbow Dash replied.

The giant square of magical origins began to light up, cutting off everypony's spoken words or thoughts they kept to themselves. Then, in a surprising twist, an image filled up the floating square. It was a long distance view of Pony Tale Island itself, which would've amazed everypony to see had the island not been suffering such a terrible fate. They could see the smoke and fires all across the piece of land, as well as the volcano blowing its top. The sight only served to crush several ponies' hearts that much more.

Than the image flashed away, replaced by one of the Willowing Forest. The image was still at first, but then traveled along, giving all the gory details of what the volcano had done to the whole island. Then, many a pony couldn't help but cry out more when the image showed them the state Willowbrook was in. It was a cold reminder that things had changed drastically and, more than likely, they wouldn't be going back to the way they were before. The image didn't stop moving until it fell upon the volcano.

The image projector started flashing with new images a second, each one being a closer view of the volcano. As it continued on, ponies began to notice something strange on the side of the volcano. Through all the destruction it had caused, this speck of red on the side somehow seemed to stand out more than anything else. They quickly found out why as the images got closer and revealed that the speck was all Twilight had spoken of before. Indeed, a new kaiju had been born, one that was already a terrifying sight on its own as a monster.

But there was something even more frightening about it than just that. The look and demeanor about him in how infuriated he was when not destroying and how joyful he was when destroying was frightening beyond all belief. Every time he stopped shooting beams from his eyes, he would scream out like the Devil trying desperately to escape from Hell. When he would start firing again, he was as happy beyond all belief in the most sadistic of ways. Everyone who saw this beast born of pure evil was beyond disturbed by the soulless monster.

"Oh, my... gosh," Rainbow Dash let out, not even bothering to try hiding her shock or fear.

"I... don't believe it," Fluttershy said, sounding all the more scared.

"This just can't be," Rarity said.

"Still... it is there before our very eyes," Strong Courage said.

A series of explosions that were a little too close for comfort made everypony jump, even Twilight Sparkle. Her dome and image nearly faltered away, but she managed to focus back on them enough to keep both up and going. Some wished she hadn't of kept up the image, not wishing to see the new beast, while others would rather see it coming if they were to die by the creature's hands.

"So... that's the new kaiju?" TJ asked, sounding just as unsettled as everypony else was.

"Yes," Twilight Sparkle said. "That's Mons-Ahgar, a kaiju made specifically to destroy the world."

"Boy, does it look like he can do it," Firefly said. Several pairs of eyes turned to the pink pegasus. "I'm sorry, but look at what it can do! You see all that it's done do to the island. Besides,you heard Twilight that it has the power of three Alpha Stones inside it.

"The minotaurs using those stones to create that thing is part of what made the volcano active again! That monster has that kind of power inside it... let that sink in. And right now, it looks like he's desperate desperate to let it all out."

Everypony went silent again as they watched Mons-Ahgar vent its rage all across the island in the form of its energy eye-darts. The roars it unleashed only served to add further chills down the spines of the scared equines.

"Just look at that," Strong Courage said in horrified awe.

"It's hideous," Rarity said. "I want so much to look away from this monstrosity... but I can't."

"Look at the power it's unleashing," Moon Bright said, her fear being apparent.

"Imagine if that power got off this island," Applejack said.

This only served to upset everypony all the more.

"Imagine if that thing were to wind up in a more heavily populated area," TJ said. "Just what it could do to a whole country... Maybe even..."

"Maybe even Equestria?" Twilight Sparkle finished.

Of all the ponies this could upset, the Mane Six were, by far, the most fearful. All of them were picturing it in their heads; the image of Mons-Ahgar running rampant through heavily populated metropolitan areas like Manehattan, Van Hoover, or even Canterlot. Then they thought of the short work it would make of the smaller territories, including their hometown, Ponyville.

"We can't let that happen!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Indeed," Rarity agreed. "We simply cannot allow this abomination to get beyond the borders of this island."

"If only we could somehow keep him here until the island was destroyed," TJ said. "There's a good chance it would probably take him with it."

"I'm not so sure about that, TJ," Firefly said as she looked on at the image of the kaiju.

"You got any better suggestions?!" TJ asked. "We can't just let that thing go out into the world! We need to be thinking of ways to stop it here and now!"

"Everypony agrees, TJ," Moon Bright said.

"But losing our cool isn't gonna solve anything," Strong Courage added.

TJ stopped for a moment and took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"You're right, Mom and Dad," TJ said. "I just..."

"I know, TJ," Strong Courage said the way a loving parent would. "You're right, though. We have to figure out someway we can stop this kaiju here and now."

"Cool, but how?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I hate to say it," Muse said, "but what good are a bunch of little ponies gonna against that?"

"There has to be something that can be done!" Rarity said.

Suddenly the demonic roars of Mons-Ahgar were cut off by a more bellowing roar, the source of which wasn't shown on the image Twilight made. It was soon followed by a different, more howling roar. Everypony felt their hopes raise that much higher, for they knew exactly who those roars belonged to. Mons-Ahgar ceased fire of his eye beams and looked off to his left. The image switched to an overhead shot that showed Godzilla and Anguirus coming up on the new kaiju with not an ounce of fear showing.

" _They're alive!_ " several ponies exclaimed happily.

Many other happy words were exchanged amongst the crowd as well. But then several smiles instantly faded when they saw the shape both kaiju looked to be in, Anguirus in particular. It was clear that they had already been put through the ringer during the battles they'd already fought that day. The sight of both kaiju's physical conditions concerned several ponies to varying degrees. A select few apparently failed to notice these details and were still just as celebratory and enthused to see Godzilla and Anguirus.

"Whoo, we're saved!" a pony cried from the crowd.

"That demon's in for it now!" another cried out.

"As good as dead!"

While more ponies form the crowd clamored, TJ leaned in closer to Twilight Sparkle.

"What do you think, Twilight?" TJ asked. "Do you think they have a chance?"

"Uh- I, I don't know," Twilight Sparkle answered honestly. "I mean, if it were any other situation, I'd say yes, flat out. But... you saw what that thing could do and you see the shape Godzilla and Anguirus are in right now."

TJ looked again and saw that the kaiju were, indeed, moving more gingerly than they would've been otherwise. Still, neither Godzilla, or Anguirus seemed the least bit intimidated as they came up to Mons-Ahgar, exchanging roars with him all the while. TJ respected the brave hearts of the larger-than-life monsters, but he couldn't ignore how much damage they took. That was just the obvious bumps, bruises, and other physical deformities they carried on the outside. Who knew what had been done to their internal functions.

"You got a point," TJ said. "But still... think of all the amazing things they've done already. I mean, they beat both Hedorah and Solomon, the biggest guns the minotaurs had."

"How can we be sure Solomon was defeated?" Muse asked.

"Do you see him there?!" TJ asked.

"Yeah, Godzilla's not the type to leave someone breathing after a fight," Rainbow Dash said.

"Or at least not someone like Solomon," Fluttershy said.

"Okay, so we can say for sure that thing's out of the picture," Applejack said.

"Literally and figuratively," Pinkie Pie said as she pointed at Twilight's magic generated image.

"But that also means Godzilla and Anguirus must've gone through a lot to put that thing out to pastor," Applejack went on. "I mean, I don't want to say anything against our boys here. But... the odds seem kind of stacked against them."

"The cards are never against G!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "And with Anguirus there that makes two! It's two against one, Applejack."

"But it's two injured against an overly powerful monster!" Applejack said. "I hate to say it, but we shouldn't count on just them to do it for us."

Everypony looked back and watched as Godzilla and Anguirus stopped a short distance away from the irritated Mons-Ahgar. Neither one of them looked fearful at all or even slightly concerned. Just going by their faces, both Godzilla and Anguirus looked as ready to fight as ever.

"Still... I gotta admit," Applejack said, "they sure don't back down."

"Not even in the face of death," Muse said. "But... I... Anguirus..."

"I know, Muser, I know," Pinkie Pie said as she hugged the distressed alicorn.

"We have to believe in them," Fluttershy said. Everypony turned to the pegasus mare, who looked as serious as ever. "Godzilla's never let us down before and Anguirus is more stubborn than any mule I've ever seen. Their incredible will power has pushed them this far and we have to believe it'll carry them through even further. I'll admit I'm just as afraid for them as all of you, but they're fighting so we can go on living.

"So, we owe it to them to try and go on while we trust them enough to take care of Mons-Ahgar. With the sort of motivation they have and looking at their accomplishments in the past, we have to keep on believing in them. They're our friends, some of the best we've ever had, and they're god-like beings who would and have done anything and everything for us before. So, we have to trust them to do this while we worry about getting off this island."

Many ponies stopped and listened to all Fluttershy had to say. It seemed to partially work with many ponies, mostly her friends, looking like they were ready to move on.

"You're right, Fluttershy," Twilight Sparkle agreed as she nodded her head like many others.

"In more ways than one," TJ whispered to the alicorn princess. "Twilight, what are we gonna do? We have to get out of here. I really hate to say this... but I think it's pretty obvious Pony Tale Island's had it. I mean, it's crumbling under our hooves and burning away for pony's sake!"

The point was driven home further when several cracks started to form in the ground right underneath the two ponies and their clique.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh!" Pinkie Pie screamed while hopping around like she was dancing. "Ow, ow, ow, ouch! Youch, that smarts! My hooves are burning hot!"

"Ow, mine, too," Rainbow Dash said as she started flapping her wings to hover above the ground.

"It's the volcanic activity spreading further," Twilight Sparkle said, her eyes wide. "You're right, TJ, the whole island's going to be destroyed!"

"That's why we have to get out of here like he said!" Firefly interjected.

Several ponies spoke in agreement as Twilight Sparkle took one last look at her image she projected. She never took her eyes off Godzilla, Anguirus, or Mons-Ahgar until she cut off the spell and the image faded away. She hated the idea of leaving Godzilla and Anguirus to tend to a situation with such dire variables, possible implications, and potential consequences. The mare understood they were doing it for her and the other ponies, though, so she turned her attention to said ponies and the situation around them. She spread her wings and flew up high to examine the entire town of Seaside Hoof.

The ground was breaking up and hot volcanic veins were being exposed underneath it. Some buildings in the village were starting to come apart from the shaking of the earth, which then broke away, one even catching fire from the exposed veins. Twilight Sparkle knew it was only a matter of time before it started to happen to the whole town and thus looked even harder for a way out of their dire situation. That was when she saw what she was sure was salvation beyond the town, out on the bay. Tied off to several docks or anchored off nearby were a great many boats that once belonged to the minotaurs that inhabited the island.

 _Perfect!_ Twilight Sparkle thought to herself. _There's our ticket out of here!_

Twilight Sparkle flew down to the ground where TJ and several others were waiting for her.

"We need to gather up everypony and get them out to those boats before it's too late!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. "We're evacuating the whole island!"

* * *

Godzilla and Anguirus continued to roar a series of warnings at Mons-Ahgar, who only responded with screams that held no meaning or language to them whatsoever. The two kaiju sensed absolutely nothing from this new beast, except un-aimed, inexplicable hatred, anger, pain, and a lust to spread destruction. There was no detectable hint of sanity or being within this monster, only all the evil that had been programmed into it. Godzilla and Anguirus ceased roaring their warnings and requests for the new creature to stop, knowing now that their efforts were futile. The only way they could stop Mons-Ahgar from doing all the damage he was doing and wanted to keep doing was to kill him.

Neither one would admit it, but they were both somewhat concerned with having to try and do that part. This was largely due to the unpredictable nature of Mons-Ahgar, his unknown power level, and what they'd already been through that day. Despite Godzilla's accelerated healing rate, he still had not fully recovered from the battles he'd already fought with the kaiju before. Anguirus had no healing factor, thus was far more vulnerable. Godzilla knew this and feared more so for his friend than he did himself.

While he knew how tough and tenacious Anguirus was, Godzilla was afraid that wouldn't be enough to get them through their current situation. Because of this, Godzilla stressed himself about his friend's well being. He was also deeply worried about the ponies still on the island. Godzilla couldn't help but wonder how they were doing in such a terrible siege such as the one that had befallen the land. He couldn't help but wonder how such small, fragile beings like the ponies were would fair in this environment.

Unfortunately, as much as his heart was set on the ponies, he knew he had to trust them enough to take care of themselves while he dealt with Mons-Ahgar. A great many of those ponies, particularly his friends from Equestria, had proven themselves quite capable before. Godzilla could only hope that stayed true in such a terrible predicament such as the one tearing apart Pony Tale Island. Right now everything else depended on him and Anguirus being able to work together to try and stop what was clearly a force of pure evil in Mons-Ahgar. While the two pure hearted kaiju had suffered tarnishes in battle already, they knew no one else could stop this beast.

They had to keep him from getting off the island and put him down right there one the spot. Either that or hold him off long enough for the island to be destroyed and hope it took Mons-Ahgar with. There was the chance it could also take Godzilla and Anguirus, too, but both kaiju were hoping it wouldn't come to that. They were hoping that with their combined efforts, they'd be able to stop Mons-Ahgar, whether they were at full health or not. With that all in mind, Godzilla and Anguirus exchange one last quick glance before preparing for what would no doubt be the ultimate challenge.

The two kaiju looked to Mons-Ahgar with the most monstrous expressions they could convey. Usually getting such looks from not just one, but two great giants like Godzilla and Anguirus would ordinarily strike fear in just about any other living soul. Mons-Ahgar, however, had no soul to frighten and instead looked to only become more infuriated, yet somehow delighted at the same time. He was angry to be challenged by any other thing, but he also welcomed the chance to rip a living being apart with his bare claws. More of the anger came out than the joy when Mons-Ahgar shot out several more shots of his dart-beams from his eyes at the landscape already suffering great devastation.

Godzilla and Anguirus both howled in protest as they moved to cut off Mons-Ahgar's view of the island from the ledge he stood on. The red and black monstrosity stepped back cautiously as Godzilla and Anguirus positioned themselves in front of the end of the cliff. Mons-Ahgar continued to let out his screams of rage as he took a single step forward. Anguirus went to meet this step, but was cut off by Godzilla moving his arms in front of him. The four legged kaiju looked up to his taller friend, who had a stern look on his face as he instructed Anguirus to let him be the first to scuffle with Mons-Ahgar.

Godzilla wanted to be the first to clash with Mons-Ahgar and test out what kind of iron this demonic monster had. Anguirus very reluctantly yielded to Godzilla's demands, allowing the king of monsters to take a fighting stance before stomping forward to meet his foe in combat. Upon seeing Godzilla coming towards him, the opposing abomination of a kaiju rushed forth and began slashing his claws across Godzilla's face. The leviathan was taken aback by how quick and forceful his foe's swipes were and how much they hurt. Godzilla involuntarily shrieked out as Mons-Ahgar's surprisingly sharp claws ripped, slashed, and dug deep into the flesh both on his face and across his upper torso.

Mons-Ahgar would also occasionally slap his open palms across Godzilla's upper body, mostly aimed at his stinging facial features. The rampaging psycho also slammed his body and his head against Godzilla's form and even pecked the end of his straight, sharp beak into his foe's flesh. The deceivingly quick monster was able to strike Godzilla more than a dozen times in just under a minute, each blow causing the king of monsters great pain. Mons-Ahgar finally ceased his initial assault to sink his jagged teeth right into the spot where Godzilla's neck met his shoulder. Godzilla cried out in agony, but managed to fight through it enough to use his own impressive strength to shake and shove himself free of Mons-Ahgar's bite.

It didn't matter much to Mons-Ahgar, who responded with a few more bird-like pecks to the face, followed by more claws swipes and open palm smacks. Then Mons-Ahgar kicked his right foot into Godzilla's gut, followed by a shoulder slam. Finally, Mons-Ahgar spun around and swung his tail against the side of Godzilla's body, knocking him off his feet. Anguirus was stunned by the display he'd just seen. Never before had he known anything that could manhandle Godzilla, of all creatures like that; yet here was this demon among mortals that made it look so easy.

Godzilla was also stunned, but from the pain stinging everywhere Mons-Ahgar struck him. Mons-Ahgar himself seemed to cackle in delight upon seeing what he had just done to Godzilla and wished to do it even more. Before he had the chance to so, the evil being was blindsided when Anguirus charged up and slammed his body against Mons-Ahgar's. Caught by surprise, Mons-Ahgar had to quickly get his footing back before he could fall as Anguirus sprung up on his hind legs and started swiping his front claws at the evil one. Mons-Ahgar was able to recover from Anguirus' surprise assault and instantly went on the attack.

As Mons-Ahgar swung his claws at Anguirus' face, he seemed to have an extra bit of prejudiced against his new foe for his sneak attack. Mons-Ahgar would also occasionally bite and peck at Anguirus' features, which caused him great harm. The fast pace of the demon's assault was too much for Anguirus to match, though his stubborn streak refused to let him quit no matter how much pain he was in. After a nearly one sided scuffle, Mons-Ahgar grabbed a hold of the spike at the end of Anguirus' snout and then clubbed his free arm over the top of his foe's head. Any contact the armor-like flesh of his arm may have had with Anguirus' crown of spikes appeared to have no effect at all.

The one who was effected, however, was Anguirus, who was sent crashing down onto his belly. Mons-Ahgar quickly pressed his attack, swatting his hands over Anguirus' head a few times before stomping on it with his right foot. Shockingly, the spike covered kaiju quickly shot up off the ground and tried to lunge at Mons-Ahgar. He went for Mons-Ahgar's forearm, trying to clamp his mouth down on it, but the beastly creature easily shook himself free of his opponent's bite. Before Anguirus could do anything else, his adversary kicked his foot into the quadruped's exposed underbelly and then charged forth, grabbing his throat, and forcing him down.

Anguirus landed on his shell and desperately kicked his legs into the air. Mons-Ahgar stomped his foot down on the helpless kaiju several times before turning away and swinging his tail down on Anguirus. He stopped when he noticed Godzilla starting to get up, looking rather worse for ware. It angered Mons-Ahgar to see his foe was able to get up so easily after taking one of his assaults, but also welcomed the chance to hurt him some more. The armor covered kaiju roared as he stomped towards the semi-stumbling Godzilla, who was already halfway back up to his feet.

When Godzilla stood up straight, he tittered for only a moment before he steadied himself and saw Mons-Ahgar coming. His reaction was swift and hard in the form of a massive punch directly into the side of the face. Mons-Ahgar reeled back as a sound like thunder clapping rang out through the air. But, surprisingly, while the punch did hurt, Mons-Ahgar only felt a minuscule amount of pain and was more so surprised by the fight in his foe. This was, indeed, going to be a colossal collision for the ages... and that's just the way Mons-Ahgar wanted it.

Mons-Ahgar wouldn't get a chance to properly retaliate right away, though, for that punch was just one of many. Godzilla's fists of fury swung with consistent speed and might, each one rocking Mons-Ahgar around. The impact from each punch sounded like whole mountains were smashing apart and that's exactly how it would've felt if it'd been anyone else being hit. Godzilla aimed his momentous punches all over Mons-Ahgar's body, though his primary target was the evil one's face. Sometimes, Godzilla would open his hands to swat his palms or slash his claws at Mons-Ahgar for payback from when he'd done it before.

With a final uppercut and a upward slash of his claws, Godzilla had ended his assault after two dozen or so blows before switching tactics. Godzilla kicked his foot into Mons-Ahgar's gut, making him stumble back a bit. Then the great saurian charged forth and rammed his body into Mons-Ahgar's. Shockingly, though, the monster didn't budge and instead shoved Godzilla back and kicked him in his own stomach. Then Mons-Ahgar pulled Godzilla forward into two heavy knee lifts to the lower part of his body.

Taking a cue from his foe, the red and black kaiju began swinging steel crushing punches across Godzilla's face, each one causing pain no punch ever had before. After nine punches, Mons-Ahgar did a repeat performance of the assault he initially unleashed on Godzilla. This time, however, the kaiju king was able to fight back, swinging his hands wildly, whether his had closed his fists or was relying on his claws and palms. He would also occasionally press his body against' Mons-Ahgar's in an attempt to use his girth to his advantage. Godzilla even tried to bite into Mons-Ahgar's extra long neck, but he quickly pulled himself free of it.

Both monsters were aggressive as could be as they continued on their wild, animalistic assault on each other. They were as determined as could be to take the other out, though it was for different reasons. Godzilla got some big time backup from a kaiju that shared his desires when Anguirus charged forth and rammed into Mons-Ahgar's body. From there, Anguirus swung his tail into Mons-Ahgar's side before switching to the same basic biting and clawing and swatting and body slamming the other kaiju did. It was two-on-one as Godzilla and Anguirus pressed their attack on Mons-Ahgar as much as they possibly could.

Very unfortunately and quite shockingly, it was almost like nothing was added to the fight, for Mons-Ahgar seemed just of comfortable fighting two foes as he did only one. Any sort of numbers advantage Godzilla and Anguirus were hoping for was quickly snuffed out when their soulless opponent merely increased the speed of his assault. Neither Godzilla, nor Anguirus were able to understand how he could do this. True, kaiju had been able to increase their speed to velocities thought impossible for creatures their size when in battle before, but this was a whole other level. Not only was he faster, but Mons-Ahgar's blows felt harder, thus causing both kaiju he fought more pain.

Try as they might, even together, Godzilla and Anguirus could not seem to overcome their enraged opponent. In fact, Mons-Ahgar was actually able to temporarily stun them both to the point where he was able to kick Anguirus away. The quadruped crashed onto the back of his shell, leaving Godzilla to try swinging his tail into Mons-Ahgar's body. The clever beast of mayhem ducked down and easily avoided Godzilla's swinging appendage and then went on the attack himself. Mons-Ahgar kicked his foot into Godzilla's left kneecap, making him shriek out as he grabbed it.

Mons-Ahgar roared out as he swung a right uppercut into Godzilla's lower jaw, causing the kaiju to reel back. The chaotically evil monster kept on the attack by spinning around and swinging his tail across Godzilla's face. Then Mons-Ahgar charged forth, ramming his anvil-shaped head into Godzilla's chest, knocking him to the ground. The creature of chaos raised his head to the heavens as he roared out almost in defiance and spite of everything else all around him. Mons-Ahgar then lowered his sights to the fallen Godzilla, looking at him like a lion would look at a piece of raw, bloody meat, only with a more sickening desire.

He took one step forth with the intent to go in for the kill and finish Godzilla off. His progress was halted when Anguirus rushed up and swung his tail around into Mons-Ahgar's face, knocking him back several steps. Anguirus howled as he rammed his body into Mons-Ahgar's before again swinging his tail into his face. He repeatedly swung his tail across Mons-Ahgar's face and upper body, going for at least half a dozen blows. After that, with his back turned to Mons-Ahgar, Anguirus sprung backwards, sending his spike covered shell crashing into his foe's front.

Mons-Ahgar screamed out in irritation, for he was nearly sent off his feet, just barely managing to stay standing. Anguirus turned to his foe and leapt forth at him, swinging his claws and snapping his jaws all the while. He got in a few good strikes and bites before Mons-Ahgar fought back with a brutal volley of blows all over Anguirus' face, stomach, and sides. The spike covered kaiju felt almost paralyzed by the beating he took from his foe. Mons-Ahgar grabbed the spike at the end of Anguirus' nose and one of the spikes from his crown and shoved him to the ground with all his might.

The environment around the kaiju shook ever harder than it already was from the impact of the monster's body meeting solid ground. Mons-Ahgar was shocked when Anguirus almost immediately sprung back up on all fours and howled out as he tried to go back on the attack. The ever more furious kaiju responded with a stiff kick up into Anguirus' lower jaw, followed by a series of hard punches across his features. To top it off, Mons-Ahgar stomped down on Anguirus' face several times, each one harder than the last. Still, Anguirus got up again, much to the further shock and fury of his sadistic foe.

The courageous monster jumped up into the air, intent on taking out Mons-Ahgar. Unfortunately, the red monster turned away, swinging his tail into the incoming Anguirus in the process. He went sailing away before crashing into the ground and then skidding for a little bit. The fallen kaiju's entire body convulsed violently like it was on the verge of breaking apart. While that didn't happen, it looked like bad things were still in Anguirus' future.

Mons-Ahgar's predatory eyes were locked on the fallen Anguirus as he slowly and methodically approached his nearly defenseless enemy. He stopped when his ears picked up the sounds of his other opponent starting to get up. Mons-Ahgar turned to see Godzilla was already almost on his feet again. The armored monster hurried over to meet Godzilla before he had a chance to do anything. He was too late, for Godzilla's ears picked up footsteps approaching and responded with a wildly swung fist into Mons-Ahgar's face.

It was as hard of a punch as any Godzilla had thrown before and the sound of the collision was just as thunderous. Yet when Godzilla looked to Mons-Ahgar, he actually seemed to be smiling, actually smiling as he spat out a tooth dislodged from its place in his mouth. The creature of malice looked not to be bothered at all, appearing just as fine as he was before the fight even began. This shocked Godzilla to the point where all he could do at first was just stare. Mons-Ahgar took advantage and rushed up, grasping Godzilla's throat in one hand while holding back an arm in his other.

The kaiju breathed heavily letting out a few hisses before sniffing Godzilla and shuddering in delight. Mons-Ahgar released Godzilla's arms and scooped up his leg before using the strength of a god to lift him up and toss him away. Godzilla screeched in protest as he flew through the air. He ended up crashing into the side of a stone wall, one of many parts that made up the large volcano. The impact was so hard, so fierce, shook the wall so greatly, and put so many cracks in it, how it didn't completely crumble away was a total mystery.

Some pieces did break off, though, and fell along with Godzilla, who miraculously managed to land on his feet. The monster stood hunched over with one hand pressed up against the crumbling stone wall to help brace himself as he tried to catch his breath. His body heaved heavily with each gasp of air he took, his face conveying astonishment the likes of which he never felt before. Up to that point, he had not encountered a beast who could toss him around and manhandle him like Mons-Ahgar could. A part of him was actually somewhat excited to go up against such a worthy foe, but that was overtaken by the fact it wasn't just his life on the line, or even Anguirus'.

He needed to fight harder because of so much else that was at stake. Godzilla knew if he allowed Mons-Ahgar to get off the island, so many others would suffer. The whole planet would probably end up paying for the evil monster's wrath and Godzilla couldn't let that happen. He needed to put his complete all into the battle and perhaps even more if he hoped to end Mons-Ahgar's reign of terror. That was just what Godzilla intended to do and so prepared himself to head back into the fray, despite still being shaken from what he just took.

Godzilla's thoughts were interrupted when several pieces of rock crumbling off the wall he was leaning against crashed down on him. The king of monsters roared out as he stumbled away from the falling debris as fast as he could. Unfortunately, he ended up walking into the path of the waiting Mons-Ahgar, who charged forth, slamming his body into Godzilla's. The saurian ended up being taken off his feet, hitting the earth with the most trembling of impacts. Mons-Ahgar looked approvingly at the fallen Godzilla before he began kicking his foot into his body.

Godzilla roared out with each kick, getting cutoff the fourth and final time when breath escaped his lungs. Then Mons-Ahgar kicked his other foot up into Godzilla's face before he started stomping on it. After seven stomps, Mons-Ahgar turned away from Godzilla and started swinging his tail down upon the kaiju, who couldn't even hope to get up at that point. When Mons-Ahgar was going for a fifth swing of his tail, he was interrupted by Anguirus' spiky shell crashing into his side, sending him stumbling away. Anguirus landed safely on his feet and looked to Godzilla, but the leviathan demanded he stay on the attack.

Anguirus did as he was instructed, looking to Mons-Ahgar and growling as he charged forth. The dinosaur-like monster rammed his head into his foe's mid-section before swinging his tail around into the side of Mons-Ahgar's body. Anguirus then pounced forth as he lashed out with his claws and snapped his mouth wildly at Mons-Ahgar. Several swipes of his paws landed across Mons-Ahgar's face before his jaws latched onto the creature's neck. Unfortunately for him, the bite didn't last, for Mons-Ahgar was too strong to let it, thus he easily shook Anguirus off.

The kaiju then shoved his four legged adversary down on all fours before kicking his foot up into Anguirus' face. After that, Mons-Ahgar bent down and started swinging punches that almost felt like they could take out the whole side of a mountain. The ground and pound lasted for a good many strikes before Mons-Ahgar stood up straight and kicked his foot straight into Anguirus' face. He then stomped the same foot down onto the top of Anguirus' head, the force of which forced him down onto his belly. Mons-Ahgar roared wildly as he stomped down on Anguirus' head several more times before kicking him in the face once more.

Anguirus just got up again and launched himself at Mons-Ahgar like several times before. The evil beast caught him, however, grabbing a hold of his nose spike and a spike on his crown. Mons-Ahgar roared out as he swung Anguirus high into the air, flipped him around and drove him down onto the back of his head. Mons-Ahgar roared in delight before stomping on Anguirus' exposed underbelly twice and then kicking him onto his front. Then Mons-Ahgar swung his tail down on Anguirus' shell, not seeming to notice the spikes on it at all.

Mons-Ahgar was completely flabbergasted when Anguirus sprung up on his feet like nothing had happened to him and rammed the front of his body into him. How could such a puny excuse for a monster take so much punishment and keep coming back for more? How was Anguirus able to go through all Mons-Ahgar put him through and still try to fight like he was? Mons-Ahgar didn't know how Anguirus seemed to be able to hang in a fight like he could and he didn't care. It just made him all the more angrier, for it could imply Mons-Ahgar wasn't the tower of power he felt he was.

The enraged beast sought to prove that wasn't true, shoving Anguirus away like he was a piece of cardboard. The quadrupedal kaiju skidded a little before stopping and flashing a sneer at his foe. Low growls he emitted soon turned into a howling roar as he ran up to meet Mons-Ahgar in further combat. When he was close enough, Anguirus turned and swung his tail at Mons-Ahgar like he had so many times before. This time, however, the fighting mad kaiju was able to catch his opponent's incoming appendage, much to Anguirus' grief.

Mons-Ahgar howled out loudly as he lifted Anguirus clean off his feet and swung him against the stone wall he'd tossed Godzilla into earlier. Upon hitting the ground, Anguirus got a full view of his fallen friend. Godzilla looked like he'd seen much better days. It was clear, though, his thoughts were more so on Anguirus, his eyes looking worried as they struggled to stay open. Several pieces of broken rock from the wall fell on top of Anguirus before Mons-Ahgar swung him up through the air by his tail.

He released Anguirus and allowed him to go sailing a little bit before crashing and skidding. Lucky for Anguirus, his body ended up just barely managing to stop before he went careening over the cliff side. He had a very good look at the open air ahead of him, though. His troubles didn't seem to be over yet, for Mons-Ahgar was heading towards him at a slow, methodical pace, letting out a roar as he approached. Anguirus tried his best to stand up, but was intercepted by Mons-Ahgar rushing up and kicking him in the side hard enough to knock him on his back.

Mons-Ahgar than stomped his foot down on Anguirus' underbelly and looked down at him with an evil glimmer in his eye. It looked like Mons-Ahgar had intended this to be Anguirus' final breaths, his final moments in this life before moving on to the next. Too bad he was so easy to distract, or he might've noticed Godzilla had risen up before firing a concentrated blast of his atomic breath. Mons-Ahgar only heard the crackle of the destructively powerful beam before it hit him in the back with explosive results.

Mons-Ahgar screamed out in surprise, having not expected to ever in his life feel anything like that breath attack. Mons-Ahgar's arrogance betrayed him in this instance, even more so when Godzilla fired a second, even more powerful shot of his breath of might. Then Godzilla lumbered to Mons-Ahgar's side as fast as he could before swinging his tail around, smacking it across the front of his enemy's body. Mons-Ahgar screamed and flailed his arms around as he stumbled back while Godzilla moved to put himself between Mons-Ahgar and Anguirus. The king of monsters took one quick concerned look at his friend before turning back to Mons-Ahgar and charging forth.

Godzilla's head rammed into Mons-Ahgar's chest, followed by several mighty punches, hand swats, and claw swipes all over the red monster's anatomy. Mons-Ahgar's body was bounced around with each mighty blow Godzilla threw at him. Anger and fury burned in the determined eyes of the mighty king of monsters as he did all he could to demonstrate why that title was his and his alone. The sounds of Godzilla's hands making contact with Mons-Ahgar's body at rapid speeds echoed out all over the island; they could even be heard down in Seaside Hoof. While Godzilla threw blows all over Mons-Ahgar's body, like before, he took particularly aim at his face, looking to rearrange his features.

After two uppercuts, Godzilla rammed his shoulder into Mons-Ahgar's chest, making him stumble back more. Godzilla quickly fired another shot of his atomic breath up and down Mons-Ahgar's body before walking up and pulling him into a knee strike to the stomach. Godzilla then lifted his left foot up and kicked into the same area before spinning around and swinging his tail across Mons-Ahgar's face. The monster looked like he was on the ropes as he stumbled back a few steps. Slowly he brought his hands up and felt his face and everywhere else he was hit before throwing them back and roaring out angrily.

He couldn't believe the assault Godzilla had just put him through. Who was this monster to do all this after what Mons-Ahgar put him through? He should've been done with in Mons-Ahgar's eyes, but yet he was up and trying to continue the fight even after all Mons-Ahgar had done to him? This made the kaiju's blood boil, his eyes conveying the fiery rage he felt inside. Mons-Ahgar started to stomp forward, intent on making sure Godzilla didn't walk away from the fight alive.

He was stopped by Godzilla firing his atomic breath directly into Mons-Ahgar's face. After two seconds, Godzilla aimed his breath down Mons-Ahgar's body, before trailing it back up to his features. Godzilla slowly walked forward while Mons-Ahgar reeled back, never ceasing fire of his breath. It lasted for about six seconds before Godzilla finally stopped shooting his breath and raised his head to the sky as he roared out in defiance. Godzilla stood tall, hands at his sides as he waited to see how Mons-Ahgar would react.

He could come to really regret his hesitation... The furious monster of damnation fired off several bolts of his eye beams all down the front of Godzilla's body. Massive explosions of fire and force erupted all over the leviathan's torso. Godzilla screamed as the explosions ripped up his flesh, sending several pieces of his tissue and spurts of blood flying into the air. He was unable to prevent himself from toppling over, crashing to the ground with the force of an earthquake.

Mons-Ahgar's attention was diverted when he heard Anguirus howl and then saw him trying to leap up into the air. The crazy powerful monster fired his eye beams at Anguirus just as his feet left the ground. He instantly fell back to earth as explosions ignited all over his body. Anguirus howled in agony before he was cut off by a second round of Mons-Ahgar's eye beams. He started to approach Anguirus' fallen form when he was blind sided by Godzilla coming in from the side, ramming his body into Mons-Ahgar's.

As Godzilla continued to push forward, he also wrapped his arms around Mons-Ahgar's waist and used his legendary strength to lift him off his feet. Then Godzilla started to carry Mons-Ahgar towards the edge of the cliff, not looking like he had any intentions of stopping. Mons-Ahgar quickly got over his surprise of Godzilla getting up so quickly after taking the blasts of his eye beams when he realized what the reptilian kaiju was trying to do. The red monster desperately started clubbing his fists and arms down on any part of Godzilla they could hit. At first they didn't slow Godzilla down at all, but just as they got near the very edge of the ledge, the kaiju king finally had to stop and release Mons-Ahgar.

With his feet back on the ground, Mons-Ahgar began throwing a large volley of punches all across Godzilla's body, especially at his face. Godzilla fought back, though, with his own series of skyscraper-breaking punches. As the two monsters brawled it out, Mons-Ahgar would occasionally try to ram his head into Godzilla's, or peck at it with his beak. The two monsters would also try biting at each other's faces and throats like the predatory animals they were. They continued on like that for several moments before pulling back and then rushing forth, smashing their bodies together as they wrapped their arms around each other.

Godzilla lifted Mons-Ahgar up again, but quickly had to lower him back to the ground, though he never let go. Mons-Ahgar did the same, lifting Godzilla up, only to put him down again, though he lasted longer than his opponent did. Both times, the ground underneath them shook furiously, the sounds of cracking stone ringing out underneath their mighty feet. Rather than focus on that, the two kaiju continued to wrestle one another while occasionally swinging a clubbing blow down on the other's body. Their lack of attention to the world around them would cost both monsters greatly when the ground underneath them gave way.

The section of the cliff they stood on crumbled apart and collapsed down the side of the volcano, taking Godzilla and Mons-Ahgar with. Both monsters cried out as they went tumbling down to the world below. On the way down, surrounded by many pieces of tumbling debris, both monsters' bodies bounced and rolled off the rock solid side of the erupting volcano. Neither kaiju knew how long the tumble down took, but it felt like a lifetime before their bodies landed down into the burning forest below. While their bodies were fully in tact, neither kaiju was able to get up, even after all the stuff they tumbled down with stop falling on top of them.

Both kaiju were completely motionless for several moments. They were both still alive, as impossible as it may sound for two creatures who took a several hundred foot plunge down the side of a mountain. But these two were no ordinary creatures, which was unfortunately truer for Mons-Ahgar. That was because when one of the kaiju finally did start to stir, it was Mons-Ahgar himself. How he could even move while Godzilla was still out cold was a mystery onto itself.

But it held greatly dark implications if this abomination of evil were to be able to rise before Godzilla could. The fate of the whole world was at stake here and right now it seemed like Mons-Ahgar might actually prevail in this battle. Then he would move on to trying to drive a stake through the world. Life itself had to hope for the better, even though it looked like it was about to receive the worst.


	40. Chapter 40: One Last Chance

"Okay, it looks like that's the last of them," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah, I think so," TJ agreed.

"Good," Strong Courage and Moon Bright said together.

They all watched as the last of the of ponies being loaded up onto their boat got on board. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Firefly, and Muse acted as their escorts. Applejack had led the crowd onto the boat and continued to coordinate them from the helm after getting on herself. The other three flew above, inspecting everything, making sure the transition onto the vessel was as smooth as could be. Strong Courage and Moon Bright both took particular interest in how well Muse seemed to be handling things.

She was keeping calm despite the pressure that came with her position and the situation currently taking place. Muse also seemed to be doing a good job at keeping the ponies in the crowd calm and organized. Moon Bright and Strong Courage were both impressed, but, sadly, the two ponies were distracted by the dire situation going on around them. Pony Tale Island was still in great peril and all the ponies on the island were trying to escape from the volcanic wrath it was suffering. That was why they were all gathering up on the ships in the bay, both those tied to the pier and those anchored a little further out.

Besides the crew, one ship was set aside for the animals that had come into Seaside Hoof earlier. Fluttershy stayed with them to monitor things and make sure the animals were handled well and got along with the crew. The rest of the Mane Six, along with TJ's family, stayed behind to make sure everypony else on the island got on all the other ships safely. With the last ship finally loaded, Twilight, TJ, Moon Bright, and Strong Courage all proceeded to hoof it onto the vessel themselves. Just as they reached the ramp, Moon Bright and Strong Courage stopped at the bottom.

Twilight and TJ stopped when they realized the older ponies weren't with them and looked back to see they were staring out at the island. They watched as the wide fires burned, the flows of lava melted, and the earthquakes broke apart everything they knew. All the devastation Twilight Sparkle's magic had protected them from before had finally made its way into Seaside Hoof. Without the alicorn's dome covering the small town, it was easily consumed by the same destructive force that was destroying the whole island. Watching the wide spread devastation, there was a strong feeling of sadness within both Strong Courage and Moon Bright as they watched it all happen.

Despite all the harshness and dark times being on the island had given them, they couldn't help but be sad to lose what had been their home for so long. For Moon Bright, she'd lived there her whole life, while Strong Courage had spent a good chunk of his there. It was bad enough losing Willowbrook, but now they were going to lose the whole island and there was nothing they could do about it. TJ and Twilight Sparkle walked down to get the two, but, instead, they ended up joining them for a little bit in looking at the desolation.

"This wasn't suppose to happen," Moon Bright said.

"I know, Mom," TJ said.

The unicorn mare turned to her Earth pony son.

"It was gonna be better, TJ," Moon Bright said, a break in her voice. A few stray tears started to fall from her trembling eyes and down her upset face. "We were gonna make this place better. We were gonna turn this island into a paradise, a home. But now..."

"Moon Bright, honey," Strong Courage said as he lifted a hoof under his wife's chin. He gently turned her face so she could look into his warm, comforting eyes. "I know what you wanted. It's what I wanted, too... but it's just never gonna be. That's not what fate had in mind for us.

"We need to move on from this place and start building a better life elsewhere."

"I wanted it to be here," Moon Bright said between sobs.

"I know, baby, I know," Strong Courage said. "But it just wasn't meant to be."

"Yeah, Mom," TJ intersected. "I completely understand why you want it to be different. In a perfect world, it might've been... But we have to let go. We can't keep fighting for a cause that's already done with in more ways than one.

"I love you with all my heart, Mom. That's why I'm telling you, for your sake, that it's time to move on to better things."

"How do you know they'll be better, TJ?" Moon Bright asked.

"Because we'll be some place much better," TJ said confidently. "We'll be some place where we're far more secure, more comfortable, and more happy." TJ took one look into the eyes of Twilight Sparkle, looking on longingly before proceeding. "And the company will be much better, I can assure you of that. In sort, Mom, we'll be home and a real home at that."

Moon Bright lowered her head in silence for a few seconds before looking back to the island. The others followed her stare for a moment before moving on.

"Come on, Moon Bright, let's go," Strong Courage said.

The others all turned to start walking up the ramp, but, still, Moon Bright hesitated. TJ and Strong Courage looked to each other before carefully helping to turn her away from the island.

"Come on, Mom, you can do it," TJ said. "We're gonna get through this together, just like a family."

Moon Bright allowed only a small, very sad smile to cross her face before it melted back into her previous frown. Strong Courage and TJ slowly turned her towards the ramp and helped escort her up. Twilight Sparkle stood partway up the ramp, looking down with concern as she watched the two Earth pony stallions escort Moon Bright.

"Is she going to be-?"

"She'll be fine, Twilight," TJ said reassuringly, a small smile crossing his face.

Twilight Sparkle then took another quick look at Moon Bright, who tried to reassure her with a smile of her own.

"I sure do hope so," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Come on, all, we need to get moving," Strong Courage said.

With that, all four ponies made their way onto the boat.

"It's about time!" Firefly exclaimed. "What took you guys so-?"

Rainbow Dash flew down to her mother's side on the deck and put a hoof to her shoulder. When Firefly turned to her, Rainbow Dash shook her head, a solemn look on her face. She pointed a hoof, first to Moon Bright, then to the island. With that, Firefly understood and allowed an equally solemn look to cross her face.

"Well... at least you're all here, safe and sound," Firefly said.

"Looks like we got everypony on board, Miss," a crew member shouted up to the helm.

"Good," Applejack said with Rarity now by her side. "Now, we can make like migrating ducks south and sail our flanks outta here!"

The crew ponies made all necessary preparations to set sail and it wasn't long after that the sea bound vessel did just that. It was one of a few stragglers left to head out to sea, whereas most of the other vessels holding the island's former pony population were already well ahead. Twilight Sparkle, TJ, Strong Courage, Rainbow Dash, Muse, Pinkie Pie, Firefly, and Moon Bright all headed up to the helm to join Applejack and Rarity. The orange coated mare stood at the wheel, steering the boat out as best she could, barking orders whenever she thought necessary. She looked behind her to see most of her friends looking out at the island, Rarity having already joined them.

Applejack had another pony takeover the helm while she, too joined her friends at the back of the boat. There was a long moment of quiet where all anypony did was watch the complete and utter annihilation of Pony Tale Island continue. There was a somber feeling running through just about everypony who watched the speck of land as it burned and crumbled away. In addition to Twilight and her main clique, many a pony all across the fleet of fleeing ships watched their former home coming apart at the seams. A good chunk of those ponies fell apart emotionally, breaking out in tears, sobbing profusely, and some even falling to their knees in anguish.

Moon Bright wanted to be one of those ponies and collapse right there, but none of the ponies around her would let such a thing be. Instead, all of them held her up, both literally and figuratively as they offered the best emotional support they could. While no one spoke, they would each come over, hug her slightly, rub her back, and flash her a smile, despite the majority of them being just as sad as she was. From her husband, who also kissed her, to her son, her daughter, her best friend, and all her new friends from Equestria, none were left out. They all made sure to let Moon Bright know she wasn't alone, that she had all the support going forward she would ever need.

While the blue furred unicorn was still emotionally distraught to a degree, she was partially settled by all the love from her friends and family. There moment was interrupted when a bright light flashed appeared as a result of the volcano once more blasting out its burning contents. Some pieces even sailed as far out as the bay, though, luckily, none of the burning projectiles hit any of the ships. The ponies looked on in awe as the volcano continued to throw its might around.

"There she blows," Rainbow Dash let out.

Everypony else just kept looking on, though TJ seemed to have something extra on his mind.

"It may sound bad of me to say this," the Earth pony began, "but I'm actually not gonna miss this island." Everyone else in the group looked to TJ with bewildered expressions. "Well, think about it. This place has been nothing but trouble for us our whole lives. Sure, it was partially responsible for us finding each other to an extent.

"But we still have each other even after all that's happened. The island may fall, but the way we feel about one another won't. We don't have to deal with taking back an island, defending the world, or anything like that. All we have to think about is our friendship all of us are gonna have after this. I know I'm gonna certainly remember it and do my best to make sure you all remember what you mean to me.

"I love all you guys."

The other ponies allowed smiles to cross their faces as TJ's sentiment touched their hearts. They all turned to one another and exchanged quick hugs and kind words. Several of them did the same for TJ, including thanking him for what he said about them all. He got especially excited when Twilight Sparkle hugged him, her embrace seeming to be a bit tighter than the others he'd received. But his spirits soared even more when the alicorn pulled him in and kissed him on the cheek.

TJ looked to the mare as she flashed him a cutesy smile and sultry eyes. Everypony else saw this and didn't know how to react. The normal instinct to tease them didn't come so naturally, for it was mixed in with so many other feelings and emotions running rampant at that moment. Before they could decide or anypony could do anything else, another great flash of light went off as the volcano erupted again. The ponies looked on, the fear of the volcano instantly put back in them.

"Well, regardless of if we'll miss the island or not," Rarity said, "we certainly can't stay here to watch it go down."

"But what about Godzilla and Anguirus?" Pinkie Pie asked. "We're not just gonna leave them here, are we?"

"Oh, please, don't," Fluttershy's voice called out. The ponies all looked to see her flying towards them. She landed on deck and walked up to everypony else. "We can't just sail away safe and sound while Godzilla and Anguirus are on that island fighting that monster. They're risking their lives for ours. The least we owe them is to stay somewhere in the area and wait for them."

"I'm with Fluttershy on this one," Muse chimed in. "Anguirus has been my best friend for a long time. I hate the thought of just leaving him behind so we can save our flanks, even if it's because he's playing hero."

"Plus, there's another danger," Strong Courage said. "If they fail, then what's to stop that other monster from getting off the island and doing... what we saw him doing to the island to everything else?"

Everypony looked conflicted as could be, though all eyes eventually fell to Twilight Sparkle. Her eyes widened in surprise before lowering with slight annoyance.

"Why is it always me?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Would you rather it be somepony else?" Moon Bright asked.

"Hmm, good point," Twilight Sparkle said. She was quiet for a moment as she thought about what to do. Her eyes looked around from her friends to the refugees to the other ships and then back to the island. "Okay, here's the deal: We're going to wait for Godzilla and Anguirus... and to see how the situation works out with Mons-Ahgar. But we still need to move a little bit further out to sea for safety.

"The water around the island is starting to boil and we need to be a distance away where we don't get hit by anything that the volcano spews out."

The other ponies looked to the raging volcano before agreeing that was the best course of action.

"Alright, Twilight, we're with you all the way," TJ finally said.

Twilight Sparkle smiled in appreciation.

"Thanks, Jacky," she said, her voice sounding slightly more affectionate than she meant.

" _Captain!_ " Applejack called out.

"I heard, Ms. Applejack," the pony at the helm responded.

"Good," Applejack said approvingly. "Spread the word."

"Aye," the sailor pony replied before he sent out pegasus crew mates to the other ships as instructed.

"But Twilight," TJ said, "what are we gonna do if Godzilla and Anguirus can't stop Mons-Ahgar?"

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "It's not like we can do anything against that monster. And that's really hard for me to admit."

"I know what you mean, Dashie," Firefly said. "I like to think I could take on the whole world... But even I'm not sure what I could do against something meant to destroy it."

"I guess then the real question is not what we're _gonna_ do," Applejack said. "It's what _can_ we do against Mons-Ahgar?"

"Well," Twilight Sparkle said, "we've still got this."

She and everyone else looked to the red Alpha Stone still draped over her on her golden necklace.

"It's true, that's a pretty powerful piece ya got there, Twi," Firefly said. "But would it be enough to put down Mons-Ahgar?"

"Maybe," Twilight Sparkle said with uncertainty. "It's said to be more powerful than the three stones used to help create Mons-Ahgar combined... So, I certainly hope it would be enough. More so, I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. I'm hoping in my heart of hearts that Godzilla and Anguirus will be able to stop Mons-Ahgar themselves."

"Maybe we should check on them," Muse suggested. "You know, use the stone to show us what's going on with them like when you used it to find Mons-Ahgar before."

"That's a good idea, Muse," Rarity agreed.

Everypony else spoke in agreement.

"Okay, Muse, I'll do that," Twilight Sparkle agreed. "Great idea."

Muse smiled in appreciation as Twilight Sparkle used the Alpha Stone to make an image for everypony to see. It traveled through the devastated forest, giving most of the other ponies a more up close and cruel reminder of what was happening. The increased grief most of the ponies felt was interrupted when the image showed Godzilla wrestling furiously with Mons-Ahgar. They could see clearly, much to their horror, that Godzilla was not looking so good. Still, he was giving it his all in his struggle with Mons-Ahgar, seemingly using as much strength and power as he was.

Their wrestling match was interrupted, however, when the ground beneath them gave way and they went tumbling down the side of the volcano.

" _Oh, no!_ " Fluttershy yelled while everypony else gasped or screamed out.

They watched as both monsters fell to the forest below, many tons of rocks falling down on top of them. A few ponies looked away, being unable to handle seeing what was happening to Godzilla.

"G's down!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Several ponies felt their hearts sink from seeing the situation the monsters were in.

"Oh, my goodness!" Rarity cried out as her hoof hovered in front of her mouth. She then pointed it as her eyes widened. "That thing's already starting to move again!"

The ponies gasped when they saw that, indeed, Mons-Ahgar was already shifting ever so slightly through the rubble.

"But that's impossible!" Moon Bright exclaimed. "Nothing could be moving so soon after a nasty fall like that! Not even a kaiju!"

"Maybe not an ordinary one," Firefly said. "But that freak of nature is anything but ordinary, even by giant monster standards!"

"What if that thing can get up before Godzilla can?!" Pinkie Pie asked worriedly.

"Hey, look!" Muse exclaimed somewhat happily as she pointed.

The others looked back to the image, which showed Anguirus, still up on the volcano's side, starting to get up again. The other ponies gasped as they saw the four legged creature forcing himself onto his feet. Force was the right word, for it was clear his body wanted to succumb to gravity's will and stay down. Anguirus' own will was far stronger and he absolutely refused to let any outside forces dictate what he did. At first all the ponies seemed happy as could be that Anguirus was able to rise once more.

But a lot of that joy was pulled back when they all quickly remembered Anguirus' previous track record in fights, especially solo bouts. On top of that, it looked like he had seen better days, his body showing the clear signs of what it'd been like to fight Mons-Ahgar.

"Jeez, the poor dude looks like he's been through Tartarus," Rainbow Dash said.

"But just look at him," Fluttershy said. "He really is courageous."

"Eeyup, gotta give 'im that," Applejack agreed.

TJ looked around before turning to Twilight Sparkle.

"But are the two of them gonna be enough to stop Mons-Ahgar, Twilight?" TJ asked. "I want to believe they can stop him, but you've seen what it's done to them already. And it's already moving again despite taking a fall down the side of a mountain while Godzilla's still out cold. What are we suppose to do if that monster manages to defeat Godzilla and Anguirus then get off the island?"

The image disappeared for a moment as Twilight Sparkle tried to think of what they would do should what TJ implied come to pass. It was clear she was heavily conflicted and it didn't seem like she would be able to think clearly with all the stress of everything going on around her.

"I don't know how to answer that, TJ," Twilight Sparkle finally answered. She then turned to the Earth pony stallion, her face being a canvas of high emotions. "All I know is that for now we have no choice but to leave it to Godzilla and Anguirus to keep trying to fight off Mons-Ahgar. I don't like that idea any more than you or anyone else will, but it's our only option. Right now, all we can do is keep steering the ships further away from the island while... hoping for the best."

"And what if the best doesn't come?" Muse asked.

"Like I said, Muse, I don't exactly know," Twilight Sparkle answered, sounding somewhat irritated. "I mean... I sort of have a plan for that... but it's only a rough outline. I need more time to think about it. For now we just need to go ahead with the original plan."

The others didn't know how to take what Twilight Sparkle had said, nor did they know how to respond verbally. All they could think to do was just proceed further out to sea as planned while also sticking close enough to the island to wait for Godzilla and Anguirus should they be successful. None of them wanted to think about the alternative of Mons-Ahgar beating the two good kaiju and then having to deal with the evil beast themselves.

"Well, if that's what you feel is best for now, Twilight, then that's what we'll do," TJ said. "We'll proceed forward while we also hope and pray for the best."

"Yeah, I guess," Twilight agreed.

"I know I'll be hoping and praying for G and Anguirus, that's for sure," Rainbow Dash said.

"Yeah and also that your alternative plan will work if it needs to come to that," Muse said.

"Twilight's been pretty reliable before," Moon Bright said. "If need be, I'm sure the backup plan she's thought of will prove successful."

The others spoke in agreement, to which Twilight responded with a gracious bow.

"Thank you all for your vote of confidence," Twilight Sparkle said, though she clearly wasn't so sure about it.

With that, Twilight Sparkle resumed focusing on the image her horn projected with aid by the magic of the Alpha Stone. It wasn't long before everyone once again saw the horrible scene playing out on the island.

* * *

Godzilla wasn't dead, but a big part of him was wishing he was after the plunge he just took. He had known there was every chance that trying to throw Mons-Ahgar off the side of the cliff would end badly for him, but it was a chance he still took. Now he was paying for it, laying at the bottom of the volcano's side, covered in large chunks or forest crushing stone in a world of pain. His super healing powers were working overtime trying to fix up everything that had been done to him. While the damage he'd sustained in his fight with Solomon and Hedorah had, for the most part healed up, he'd gotten hurt a lot more since.

If there was any bright side to what he'd been through, it was that Mons-Ahgar had to of taken a good chunk of the fall, too or so Godzilla hoped. He found out in a hope crushing way that this wasn't so, for he heard Mons-Ahgar stirring about. It started with low groans and moans, accompanied by rock and dirt sliding off the red monster's body. Soon, Mons-Ahgar was roaring like nothing had happened to him at all as he quickly rose to his feet, making Godzilla's heart sink lower. Rock and dirt fell off of Mons-Ahgar's body at a much faster rate, soon aided when he started shaking it off of him.

Godzilla did his absolute best to force himself out of his own rock covered grave so that he could resume the fight with Mons-Ahgar on more even footing. Those hopes were doused when Mons-Ahgar spotted Godzilla trying to get up and reacted with a chorus of roars, followed by a series of eye beams. Fire and debris flew up as explosions ignited all across Godzilla's hide. Godzilla's cries were cutoff when Mons-Ahgar started kicking his foot into his side, each strike almost knocking him off his belly and onto his side. Mons-Ahgar stopped on the fifth kick and instead stomped his foot onto the back of Godzilla's head.

The king of monster's body stopped moving, though he was still alive. Mons-Ahgar planned to change that with what was planned to be a final assault. Just as his eyes started to glow, his ears picked up the sound of something rushing through the air at high speeds. Mons-Ahgar followed the source of the sound, only to find a large ball of spikes spinning through the air and coming right at him. The giant object hit the monster right in the head, instantly knocking him onto his back.

As the whole area shook from the impact, the flying ball spun back towards the volcano. It unfolded, allowing Anguirus to once more stretch out his limbs before landing safely on a ledge above the forest. Anguirus howled out defiantly as he watched Mons-Ahgar slowly start to rise once more, having forced himself to get up. The red monster's eyes fixated on the courageous kaiju, hatred burning in them like wildfire. Mons-Ahgar started to roar, but stopped when he nearly slipped and fell again.

Anguirus took advantage of the situation and jumped out into open air, rolling himself up into a ball once more. Mons-Ahgar had just got his footing back when he saw Anguirus coming at him. He was too late to stop the oncoming kaiju's spike covered shell from smashing into his body, making him stumble backwards. He didn't fall this time, but it was a heck of an effort for him not to. Mons-Ahgar was even more furious now, looking to rip apart the scrappy kaiju giving him such a tough time.

Mons-Ahgar was shown just how hard that would be when Anguirus ran up and slammed his body against the red kaiju's. The two instantly went at it, both swinging and biting wildly like they had several times before. Both looked to be just about as equally determined to tear the other down, but only one of them was clearly more physically capable to do it. As great as Anguirus' will was, his physical strength was still inferior compared to that of Mons-Ahgar. His pecking, slashing, kicking, biting, knees, and all his punching were far too much for Anguirus to overcome.

Anguirus tried to fight back, first with a swing of his tail, followed by another body tackle before he went back to slashing and biting. A few well placed punches to the face by Mons-Ahgar stunned Anguirus to where he couldn't keep fighting. Mons-Ahgar then demonstrated his amazing strength further by grabbing Anguirus and tossing him into the burning forest. As he flew, Mons-Ahgar fired several shots of his eye beams, each set hitting their mark with explosive results. Anguirus cried out as his body smashed through the tops of many a flaming tree before crashing down into the forest's interior, skidding a little ways before coming to a stop.

Mons-Ahgar's smile was wiped off his face when a roaring Godzilla's body came slamming into his. It didn't end there, for Godzilla wrapped his arms around Mons-Ahgar's legs and lifted him up high before charging forward. Many a tree was splintered apart as Godzilla stomped through the forest, holding Mons-Ahgar out in front of him. It was unknown how far they went before Mons-Ahgar's aggressive protests finally got him free of Godzilla's grip. But all the biting, pecking, punching, and clawing from Mons-Ahgar not only got Godzilla to stop, but to also release him down onto his feet.

That didn't mean he had it any easier, for Mons-Ahgar was met by an overtly violent onslaught from Godzilla, which he responded to with one of his own. The two alpha predators fought as aggressively and violently as could be. They bit each other, clawed at each other, used open hand swats and palm thrusts, and a great many punches. Both were as wild as could be with their assaults, aiming all over their foe's body, while also occasionally going for each other's faces. The two monsters would also less often kick and scratch their toe talons at each other, primarily in the legs and stomach area.

On even rarer occasions, the two went for heavy knee strikes aimed at each other's midsections. The fight was incredible, the immense display of physicality, determination, and animalistic tactics being a true spectacle. While Mons-Ahgar was clearly the stronger of the two, it almost seemed like Godzilla had more will power, forcing him to push forward. Mons-Ahgar actually had to step back a few times to keep his footing, Godzilla's assault was so unrelenting. Eventually, Mons-Ahgar was forced to try something drastic in shoving Godzilla back and attempting a tail swing.

Godzilla ducked under the attack and came back at Mons-Ahgar with a blast of his atomic breath. Mons-Ahgar cried out, but fought back with a series of his eye darts he shot all across his adversary's hide. Godzilla roared out before charging at Mons-Ahgar, who ducked down and rammed his body into the leviathan's gut. All of a sudden, the unholy terror fully erected his upper body, sending Godzilla flying over his head. The extra large saurian couldn't believe what was happening to him as he flipped through the air, shrieking all the way.

He crashed right through the ground, leaving a massive crater as the world around him shook. Mons-Ahgar turned around, expecting to see a sight that would please him. Instead he was met by the swinging tail of Anguirus who then rushed forth, ramming his body into Mons-Ahgar's. This led to yet another vicious exchange between the two predatory animals. It only took a few seconds of punches and claw swipes before Mons-Ahgar gained the advantage, stunning Anguirus and giving him an opening to shove him across the way.

But while the quadruped was sent to the ground, Mons-Ahgar was hit by a blast of Godzilla's super breath. The red monster couldn't believe that the bigger of his two foes was already up again after what had just happened to him. He became a believer when Godzilla charged forth and slammed his body into Mons-Ahgar's, followed by the two proceeding with a repeat of their previous exchanges. They fought as hard as ever, but the exchange was favoring Mons-Ahgar, which Godzilla quickly recognized. He quickly broke up the scuffle with a kick to the gut, followed by a tail swing that connected easily with the side of Mons-Ahgar's frame.

The angry monster tried to charge forth in retaliation, but Godzilla dodged to the side, bringing his knee up into Mons-Ahgar's gut. He then grabbed a hold of his foe and roared for Anguirus to strike. The four legged monster, having recovered, howled as he charged forward, obeying his friend's command. Anguirus ended up connecting with Mons-Ahgar, followed by a few well placed punches to his chest and face by Godzilla. From there, it was absolute pandemonium as the three kaiju went wild as ever in what was easily the fight of all their lives.

An all-out brawl unlike any other, the three monsters trekked through the forest already under siege, continuing on with the scuffle all along the way. Not moving was not an option for any of them, thus they kept on pushing forth through the bowels of the dying island, fighting like crazy. Despite the amazing displays of power and strength he'd put on before, Mons-Ahgar was actually starting to look desperate. As the fight continued, his physical attacks looked to be getting all the more wild, the signs of a fighter being backed into a corner. Mons-Ahgar refused to let this happen, thus he broke up the fight with some of the most powerful eye beams he'd shot yet.

Those that hit Godzilla and Anguirus forced the both of them to jump back as they yelped out. Mons-Ahgar quickly grabbed both of them by the throat, growling into both their faces as his eyes burned with hatred. Finally Mons-Ahgar drove his knee into Anguirus' exposed gut before shoving him away. With his foe somewhat distracted, Godzilla took the moment to swat his foe's hand off his throat before firing his atomic blast into Mons-Ahgar's face. The soulless beast fired back with a mighty round of his eye beams. There was a short pause before Mons-Ahgar shot more blasts and then charged forward, ramming his head into Godzilla's.

Mons-Ahgar then proceeded to switch between pecking, clawing, and punching at Godzilla's face, chest, and rib area. Godzilla tried to fight back, but his punches missed as Mons-Ahgar ducked down and swung his tail into the kaiju king's side. Mons-Ahgar then rammed his head into Godzilla's chest before scooping up his legs in his mighty arms. Then, in an incredible display of strength, Mons-Ahgar lifted Godzilla up, turned away, and drove him down into the ground. Once again, the monster's body broke through the surface of the earth, forming a deep impression, which began to slowly fill with hot lava that had previously been hidden.

Mons-Ahgar had gone down with Godzilla into the pit they formed, but he was actually able to get himself out almost immediately afterwards. It was almost like Mons-Ahgar hadn't even broken a sweat, looking just as well as he had before the fight began. He was a little groggy getting out of the giant hole in the ground, but other than that, he seemed to be just fine. The demented kaiju actually took the opportunity to look down happily as the lava filled up the crater, looking as though it would consume Godzilla's body. This brought a sick sense of delight to Mons-Ahgar, like it would for the most evil of beings who somehow escaped the blackest hole of the underworld.

However, Anguirus was determined as ever to make him go back and thus rammed into him yet again. Mons-Ahgar was taken by surprise as he tried to recover from the sneak attack. Anguirus didn't make it easy for Mons-Ahgar, pressing his attack like a rabid dog with an intent on taking a life. That would be easier said than done, for Mons-Ahgar managed to get his footing back and went on the attack himself. Again with the combination of his bites, claws, pecking, punches, knees, and kicks to wherever he could hit, Mons-Ahgar soon had the advantage once more.

Anguirus tried to keep up his own assault, but he was soon bested when Mons-Ahgar shoved him back and fired a whole line of eye beams across his exposed underbelly. As Anguirus howled in anguish, Mons-Ahgar rushed forth, grabbed a hold of him, and then tossed the spike covered monster to the side. The armor plated kaiju was about to roar out his certainty that he would win this battle when his ears picked up a series of sounds from close by. He looked to see Godzilla had managed to get out of the pit and, even more surprising, the lava didn't seem to have any negative effect on his physical health at all. Motivated as ever to keep fighting, Mons-Ahgar stomped over and shot his eye beams across the body of Godzilla, who still hadn't gotten all the way up to his feet.

The king of monsters shrieked out as explosions went off everywhere the beams of energy struck him. Mons-Ahgar followed up with a stiff knee to the side, followed by several hard blows to the face. Then, after a quick kick to the snout, Mons-Ahgar showed off his amazing strength once more by grabbing Godzilla, swinging him around, and then tossing him away. The saurian was barely even awake as he flew through the air, breaking through the tops of a few trees as he went on. Godzilla was forced awake when he hit the ground with a hard, unforgiving bounce that sent him twirling further along.

As he rolled, Godzilla smashed through many more trees, though still not as many as one would expect. It didn't matter to Godzilla at that point, for all he could focus on was how much he was hurting after the beating he just took. After all the battles he had gone through leading up to this moment, another kaiju had come along and was dominating him like he was nothing. Even with Anguirus at his side, Godzilla still wasn't measuring up to the prowess Mons-Ahgar was displaying in this war to the death. It was actually humiliating to Godzilla how badly he was being bested despite him giving his all in the efforts against Mons-Ahgar.

How could it have gotten so bad for him in this fight? Why was Mons-Ahgar able to dominate him so badly after fighting tooth and claw through so many other great monstrous warriors before? Was it just his time to be done? Had he simply found an opponent who was his better, reaching a point most warriors do sooner or later? The simplest of answers in Godzilla's mind was _No, absolutely not!_

Godzilla refused to believe it and wouldn't change his mind until he was right at death's doorstep. Not planning for that to be anytime soon, Godzilla forced himself to find new motivation to keep on fighting until either he won or he breathed no more. While all the morally good reasons he was fighting were still in tact, he now found new reasons to continue the battle. His pride, his status as the top of the food chain, his title as king of the monsters, it was all on the line for Godzilla. He had no plans of forfeiting any of those to anyone, thus his new motivations made him rise.

Godzilla's entire body still hurt like hell, but he forced himself to ignore it all and slowly returned to his feet. Doing so allowed him to see why he hadn't smashed so many trees when he fell back down to Earth. It was hard to recognize at first given how radically different the environment had become and how much the area had been altered. However, it was soon clear to Godzilla he had landed smack dab in the middle of Willowbrook, the former home to a good chunk of the pony population on Pony Tale Island. Remembering his failure to keep the village safe, Godzilla couldn't help but look around as a wave of sadness washed over him.

In addition to the freshly wrecked spots his fall had made, the volcanic event effecting the whole island had taken its toll on the village as well. Many trees burned, cracks and giant holes were all over the ground, and there were pools of lava scattered everywhere. Godzilla was unable to keep himself from being effected by the sight. Knowing he had failed to keep the village safe before and now seeing how much more it suffered stung him emotionally. If there was any positive aspect, it was that the ponies that used to live here had all left and these horrible sights helped to motivate Godzilla further in his fight.

He knew if he did not stop Mons-Ahgar here, there was a good chance the rest of the world would end up looking like this hellish pit. This was where Godzilla would make his final stand against the soulless, psychotically evil kaiju; he just had to destroy him, whatever it would take. As Mons-Ahgar's call rang out from nearby and the sounds of trees breaking apart filled the air, Godzilla looked ahead of him. He snarled fiercely as he started to stomp forth, his steps making the ground rumble like Mons-Ahgar's did. The red, armor covered monster broke through the confines of the burning forest and stepped into what was left of the interior of Willowbrook.

Both monsters stopped in their tracks and stared intensely, thinking about what a pleasure it'd be to take the other's life. The short stare down ended when the two giant monsters lifted their heads up and roared into the heavens above. Godzilla cut his roar short and got in a blast of his power breath, hitting Mons-Ahgar in the face before aiming the beam down his body. The king of monsters quickly fired a second shot, hitting Mons-Ahgar in the feet before aiming his attack up the body to his face. Godzilla kept his beam blasting into Mons-Ahgar's features for a few seconds as he took three steps forward.

After ceasing fire, Godzilla roared out, only to be cut off by a barrage of eye darts Mons-Ahgar fired all across his upper body. Godzilla responded with another blast of his atomic breath, hitting Mons-Ahgar in the face before aiming it down the left side of his body. Fire erupted across every part on Mons-Ahgar's that the beam hit. In response, Mons-Ahgar let loose another wave of his destructive eye beams, each pair causing an explosion. Godzilla roared out in defiance before releasing an extra powerful blast of his atomic breath directly into Mons-Ahgar's face.

Explosions went off all over Mons-Ahgar's features and even his long neck, the beam was so mighty. Godzilla's eyes widened in surprise as he ceased fire. Mons-Ahgar screamed out as though he were in pain as streams of smoke flowed from spots all over the monster's face. It looked like Godzilla had managed to actually hurt Mons-Ahgar pretty badly this time around. He looked to be burned in some places, for Godzilla saw scorch marks and had even noticed small pieces of Mons-Ahgar's flesh had been shot off.

Mons-Ahgar also seemed to be having a slight problem concentrating, working hard to keep his eyes open. This was great news for Godzilla, for up to that point he had only been able to slightly slow Mons-Ahgar down. It finally looked like he had a real chance to stop him. Godzilla decided to take that chance, roaring out before stomping towards Mons-Ahgar. When he saw his green scaled foe coming at him, the demonic kaiju didn't hesitated to do the same.

The two monsters marched fearlessly until they could feel the breath of the other against them. Then the kaiju both went for right punches and connected at the same time, making the sound of thunder clapping. Godzilla was surprised to see that his blow seemed to have effected Mons-Ahgar more than his punch had effected him. The apex predator of the kaiju kingdom quickly went to capitalize on the opportunity. He threw a great many punches, the hardest he'd ever thrown in his life, all of them across Mons-Ahgar's face and body.

The hard blows were brutal as ever, making Mons-Ahgar rock and reel around like never before. It looked as though Godzilla's brawler tactics would payoff, for each punch solicited some sort of pain filled reaction. Unfortunately, the exchange was starting to effect Godzilla, too; the bones in his hands were starting to feel like they'd break at any moment. His hands were swelling up as well, but Godzilla didn't care at all. As far as he was concerned, that meant bigger hands to hit Mons-Ahgar with and he would continue to punch until his hand bones shattered into pieces.

The sounds of Godzilla's punches connecting with Mons-Ahgar's face were louder than a whole convoy of battle tanks opening fire all at once. It seemed almost certain that Godzilla would win. However, that was not so, because Mons-Ahgar seemed to finally get a second wind. He was soon throwing a volley of body shots aimed all over Godzilla. Godzilla felt the effects of the punches on him almost instantly, forcing the might of his punches to lighten ever so slightly.

Mons-Ahgar gladly took the opportunity to switch to throwing his mighty punches across Godzilla's face. After thirteen hits, Mons-Ahgar fired his eye beams at Godzilla and then kicked him in the gut. Godzilla responded by spinning around, his tail nearly hitting Mons-Ahgar, who ducked down to avoid it. Mons-Ahgar then fired another blast of his eye beams before swinging his own tail and actually managing to smack it across Godzilla's face. The nuclear leviathan responded by firing his atomic breath across Mons-Ahgar's body.

Both kaiju roared in the other's face before charging forth, slamming their bodies together. The two monsters wrapped their arms around each other and began pressing hard, trying to use the mass of their giant bodies to make the other fall. The wrestling match lasted for only a few seconds before both disengaged from the aggressive embrace and began biting and clawing at each other. Then, after a few stray pecks with his beak, Mons-Ahgar began throwing harder than steel knuckles at Godzilla. The punches hit the nuclear leviathan all over, but it didn't stop him from throwing his own hard-hitting slugs.

Mons-Ahgar tried to break up the exchange with a massive kick to Godzilla's side. He quickly followed up with three uppercut-like claw swipes to Godzilla's lower jaw. He then rammed his head into Godzilla's, but was stunned by a shot of his atomic breath. Godzilla roared out as he threw many a body shot to Mons-Ahgar's lower area. Then Godzilla returned Mons-Ahgar's uppercut-like claw swipes with his own, plus four more before kicking his foot into his foe's stomach.

Godzilla pulled Mons-Ahgar into two heavy knee strikes, following up with a right hook and an atomic blast, both to the face. He then rammed his shoulder into Mons-Ahgar's chest, followed by him ramming his head into his foe's stomach. Godzilla quickly shot up, smacking the top of his head into Mons-Ahgar's jaw, followed by another atomic blast. Mons-Ahgar screamed as he fired several shots of his eye beams at Godzilla, who also screamed upon taking the blasts. The blasts felt almost as bad as the first few Godzilla had taken from Mons-Ahgar back on the volcano, but they were not enough to deter him.

Instead, Godzilla spun around, slamming his tail into Mons-Ahgar's side. He then spun the other way, smacking his tail across the red kaiju's face. After that, Godzilla fired a highly concentrated blast of his atomic breath into Mons-Ahgar's face. This time more flesh flew as bigger, stronger explosions went off all over Mons-Ahgar's features, making him scream loudly, sounding more shrill than ever before. Godzilla was started to move in closer, but would regret this decision when Mons-Ahgar unleashed a barrage of energy blasts from his eyes more powerful than any before.

Godzilla shrieked as he started to fall back, only to be caught by Mons-Ahgar himself. The rage induced monster growled fiercely as he scooped Godzilla up in his arms, lifted him up high and tossed him deeper into what was left of Willowbrook. Godzilla's body crashed through several structures before he skidded across the ground, coming to a stop after smashing through the base of one more tree. Godzilla found himself unable to force himself up despite that being was what he most desperate to do. Mons-Ahgar added more pain to Godzilla's ordeal with a volley of his eye beams.

The demonic kaiju stood tall, looking smug as he stared down at the fallen form of Godzilla, although it wasn't enough for him. He wanted to keep on going at Godzilla until he was finally dead. Even then, he still wanted the pleasure of ripping his foe's carcass apart despite that it wouldn't satisfy his evil lusts. Absolutely nothing would put his savage desires at peace. But he still wanted nothing more than to kill and destroy, so the black hearted kaiju approached the fallen Godzilla, intent on finishing him off.

He didn't get very far before his ears picked up a familiar sound, one that ignited his anger further. This time, Mons-Ahgar was ready, firing his eye beams as he spun around. Like he expected, there was a ball was spikes spinning through the air straight at him. However, his eye beams intercepted it, setting off several explosions across Anguirus' shell. Mons-Ahgar followed-up by swinging his tail around, smacking it into Anguirus, who was still rolled up in a ball.

Anguirus flew for a second or two before bouncing hard off the ground. The kaiju then unwrapped his body, exposing his legs, tail, and head to the outside world once more. Then Anguirus turned to Mons-Ahgar, sneering as defiantly as he could before roaring and charging at him. Mons-Ahgar met Anguirus head on and the two were at it again, as aggressive and vicious as every time before. However, this time Anguirus seemed to get a little bit more of the edge, being able to off balance Mons-Ahgar slightly. Anguirus took quick advantage and swung his tail across his enemy's face and body several times.

He was cut off when Mons-Ahgar charged forth and kicked Anguirus in the side, sending him rolling away. Anguirus ended up on his feet and actually launched himself in the air at Mons-Ahgar. The collision sent the red monster stumbling back a little bit, but he was able to recover and come at Anguirus with a tremendous aggressive streak. Although Anguirus tried to match his opponent's ferocity, he couldn't keep up with the pace and brutality of Mons-Ahgar's punches, swipes, and kicks. It eventually got to the point where Mons-Ahgar was able to subdue Anguirus and eventually tossed him to the side with a mighty throw.

Mons-Ahgar quickly followed-up by shooting his eye beams all over Anguirus' exposed under belly. As the fallen quadruped cried out from the explosions the projectiles caused, Mons-Ahgar marched up to him. First Mons-Ahgar stomped Anguirus in the gut, then swung his tail into it, and finally stomped down on the spiky kaiju's throat. Mons-Ahgar stared down with eyes of lust, wanting so much to take Anguirus' life. Although, before that could happen, Godzilla's tail came swinging out of nowhere, smacking into Mons-Ahgar's face.

The startled kaiju shrieked out as he stumbled back a few steps, Godzilla following close behind with a shoulder to the chest. Mons-Ahgar had to do everything within his power to not fall, but was left vulnerable to attack as a result. Godzilla fired his atomic breath into Mons-Ahgar's body and gazed approvingly at the explosions it caused. Godzilla then roared before stomping up and swiping his claws at Mons-Ahgar's face. As he pushed his attack harder, the king of monsters started actually slapping Mons-Ahgar across his features before clenching his hands into hard fists.

The crushing blows were more than Mons-Ahgar could take at that point, thus he desperately fired off several of his eye darts. While the projectiles did force Godzilla to back off somewhat, there was no rest for Mons-Ahgar. Anguirus came sailing through the air, his back spikes aimed directly at his foe. They made contact, causing a hard collision that made Mons-Ahgar reel back as Anguirus landed safely on his feet. Anguirus howled in anger before swinging his tail at Mons-Ahgar, followed closely behind by Godzilla's.

The two kaiju then rushed at Mons-Ahgar with another animalistic display of claws and teeth. Mons-Ahgar was wild as could be as he did his best to fight back against both foes' onslaughts. The things the two opposing sides attempted to do to each other were almost indescribable. All three kaiju involved seemed as determined as ever to end the fight and would do anything to see to it that would happen. It even got to the point where Anguirus offered Godzilla his tail to swing him into Mons-Ahgar like a chain mace.

Godzilla accepted the offer and made sure the spiky side of Anguirus was what hit Mons-Ahgar in the face. After that, Anguirus landed safely on his feet and leapt at Mons-Ahgar to resume his assault. Godzilla fired a blast of his atomic breath before moving in like his partner did. While he was holding his own more than anyone would expect, Mons-Ahgar was still feeling the desperation of his position. He knew he was losing and that it would only be a matter of time before his enemies would fully overpower him if he didn't do something soon.

The thought of losing the fight made Mons-Ahgar more angry than anything else and he displayed that anger with an extra powerful series of eye darts. The energy projectiles deterred Godzilla and Anguirus enough to give Mons-Ahgar two seconds of breathing space. Then he rushed forth, ramming the side of his body into Godzilla's as he grabbed Anguirus by the throat. Mons-Ahgar lifted the spiky shelled kaiju up and rammed his knee into his under belly three times. Mons-Ahgar then lifted Anguirus higher and tossed him away, sending several eye darts after him.

The red monster was surprised by a blast of Godzilla's atomic breath before the saurian himself marched up to continue their physical confrontation. However, Mons-Ahgar met Godzilla with a series of eye darts before kicking his left foot into Godzilla's stomach. Then Mons-Ahgar spun around, swinging his tail into Godzilla's body before ramming his head into his foe's gut. Godzilla fell to the ground, making the whole area quake even more than it already was from the volcanic activity effecting the whole island. Mons-Ahgar fired several shots of his eye beams across his fallen opponent's form before he was cut off by Anguirus ramming into his side.

Then Anguirus swung his tail across Mons-Ahgar's face and upper body several times before rushing forth to use his teeth and front claws. While it was only one kaiju pressing their assault and massive girth against him instead of two, it wasn't any less annoying for Mons-Ahgar. As to be expected, the armor plated monster was able to deliver a physical attack as mighty as Anguirus', if not even stronger. However, the red kaiju was surprised when Anguirus actually increased the pace of his assault, going at rapid speeds Mons-Ahgar himself had only achieved at the start of the fight. Desperately, Mons-Ahgar shoved Anguirus away, but he quickly got back up and rushed at the evil kaiju to continue his assault.

A few eye beams and punches later and Mons-Ahgar was able to shove Anguirus away again. Just like before though, he got up right away and ran at Mons-Ahgar, intent on finishing him off. This surprised and angered Mons-Ahgar, who responded with more punches and eye beams before slapping his tail across Anguirus' face. He then kicked Anguirus away, but again he immediately charged forth, ramming his head into Mons-Ahgar's stomach before using his claws and teeth once more. Mons-Ahgar was unable to comprehend how Anguirus was capable of pushing on like this even after all he had been put through.

It was like Anguirus was on auto-pilot, like he had lost all senses of anything else except continuing the fight until the end. Anguirus' resilience, defiance, pride, and spirit were all taken as insults by Mons-Ahgar, who now especially wanted Anguirus dead. To try and make this happen, Mons-Ahgar forced himself to punch and kick as hard as he had during the opening moments of this fight. While Anguirus continued to fight, the pace of his assault slowed significantly as a result of Mons-Ahgar's efforts. Seeing that his was making progress, inspired Mons-Ahgar to push his assault harder.

He tossed Anguirus down to the ground, stomped on his head and fired down several blasts of his eye beams. Anguirus was only able to make himself rise slowly, which left him open to attack. Mons-Ahgar rushed forth, kicking his foot directly into Anguirus' front left leg, the collision making a cracking sound. The quadrupedal kaiju was unable to stop himself from screaming and crying out louder than ever as a part of his leg snapped back in a way it wasn't suppose to. Mons-Ahgar's eyes brightened ever so much at the sight of Anguirus' broken leg, which he'd caused; the screams added to his sick satisfaction.

The evil beast felt highly vindicated in being able to hurt his opponent so bad like he'd been wanting to ever since first laying eyes on him. But his gratification cut off when Anguirus' paw from his still good front leg slapped him the face. The charging kaiju, who refused to give up at all, bit into Mons-Ahgar's throat, clamping down his jaws as tight as he could. Deeply infuriated that Anguirus still kept on fighting despite what had been done to him, Mons-Ahgar used his god-like strength to force his foe's jaws off his throat. After a series of hard blows and vicious claw swipes, Mons-Ahgar picked up Anguirus and threw him several meters away.

Almost as soon as he hit the ground, Anguirus was already trying to get up. While Mons-Ahgar was expecting this, he didn't think it would happen as quickly as it did. The quadruped's persistence further angered Mons-Ahgar, who fired forth his eye beams. He put as much power into his energy projectiles as he could, each blast causing a mighty explosion. Mons-Ahgar must've fired his beams for at least five seconds before he finally had to give his eyes a rest.

The red kaiju's eye beams had been so powerful they were actually starting to hurt his own eyes while firing them. It forced him to stop, but it wasn't enough to keep him from seeing the damage he had done to Anguirus. Many spikes on his shell were damaged, parts of his skin were charred, and there were several bleeding wounds all over his body. Anguirus looked like a smoking mess, the likes of which Mons-Ahgar was sure he couldn't come back from. He was certain that he had finally pushed Anguirus to the point where he couldn't just pop up and keep fighting like all the other times before.

That was about to be tested when Mons-Ahgar saw Anguirus finally start to move after a few moments passed. It was more like his body was convulsing involuntarily, but that was proven false by Anguirus' eyes opening. They were only able to open partway, though, and he still looked like he was halfway dead. But somehow, someway that could not be understood, Anguirus was still able to at least try and force himself to get up again. Mons-Ahgar looked on in utter disbelief when Anguirus was able to get his still smoking and trembling body a part of the way up.

But that was as far as he got before he collapsed once more, thus signifying Mons-Ahgar's victory. Finally, after putting up with so much from Anguirus and having to dish out so much, far more than Mons-Ahgar had expected, he'd finally put the stubborn kaiju down. Yet it till wasn't enough for the kaiju of desolation, for he wanted to do so much more. Now that he knew Anguirus couldn't do anything to fight back, Mons-Ahgar deeply desired to live out his fantasy of total mutilation. The deranged, absolutely psychotic creature of darkness considered it his right after all he had been put through and he intended to collect.

Mons-Ahgar closed in as he prepared to finally do what he'd wanted to do since laying eyes on Anguirus, that being to rip him to pieces. The sick joy he got in thinking about doing this was plain to see on his face as he prepared to make his fantasies a reality. Too bad for him he was stopped by a blast of Godzilla's atomic breath hitting him from the side. Mons-Ahgar screeched out as fire erupted all over where the beam struck him. As smoke hissed from his new scorches, Mons-Ahgar was surprised when a roaring Godzilla stomped in and rammed his body into the beast's rib cage.

Mons-Ahgar was sent tumbling across the ground, although he managed to get back to his feet quickly. Godzilla roared out as he fired another blast of his atomic breath, which was met by Mons-Ahgar's eye beams in retaliation. The two kaiju roared angrily before Mons-Ahgar stomped up to Godzilla so their exchange of claws, fists, and teeth could begin anew. Clearly both kaiju were on the ropes in the fight; it was still a matter of who could outlast the other. Things were shaken up when, after two rather brutal uppercuts, Godzilla wrapped his arms around Mons-Ahgar's waist and slammed him with a belly-to-belly suplex.

The impact of the kaiju's combined weights hitting the earth caused the whole area to shake so hard, several trees were forced to collapse. Once the quakes had settled, all that could be heard was the heaviest breaths both Godzilla and Mons-Ahgar had ever inhaled or exhaled. The two monsters were soaking in the pain of everything they'd been put through up to that point. Both were hoping they'd be the first to get passed their current state so they could get up and end the epic battle. Godzilla rolled off of Mons-Ahgar as he tried to think of what to do next.

He didn't have a lot of time, for he heard Mons-Ahgar start to stir, looking to see he was already rising up out of the crater the two of them had made. Now on high alert, Godzilla forced himself to get up as well. Mons-Ahgar still got out of the pit first, much to his foe's surprise. Godzilla was just starting to stand up straight when Mons-Ahgar hit him with a massive uppercut that almost knocked him silly. Godzilla groaned out, which made Mons-Ahgar shriek in his face before hitting him with another massive uppercut.

Godzilla fought back with a wave of his atomic breath shot directly into Mons-Ahgar's face. The king of monsters then swung two massive punches across both sides of Mons-Ahgar's face. His right hand hit Mons-Ahgar directly in his left eye while his left hand hit him in the mouth, knocking out several of his teeth. Godzilla pulled out a few stray fangs that had gotten lodged in his knuckles before firing his atomic breath at Mons-Ahgar. The mighty saurian roared out before swinging his claws upward into his opponent's lower jaw.

Godzilla then swung around, smacking his tail into Mons-Ahgar's side before kicking his foot into his gut. Once it was back on the ground, Mons-Ahgar stomped his own foot down on it and grabbed a hold of Godzilla's right arm. Then Mons-Ahgar proceeded to throw several body shots into his ribs before switching to the face. After several backhand and forehand punches, Mons-Ahgar bared his claws and swiped them across Godzilla's face. For a moment it seemed like he was going to knock Godzilla's head clean off.

That didn't happen and instead, the kaiju king came back with another blast of his power beam directly into Mons-Ahgar's features, forcing him to reel backwards. Godzilla roared loudly, as did Mons-Ahgar before he fired his eye darts at his foe, making him step back a little bit. Out of the corner of his eye, Mons-Ahgar noticed Anguirus starting to twitch. Even though it was only a slight twinge, the red monster refused to take any chances and thus fired his eye darts at Anguirus to make sure he stayed down. This distraction cost Mons-Ahgar dearly in the form of an extra powerful blast of Godzilla's power breath, which even had a small electric spiral around it.

Godzilla dug his feet deep in the ground even though it felt like it was on fire. He was putting so much power into his beam, he was afraid the blast force might make him slide backwards. Still, he fired on for several moments and his labor seemed to be paying off. Explosions galore went off all over Mons-Ahgar's body, causing him to screech in anguish as pieces of his armored flesh flew off covered in yellow blood. Finally, an extra big explosion went off just as Godzilla was forced to cease fire.

Godzilla looked on as he waited for the residual effects of his great blast of power to subside. Soon the explosion subsided and Godzilla now looked into a black smoke cloud his breath had created. It took a little bit for the smoke to partially clear up, probably six or seven seconds. But eventually Godzilla was able to make out the sight of Mons-Ahgar hunched over as he held a hand over his chest. Tilting his head to the side, Godzilla stepped in a little closer, allowing him to see Mons-Ahgar's hand was covered in his yellow colored blood.

It was dripping and flowing out of the gaping hole in the kaiju's chest he was trying so desperately to cover up. This sight raised Godzilla's hopes high as could be despite how exhausted he was. He was finally starting to make some real progress in this fight. If he could just hang in there a little longer, maybe, just maybe he could actually win. It'd be tough for him, especially since he put so much into that last atomic breath, but he knew how worth it the whole thing would be is he came out the victor.

That finally seemed possible since his opponent finally looked to be in worse shape than he was. While Godzilla was still breathing rather heavily, Mons-Ahgar was heaving even harder, which seemed to pump blood out of his chest wound all the more. This sight inspired Godzilla to go in for the kill and hopefully put a final end to his foe. He was stopped when Mons-Ahgar finally looked up at him, revealing an orange glow emitting from his mouth. Godzilla looked and realized all of his back spikes had their own glow as well, which he'd originally thought was coming from the fires engulfing the island.

Now extremely worried, Godzilla attempted another extra powerful blast of his atomic breath. But he was alarmed to find he couldn't force his breath to the point he had previously. Trying to burnt out whatever power he was trying to build up without him firing a single shot. Godzilla watched helplessly as Mons-Ahgar released a massive wave of orange energy from his mouth. The blast lifted Godzilla off his feet and sent him flying as it burned and blew away his flesh.

After Godzilla crashed back into the ground, Mons-Ahgar turned his devastating beam to Anguirus when he saw the four legged kaiju trying to get up again. The spike covered monster was sent flying as several pieces of his flesh and globs of his blood flew in a fiery explosion. Mons-Ahgar then aimed his unbelievably powerful beam all around him, occasionally hitting Godzilla and Anguirus again. However, he seemed more preoccupied with releasing whatever power he'd built up into the beam and destroying what he could with it in the meantime. Waves of fire swelled up to incredible heights everywhere Mons-Ahgar's mighty beam hit, destroying everything around.

Finally Mons-Ahgar raised his head upward, allowing the last few ounces of power to escape his jaws before his beam finally dissipated. After that, Mons-Ahgar's mouth snapped shut, smoke snaking from the sides of his jaws as he lowered his head. The evil, black hearted monster, who was truly death incarnate, then opened his eyes and looked around at all he had done... and it satisfied him. It actually got him to smile, for he felt happier than he'd ever felt before, a sickening, but true fact. Despite all he had been put through, Mons-Ahgar had proven he was the absolute top of the food chain.

Having finally won the long, hard fought battle, Mons-Ahgar, despite his injuries, was now fully prepared to head out and destroy the rest of the world. Mons-Ahgar raised his head to the sky as he roared out his victory for all to hear. This was a dark, sinister, unholy beacon of death, which was what would soon come for everything else.

* * *

Several ponies, the Mane Six included, stood in absolute horror at what they had just witnessed. None of them could believe they'd just seen what Mons-Ahgar had done to do to Godzilla and Anguirus with that powerful beam of his. It stunned Twilight to the point where she was unable to keep up the image she'd been magically projecting. What had happened shook her to the core. The ponies didn't need the image to know the results of Mons-Ahgar's hidden beam, though. They needed only to look to the island and see the fresh new waves of fire reaching for the sky before the beam itself shot upward.

Everypony looked on with total terror as the light from the apocalyptic scene illuminated in their eyes. Even after the fires had lowered and the beam faded away, they all stood with looks of fearful disbelief. Nopony was able to find any words to truly describe how they felt deep down, though it was still pretty obvious. It was like their insides had been hallowed out to be replaced by all the sadness and fear of the world. How could they not feel so after the tragedies they'd just witnessed?

A lot of ponies silently hung their heads with solemn looks, all of them bordering on depression. Some ponies were unable to keep themselves from sobbing like crazy. The only thing that even came close to comfort that any pony could find came from the embrace of others. Despite that, some ponies continued to sob while others looked like they could break out in tears any second. Nothing could push away the near absolute depression felt by everypony, not just on the Mane Six's ship, but even those around them.

While not everypony had seen the fight, they'd still seen the beam shooting up in the air and it made them feel deep down that something was wrong. Something even more than just their island burning away was going on and it meant even more bad news than anyone could think was possible. It was too much for the collective to bare and they were unable to keep a massive wave of despair from watching over them. Everything just seemed so down right hopeless, especially because of Mons-Ahgar. The island had been completely destroyed and the only two monsters to protect them, Godzilla and Anguirus had been defeated.

All that was left was the ponies stuck out on their boats with the knowledge that Mons-Ahgar could come off the island and wreak his special brand of havoc all over the world. Was there anything that could be done? Was there some last hope that the ponies hadn't realized could save them and the whole planet? If there was, none could think of it, for they were so blinded by their deep sadness, despair, and immense fear.

"S... So- is that it?" Muse let out between her sobs. "Are... we all doomed?"

Moon Bright, Fluttershy, and Strong Courage, who had come to comfort Muse, looked on with great sadness of their own.

"I- I don't know, Muse," Moon Bright said as her own tears continued to flow. "It... sure feels like it."

The morale among the other ponies didn't look that much better when Fluttershy, Strong Courage, and Moon Bright looked out to them. Pinkie Pie and Applejack stuck close together, looking like completely different ponies. Gone was the eternally upbeat, bright, chipper, happy go-lucky party pony. The usually tough, determined, veracious cowgirl with a drive like no other was also replaced by a pony who couldn't overcome the sad truth of their situation. Rarity was different, too, not being the drama queen who would play up how bad the situation was in an over-the-top theatrical manner.

Not even Rainbow Dash or Firefly could hide the depression they were feeling. Both were usually so confident, energetic, determined, and even defiant, especially in situations such as the one they were facing. Even when they thought nothing could be done themselves, both would usually put up a facade of some kind and try to act like the opposite was true. But no one, not them or anypony else could muster the energy required for such things. All of them were overcome by everything bad going on at the island and what it meant for the rest of the planet.

TJ turned to the only pony who he could think to, which had usually been a member of his family. However, this time he instead looked to the alicorn princess, Twilight Sparkle. She had remained silent the whole time with her head hung low and it was starting to worry TJ more than he already was. TJ walked in a little closer to Twilight, although he didn't know what else to do or even to say. His mind was completely blank, being distracted by the situation with Mons-Ahgar like everyone else.

"T- Twilight..." TJ just barely managed to stutter out.

He couldn't think of anything else to say and Twilight Sparkle didn't even raise her eyes to look at him. She just kept staring down, her eyes looking blank, thus making it hard for TJ to read what she was thinking. The Earth pony stallion knew that most likely Twilight Sparkle was keeping all her emotions bottled in as she tried to think of what to do. However, the way her body trembled told him she felt just as lost and upset as everyone else and that quite possibly she didn't know what could be done.

"This... This just simply... cannot be," Rarity finally managed to say. Everyone turned to to see her makeup running down her face through her tears. "H- How could something... so... horrible like this be allowed to happen?... Are- we just meant to die like this?... Are we destined to meet such horrible ends?

"Should we just accept our fates?"

"No... it's not true," Applejack said. "It can't be... and I don't believe it is. I don't believe that for one moment."

"I don't want to either," Fluttershy barely managed to say. "But... look at what's happened... No, this can't be how it ends."

"No, it isn't," Twilight Sparkle said, her voice barely registering to the others.

Still they all turned to the violet alicorn as she raised her head. Some of them caught the look on her face... and it actually unnerved them a little. Her eyes looked as hard and cold as stone and her expression almost looked like it was the greatest glare anypony ever gave. While seeing such a different look on Twilight's face stunned a few, overall they still took her new demeanor as a sign of hope.

"You mean... you've figured out something that can be done, Twilight?" TJ asked.

"The plan you were talking about!" Muse said with a gasp. The others looked on with renewed energy as they remembered what Muse was referring to. "You figured the whole thing out and now you know how to go about doing your plan, right? You're going to put the plan into action in a last ditched effort to stop Mons-Ahgar, is that it, Twilight?"

"Yes, Muse, that's exactly it," Twilight Sparkle said, her voice sounding as tough as her expression looked. "I know what has to be done."

"All right!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "It's not totally hopeless! We still have a chance!"

"Just tell us what needs to be done, Twi, and we'll get 'er done!" Applejack assured.

"Abso-freakin'-lutely!" Strong Courage said.

"We got your back, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie squealed as she jumped up with a greater renewed energy than any other.

"So, what do we do, darling?" Rarity asked.

"Tell us how we can help you, Twilight, and we'll do it," TJ said.

Twilight Sparkle turned to the others, her look still slightly messing with some of the more emotionally fragile ponies around her. She stared silently for a moment before she finally said something.

"You all are going to do exactly what I said to do before," Twilight Sparkle said.

The others looked at her in confusion.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash and Rarity said.

Applejack tilted her head to the side.

"What?" Strong Courage said questioningly.

"But, Twilight, I thought you said you had a plan," Moon Bright said.

"I do," Twilight Sparkle said. "It... just doesn't involve any of you."

The others looked like they had just heard a gunshot go off.

"But your plans usually involve all of us working together," TJ said. "If not all of us, at least a lot of us. You always include teamwork in your plans."

"And teamwork applies to this plan, too," Twilight Sparkle said. "It just doesn't involve any of you. I need you to keep doing what you're doing in getting these boats of ponies to safety... This plan includes me working with both Anguirus and Godzilla."

"Twilight, what are you talking about?" TJ asked. A second or two later, he gasped as his eye widened. "You don't mean-"

"Yes, I do," Twilight Sparkle said.

"You're... You're going back?" TJ asked.

The others all gasped before they started questioning the alicorn princess all at once. Twilight Sparkle turned away from the island to look at her friends, her expression quieting them all at once.

"Yes, I'm going back to the island to help Godzilla and Anguirus," Twilight Sparkle said.

"But, Twilight, you can't," Applejack said.

"Yes, Applejack," Twilight Sparkle said. "Yes, I can, and I'm going to."

"It's too dangerous, Twilight," Rarity said.

"Doesn't matter," Twilight Sparkle said. "I have to go back to the island in order to help Godzilla and Anguirus like I planned."

"Twilight... please don't do it," TJ said.

"I'm sorry, TJ, but it has to be done," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Are you really going to throw your life away for a plan that's so completely impossible?!" Firefly said. "Didn't you see what that freak did to Godzilla and Anguirus? They could already be-"

"Shut up," Muse and Firefly both said bluntly.

Everyone looked to the two of them in surprise. They were the last ones anyone expected to talk to Firefly, of all ponies like that, let alone anypony else. The two emotional mares seemed just as stunned by their words and tones, but refused to back down or backtrack

"Look, there's nothing any of you can say to change my mind," Twilight Sparkle said. "This is not me crazy, I know what I'm doing. I have a plan and it's the only option left open to us right now. I'm sorry if you all don't agree with my decision, but it's final."

"Twilight, wait!" Applejack intervened. "You saw what that thing did to them. Now, I don't like what's happened to Godzilla and Anguirus either, but I still know there's nothing I can do to help them. None of us can help them now, not even an alicorn princess of Equestria. I'm sorry, Twilight, but it's the truth, there's nothing any of us can do, including you."

"But... she does still have the red Alpha Stone," Muse said.

Several pairs of eyes fell down to the incredibly powerful jewel Twilight Sparkle still wore around her.

That may be true, but-" Applejack started before she lost her words. It took her a second to find them again. "I... I'm not so sure that it can do anything against Mons-Ahgar anymore. After seeing what a Tartarus raising ruckus he put Godziller and Anguirus through, I don't know if anything can stop that monster."

"Truth be told, I never believed it could do anything against Mons-Ahgar," Rarity said. "Yes, it's powerful, but... I just can't imagine something so small doing anything of any significance to a beast like Mons-Ahgar. Nothing we ponies could do or use ever affected a kaiju before, so I can't bring myself to believe it'll be different this time around."

"That's not entirely true," Fluttershy said. "Remember when we gave our magic to help Godzilla beat Geon?"

"Personally, I think that was more Mothra's power than ours," Rarity said.

"We still contributed to the final outcome," Pinkie Pie said.

"But is that enough of a reason to say Twilight should go try to fight Mons-Ahgar?" Rarity asked.

"I'm not _going_ to try and fight Mons-Ahgar," Twilight Sparkle said. The other looked to her with confusion. "I'm not going back to do anything to him. Not directly at least."

"Then why are you going back, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

"Because... I'm going to give Godzilla all the energy inside the Alpha Stone," Twilight Sparkle said.

Nearly everypony's jaw dropped.

"You're what?!" Moon Bright exclaimed.

"Listen," Twilight Sparkle said. "Mons-Ahgar is as powerful as he is because he was given the full power of the other three Alpha Stones. This one I have here is suppose to be more powerful than the others combined. If I give every single ounce of that power to Godzilla, I think it could restore him to full health and make him powerful enough to take down Mons-Ahgar like we want him to."

"What about Anguirus?" Strong Courage asked.

"Godzilla can heal him," Twilight Sparkle explained. "He somehow acquired the ability to spread his healing power to others through his mouth the same way he releases that power beam attack of his. I know Godzilla will heal Anguirus on his own, but if he doesn't, I'll tell to him to do it. But this power has to go to Godzilla.

"I mean no disrespect, but overall, Godzilla's successes have far outweighed Anguirus'. I still have all the respect in the world for Anguirus' tenacity, but we need a guaranteed win here. And, If I'm being honest, I truly believe in my heart of hearts that Godzilla is that win. So, regardless of what any of you might think, this is something I _have_ to do. Godzilla must be revived so he can finish Mons-Ahgar for good."

The other ponies were all silent as they thought hard about what Twilight was saying.

"Well..." Fluttershy said.

"It kind of makes sense when you put it that way, I guess," Firefly said.

"I still don't like it," TJ said. "I don't like the idea of you going into a war zone so willy nilly like this."

"Nether do I," Moon Bright said.

Several other ponies spoke in agreement.

"Well, it doesn't matter if you like it or not," Twilight Sparkle said. "Like I said, I have to do this and that's just what I'm going to do."

"Twilight, you don't have to give your life up like that," Rainbow Dash said. "Let me take the stone to revive Godzilla and Anguirus."

"I'm not giving my life up, Rainbow Dash," Twilight Sparkle insisted. "I'm only doing what we've all done many times before: Put the rest of the world's best interest before mine. Also, you don't have the magical ability to transfer the power like I do. I understand your concerns and appreciate them greatly, but it's not going to stop me from doing what I got to do."

"Then at least let some of us go with you," Applejack insisted.

"I'll gladly fly with you," Firefly said.

"You know I will," Rainbow Dash said.

"Absolutely not," Twilight Sparkle said as her horn and the stone started to glow. Everypony else took a step back, worried looks on their faces. "I'm sorry, but this is the way it's got to be and the way it's _going_ to be. You all are going to stay here where it's safe...r. You stick to the original plan while I go help Godzilla and Anguirus.

"I don't like the implications I'm threatening you... but if that's what it takes, so be it. Godzilla and Anguirus need help, just like the whole world does right now. That's where I'm coming from, don't you see that? It has to be done this way with as few possible casualties as there could be."

"But what if... Godzilla and Anguirus are...?" Pinkie Pie started to say.

"I'm hoping the stone can fix that, too," Twilight Sparkle said. "Long shot maybe, but it's all we got."

"You sure you want to do this, Twilight?" TJ asked. "It won't be safe."

"No place is safe as long as Mons-Ahgar is still alive," Twilight Sparkle said. "You all know I'm right."

The others hesitated for a moment and eventually their continued silence told Twilight Sparkle that was her cue to start on her way back to Pony Tale Island.

"T- Take care, sugarcube," Applejack said.

"Stay as safe as you possibly can, darling," Rarity added on.

"I'll do my best," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Just make sure that Godzilla and Anguirus can come home after it's all over," Fluttershy said.

"And you, too," Muse said.

"Right, I meant to say that," Fluttershy said.

"I'll do my best," Twilight Sparkle said again.

Pinkie Pie let out tremendous sobs as she hugged and squeezed Twilight Sparkle close to her. The princess of Equestria waited for a moment for her friend to finish her loving, yet painful and literally breath taking embrace.

"You, too, Pinkie," Twilight Sparkle said.

They then shared a normal hug before Twilight Sparkle exchanged one with the rest of her friends individually.

"I still think this could be a mistake," Rainbow Dash said after her hug with Twilight. "I mean, not having me there will make it about twenty percent less cool... and if any spot needed to be cooler, it's definitely the island on fire."

"I understand, Rainbow Dash," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'd feel the same way if this were reversed. Heck, I kind of do anyways... But like I said, as few potential casualties as possible."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Rainbow Dash said. "Just go be a hero and hog all the glory for yourself already."

The blue pegasus managed to work up a small smile and a wink, which amused Twilight. She had hugged just about everyone, but still had TJ left. However, when she walked up and held herself open for embrace, the young stallion didn't budge. He just stood there staring at her with highly emotional eyes. A disappointed look crossed Twilight Sparkle's face, but she wouldn't comment on TJ's actions.

"Well... it's time for me to go, I guess," Twilight Sparkle said as she started to turn away.

Some of the others looked to TJ with their own disappointed expressions. He looked at them all for a moment before his eyes widened like a jolt of electricity had gone through him.

"Twilight, wait!" TJ called as he trotted up to her. The mare was just about to take wing when she stopped and turned to the Earth pony. "Look, I need to say something really important to you. I know you think you have to go back to the island-"

"I don't think I have to, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "I _do_ have to go back."

"I know, but-" TJ started to say.

"No buts about it, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "I thought I made it clear why this had to be done."

"You did, I just wan-"

"If there was anything else that could be done, I'd do it!" Twilight Sparkle said. "But there isn't anything else, so I _have_ -"

" _Twilight, I love you!_ " TJ shouted out loud.

All at once, everything stopped, save for the forming faces of shock and amazement from the group of ponies. None were more stunned than Twilight or even TJ, who couldn't believe he said what he said. Even more shocking, and something TJ didn't even think all the way through, was when the tan furred stallion grabbed Twilight Sparkle and pulled her in for their first, official lip lock. Twilight Sparkle's eyes looked like they were going to bulge out of her head, she was so taken aback by TJ's actions. Many other eyes widened and a few jaws even dropped as the crowd of friends and family watched the kiss continue to play out.

They were all the more surprised when Twilight Sparkle's eyes slowly closed and she started to lean in more to the kiss TJ had initiated. It felt so incredibly good to her, like pure ecstasy, which was clearly how TJ felt about it as well. Still, he managed to make himself release the kiss and take the time to look at Twilight Sparkle. Both looked alarmed, even somewhat frightened, but as they both exhaled heavy breaths, they started to feel far more relaxed. TJ even managed a smile as he rubbed a hoof against the side of Twilight Sparkle's cheek.

"I've always loved you," TJ said. "From the moment I first saw you at your castle, everything about you captivated me. When I got to know you better as a pony, those initial feelings were only confirmed more and more. I just never found the proper words to tell you how I feel. I couldn't find the right time either because no time felt right... until now.

"Before you go and do what you gotta do, I needed to let you know how I feel. I love you with all my heart, Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Everypony else just stood back and waited for what would happen next, all their hearts racing a mile a minute. Twilight Sparkle looked to the floor as she continued to breathe heavily, her face conveying confusion and uncertainty. When she looked back up at TJ, all that instantly faded away. A big smile formed on her face, looking like she was the happiest pony in the whole world, second only possibly to TJ.

"I- I love you, too, Thunder Jack," Twilight Sparkle said gleefully.

The two exchanged another kiss, this one lasting a bit longer and seeming far more sensational to them. It even seemed to calm the nerve of those looking on, all of whom slowly let smiles of approval cross their faces.

"About time if you ask me," Rainbow Dash whispered.

"Tell me about it," Muse said.

"Ohh, I've been waiting for this since before we got on the boat," Rarity let out with slight excitement.

Pinkie Pie squealed in excitement as she jumped up and confetti flew everywhere.

"It's too much to take!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed loudly. "It's _too adorable and I love it!_ "

TJ and Twilight Sparkle finished their kiss, pulling away to look in each other's eyes for a few moments. It was their they both saw saw their whole world, especially their futures, which would most likely be together. Twilight Sparkle allowed a happy, intimate sigh as she laid her head on TJ's chest. Slowly he started rubbing her back as he embraced her like no other.

"I wish this moment could last forever," TJ said after a heavy sigh. "But I know you've got a job to do. We all do... but I _really_ wish we didn't."

Twilight Sparkle pulled away from the embrace a little to look up at TJ. His smile now meant all the more to her.

"I adore you, Jacky," Twilight Sparkle said. She stared at him for a few more seconds before using her magic to teleport into the air. "But like you said, I've got a job to do."

"Then go do it, girl!" TJ exclaimed. "You got this! Go help save the day!"

The rest of the ponies on the boat spoke just as enthusiastically, which gave Twilight Sparkle the motivation to proceed forward. With that, she turned away and started flying back to Pony Tale Island at full speed. Everyone watched her go as she turned into a speck that got all the more tinier the further away she flew.

"Nice job there, lover boy," Muse said as she nudged her brother a little. "I didn't even know you had it in ya."

"Frankly, neither did I," TJ said as he rubbed the back of his neck, slightly blushing. "But... I guess Twilight just brings out the best in ya."

"That certainly is true," Rarity said.

"I can certainly vouch for that," Applejack said.

"She must bring out the best," Rainbow Dash said, "because that was one good slobber ya laid on her, kiddo!"

There was a bit more teasing from everyone around the Earth pony stallion, but he just let them go for it. All that mattered to him was watching Twilight Sparkle until she was out of sight. Then he'd work on improving everypony's safety. For now, even from so far away, he was entranced by Twilight Sparkle.

"Go get 'em, princess."


	41. Chapter 41: I am King

As Twilight Sparkle reached the skies above Pony Tale Island, she instantly felt how unfriendly the environment of the land was going to be. For one thing, the temperatures were the hottest she'd ever felt in her life. This heat of such great magnitude was caused by all the fires and hot magma consuming the island. A bright glow was cast over the hellish scene, making it look all the more ominous. It probably would've stung Twilight's eyes, as would the heat radiating from the blazing inferno.

The black smoke it caused might've also made it harder to see and it probably wouldn't have done Twilight's lungs any favors either. On top of all that, there would've been the worry of any sort of burning projectiles that could've randomly flew at and struck her. Add in the random bolts of lightning crackling all over and it was truly a nightmare come to life like nothing Twilight Sparkle had ever expected to see so up close. Seeing all its blazing glory in front of her made the princess regret her decision to come back to the dying island even more than she already did. It was clear to Twilight Sparkle that if any regular, everyday pony was here under different circumstances, they would surely perish.

The only thing that gave her a hope of getting through all the desolation that had befallen the island was the Alpha Stone she wore. By using its power to protect her as she flew, Twilight was actually able to get through the island's apocalyptic setting without much of a problem. Still, as Twilight Sparkle looked at the scene going on around her, she couldn't help but worry that the stone might not be able to protect her as much as she thought it would. The scene was truly frightening to the alicorn princess, as it would probably be for most others who had to witness the catastrophe, let alone go right into it. Twilight Sparkle wasn't even sure if she'd be able to get back off the island again after she transferred the stone's power to Godzilla.

Although the princess of friendship knew it had to be done. If all the power in the world ever needed to go to anyone living creature, at that point in time it was definitely Godzilla. In Twilight's own mind he was the defender that the whole world needed and at that moment he needed all the help he could get defending it. Even if she ended up losing her own life in the process of transferring the Alpha Stone's power, as long as Earth still had a capable protector, it didn't matter. As far as Twilight Sparkle was concerned, the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few or the one (that being herself). So, while Twilight Sparkle was hoping she could get off the island, and that Anguirus would, too, she felt in her heart of hearts that Godzilla was the one who mattered the most.

If nothing else, Godzilla had to be given the power of the Alpha Stone to see to it that Mons-Ahgar didn't get off the island. In Twilight Sparkle's version of a perfect world, Godzilla, Anguirus, and herself would be able to get off Pony Tale Island a hundred percent unharmed. They could beat Mons-Ahgar together and save the day like heroes out of a story book. Unfortunately, there was no such thing as a perfect world and the situation with the volcano and Mons-Ahgar combined made it all the more uncertain what the outcome would be. So, while Twilight Sparkle wanted the best, she was willing to accept the worst so long as it meant Mons-Ahgar had been successfully neutralized.

The trek was not an especially easy one for Twilight Sparkle, even with the help of the Alpha Stone. It was still hard to navigate through all that was going on and she had to still worry about any sort of fire or hot projectile that would occasionally flash or fly her way. There were also, of course, the flashes of lighting crackling all around. The sight of it all, or as much of it as Twilight could see, was just so unnerving, so horrifying. Twilight Sparkle had been to Tartarus once before to return the mighty tri-headed guard dog, Cerberus and the current state of Pony Tale Island reminded her a lot of parts of it.

The big difference was this was all happening right up close and personal, making it feel all the more spine tingling. Large pools, even flowing rivers of hot, boiling lava had formed all around the island. They either covered the ground or completely replaced sections of it that had been cracked and ripped apart. Sometimes the lava even spouted upward, one case being so close it made Twilight Sparkle yelp fearfully. Nearly ninety nine-percent of the plant life had been wiped out by the volcanic event, though a few trees had not been completely eradicated.

Still, the horrible sight all around Twilight Sparkle was enough to make her want to cry, but she forced herself not to. She made herself ignore what was happening to Pony Tale Island as best she could and instead focus on why she actually came back in the first place. She needed to find where Willowbrook had once stood and finally transfer the power of the red Alpha Stone to Godzilla. If there was ever going to be any chance of destroying Mons-Ahgar, that was the only one available that Twilight knew of. The only problem was that Twilight Sparkle was having trouble finding where Willowbrook used to stand.

Everything around her looked exactly the same: a blazing inferno straight from the unholy pit itself. She looked around as best she could as she flew deeper into the hellish environment. But nothing she saw stood out in her mind as an indicator of which way to go next. It was all the same and it was starting to mess with her head even more than it had already.

 _Where could it be?_ Twilight Sparkle thought as she looked around. _It can't be this hard to find Willowbrook, I've been there... several times even. I lived there! Plus, there's a giant monster running around there. It shouldn't be this hard to find!_

Twilight Sparkle's thoughts were interrupted by the loud, unholy calls from a giant of death and destruction. It startled her her so much she screamed as her eyes bulged in fear. After a second or two she managed to get a hold of herself. The effort seemed in vain, for the spine chilling roars rang out again, nearly making Twilight Sparkle forget about focusing on flying. Luckily she was able to get herself under control again and now actually listened for the roars of Mons-Ahgar.

The next set of roars she heard told her they were coming from the north east.

 _Okay then... here it goes,_ Twilight Sparkle thought before she flew off in the direction she was certain the roars were coming from. Every inch of her was dreading going into the lion's den, but she wouldn't let that fear control her. Sure, her body may have been trembling like crazy, but for her that was to be expected by now. Every mission she had been a part of up to then had a moment where she was scared beyond all belief. It seemed like she was finally coming to a point where that feeling was familiar enough for her to get passed it so she could do what she had to.

She only hoped that would be enough for her this time around as she continued to fly deeper into the inferno that used to be the Willowing Forest. As she moved along, she also got higher into the air, hoping it would help her spot Willowbrook where the monsters were. She scanned every blazing spot at least ten times before moving on to the next. It seemed as hopeless as before until the sight she was looking for popped seemingly out of nowhere. While everything Twilight had seen up to then had been a frightening image of nightmare fuel, to her this sight was the most frightening sight of them all.

Somehow the glow of the flames in this new area seemed all the more intense. The heat felt much greater as well; surely it would've overtaken Twilight if not for the Alpha Stone protecting her. The fire also appeared to burn higher and stronger in this area than any others. Within the blaze, just barely visible to Twilight's eyes was the sight of the furiously roaring Mons-Ahgar. It was hot as could be, but the alicorn princess still felt a cold shiver run down her spine from seeing the beast so close.

She watched as Mons-Ahgar stomped his feet and swung his body around like he was on a rampage. The monster was angrier than ever and didn't know how to get rid of that fury. Twilight Sparkle took notice of how he seemed even more riled up than ever before, which made her fear the kaiju all the more. It also confused her, for she was certain beating Godzilla and Anguirus would of made him actually feel more at peace. Twilight's thoughts were broken by the frightening sights and sounds of Mons-Ahgar roaring out and shooting his eye darts all around.

Twilight Sparkle actually screamed as the beast shot its beams that caused several large explosions all around. She then froze for a moment, afraid her screams of terror had given her away. After a few seconds it was clear Mons-Ahgar didn't even know she existed. Its attention was fully turned to the fiery environment around him. After fighting back some of her fear, Twilight Sparkle noticed something weird about Mons-Ahgar.

At first he enjoyed the explosions he'd caused, but then seemed to become infuriated by the flames that came after. Looking at the conflicted state of the monster and seeing the borderline schizophrenic expression on Mons-Ahgar's face, disturbed Twilight deeply.

 _This thing's an absolute psychopath_ , Twilight Sparkle thought to herself. _Then again... I think that's what he was designed to be. They wanted him to be this big, powerful, walking, roaring, ticking time bomb so that he would go off on every living thing in existence... This kaiju was meant to be death incarnate... and I think they succeeded._

Twilight Sparkle was again snapped out of her thoughts when Mons-Ahgar roared out. She looked to see him looking around, as if he were about to leave. This idea made Twilight Sparkle's breath catch in her throat. It looked like if she didn't find Godzilla or even Anguirus soon, Mons-Ahgar would be moving on past the island. That was something that could not be allowed; Twilight Sparkle just had to find Godzilla, she just had to.

 _But where is he?_ Twilight Sparkle looked around, only seeing a lot of the same with no sign of Godzilla in sight. But then her thoughts and worries were answered, not by a sight, but the sound of Godzilla's roar just barely bellowing out. Twilight Sparkle turned to the direction the roar seemed to come from, as did Mons-Ahgar, who seemed to be all the more agitated. Both waited with different hopes as the seconds ticked by.

Then, finally the head and upper torso of the great Godzilla rose above the flames.

" _He's alive!_ " Twilight Sparkle exclaimed happily. " _Woo-hoo!_ "

She pumped her front hooves up in the air as she spun and twirled around in celebration before she was cut off by the angry calls of Mons-Ahgar. It looked like the devil himself had built up enough fury to strike down upon the Earth, breaking it in two. The red monster was absolutely livid to not only see Godzilla was still alive, but able to stand up on his feet despite all Mons-Ahgar had put him through. Even after all the hard fought war-like brawls, energy attacks, and everything in between, Godzilla stood up and managed to roar out like he was ready for more. Twilight Sparkle couldn't believe it either, but unlike Mons-Ahgar, Godzilla's resilience and the fact that he was even alive filled her with hope.

But as Godzilla began to walk out from the wall of fire that engulfed most of his body, Twilight noticed something that dashed her hopes a little. He was moving very slowly, very gingerly like he could just barely move his legs to walk, let alone keep him standing. As his body was revealed more and more, Twilight Sparkle soon saw why that was. She gasped in dread to see a giant wound that spread across his chest, over part of his right shoulder, and even down his arm a short ways. The wound was also much deeper in some parts than it was in others.

Seeing how much of Godzilla's interior was exposed made Twilight Sparkle want to and nearly did throw up. While she was able to contain herself there, the alicorn princess was unable to keep back her tears she wept for her poor friend. She couldn't believe Mons-Ahgar had been capable of doing so much to Godzilla of all creatures. It's true Mons-Ahgar was incredibly powerful and he was made for the specific purpose of destroying life, but then there was Godzilla. A mighty and powerful beast that had been named the king of the monsters for good reason, Godzilla seemed almost like a god among insects.

But if Godzilla truly was the representation of God in this scenario, Mons-Ahgar was most certainly the devil as had been proven. The fact that he could hurt Godzilla so badly almost made Twilight Sparkle want to rethink everything she thought she knew it was so shocking. Still, as bad as she felt for Godzilla seeing how hurt he was, Twilight still admired her monstrous friend's tenacious spirit. While it was clear his body was trying to force him to stop, Godzilla himself did not want the fight to end this way. Twilight Sparkle could see in the leviathan's eyes that he had no intentions of backing away from the battle.

The fact that he wasn't dead on the ground with such a horrible wound alone was impressive. But while Twilight Sparkle admired Godzilla's iron will, she looked to see, much to her horror, that it made Mons-Ahgar all the more angry. The armor plated kaiju roared out furiously as he swung his hands and head all around and stomped in fury. It was like a fire of pure rage burned with the intensity of the sun inside the psychotic kaiju. Godzilla stared on as Mons-Ahgar threw his tantrum before forcing himself to stand up straight and try to look strong.

Sure he felt weak and like he was just barely holding on, but even if it was for one moment, Godzilla wanted his foe to know the extent of his defiance. To that same goal, Godzilla lifted his head into the sky and gave out as mighty of a roar as he could. The end of his roar was cut off when he couldn't muster anymore breath for it, which was followed by Mons-Ahgar firing his eye darts at him. Godzilla moaned weakly and almost fell to the ground, but he just managed to stop himself. Then Godzilla stared at Mons-Ahgar with a look of pure defiance as if to dare him to fire his eye darts again.

Mons-Ahgar roared angrily as he began to stomp towards Godzilla, looking as though he would finish the saurian off with his bare hands. Twilight Sparkle glared down at the evil kaiju as she watched him approach Godzilla.

"You are a misguided product of your creator's blinded evil ways," Twilight Sparkle said. "A part of me pities you for that because you never got to shape yourself naturally like someone who's born and not created... But you still _must_ be destroyed!"

With that, Twilight Sparkle flew up a few feet before her horn started to glow as did the red Alpha Stone. Her eyes closed as she hovered in place, focusing most of her attention on gathering every bit of the Alpha Stone's power. She didn't even notice just how bright the stone's aura was, being the brightest it had ever shined. It was so bright in fact that it caught Mons-Ahgar's full attention, stopping him dead in his tracks as he turned to the light. Godzilla also turned and looked to the strange light, equally as confused, yet enthralled by the strange event.

For most creatures, the light would be blinding, but both Godzilla and Mons-Ahgar had far stronger eyes than most other living beings. This allowed them to not only look at the light, but even passed it. Godzilla's eyes widened in alarm when he saw that Twilight Sparkle was the culprit behind the light. Instantly everything else became secondary; no longer did he care about the light or the stone it shined from. All of Godzilla's senses focused on the fact that one of his absolute best friends had put herself in one of the most dangerous positions a pony could be in.

To an extent it also angered the great kaiju, but he was more so focused on the safety of Twilight Sparkle than how seemingly stupid her decision to come here was. His worries were increased when he heard the low growls of Mons-Ahgar, turning to see the beast looking up at Twilight like her mere presence was an insult to him. Godzilla looked on in horror when he saw Mons-Ahgar's eyes start to glow. Then his own eyes glowered with determination to do, if nothing else, protect Twilight Sparkle with everything he had left. Godzilla roared out as his spines lit up before he fired the best atomic breath he could muster.

The beam blasted into the side of Mons-Ahgar's body with explosive results. The evil monster roared out as he fought to keep from falling. Ignoring his own surprise that he was able to do so much in his current state, Godzilla mustered just enough momentum to stomp his way over to Mons-Ahgar. He hit with the force of a small mountain crashing into the side of Mons-Ahgar's body. Then, with all his strength, all his power, everything he had left, Godzilla scooped Mons-Ahgar up onto his shoulders in a fireman's carry.

The alarmed kaiju struggled with every ounce of his being, ramming an elbow or a knee into the sides of Godzilla's head. However, he fought through it all and actually managed to lift Mons-Ahgar even higher, pressing the red monster above his head. Then the powerful leviathan mustered all the strength in his body to toss Mons-Ahgar into the air. He sailed high and far as he cried out in protest, which was answered by another blast of Godzilla's atomic breath. Mons-Ahgar flew through the air back in the direction of the volcano, only to crash down somewhere in the middle of the smoldering remains of the Willowing Forest.

The sounds of Godzilla and Mons-Ahgar's fight made Twilight Sparkle break her concentration. Her eyes opened wide as she yelped in alarm and the glow of the Alpha Stone dimmed. She had managed to catch sight of the majority of the exchange that ended with Mons-Ahgar's air travels. Seeing the monster get thrown into the fire and the sounds it made afterwards somehow served to reassure Twilight Sparkle in what was a troubling time. She then turned her sights over to Godzilla.

Once he saw Mons-Ahgar fall into the fire that consumed the whole island, Godzilla felt nearly all the breath he had left leave his body. He nearly toppled over, but managed to catch himself at the last possible moment just like before.

"Oh, no!" Twilight Sparkle let out as she saw the condition Godzilla was in. "I need to get the Alpha Stone's power to him fast."

Before she could work on the power transfer again, though, Godzilla's low growls caught her full attention. She didn't like what she saw at all, that being the extremely angry eyes of Godzilla staring up at her.

 _Oh, boy,_ Twilight Sparkle thought to herself. _I'm guessing he doesn't exactly agree with my being here._ Those thoughts were confirmed when the king of monsters released several furious-sounding roars all aimed at Twilight. She quivered in fear, knowing full well what Godzilla was capable of, especially when he was angry enough. She tried to remind herself they were friends and that he would never actually harm her.

 _He's still quite the bluffer, though._

"Look, Godzilla, I'm sorry!" Twilight Sparkle shouted. "I know you're upset because I came here, but I did it for a reason!"

Godzilla let out a few irritated growls.

"Hey, it's the truth!" Twilight Sparkle said. "I'm sorry, Godzilla, but the fact is you need some help!" Godzilla tilted his head to the side as he stared at Twilight with a questioning look. "No, not that kind of help! I'm not here to help you fight Mons-Ahgar, but I am here to give you something that can!"

She looked down to the Alpha Stone as she used her magic to make its glow flash a little brighter for a second. "You see this? Well, I think it's got enough power to fully restore you and more than enough extra energy to spare. Energy you can use to restore Anguirus... Where is he anyways?"

Godzilla roared as he pointed into the fires he had been consumed within previously. This nearly made tears start to fall from Twilight's eyes as they trembled. The thought of Anguirus being trapped inside a wave of devastating flames crushed her heart. Seeing the horrible wound Godzilla still had when she looked back to him saddened Twilight all the more.

"Don't you see, Godzilla?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "All of this... what's happened to the island, to Anguirus, and to you is why I had to come back. This is the red Alpha Stone I have here. It will give you the power you need to stop Mons-Ahgar dead in his tracks, _dead_ being the keyword. So, please, Godzilla, let me help you the best I can.

"Quick, before Mons-Ahgar gets up and comes back, let me transfer the power of the red Alpha Stone to you."

Godzilla looked away as he thought about what Twilight Sparkle was saying. It was clear he was still very upset about Twilight Sparkle coming back to the island when it was so dangerous. His angry face sent frightened chills down the alicorn's spine, but she was calmed somewhat when it looked like Godzilla was starting to understand. Slowly he nodded his head as he let out a few low growls of approval.

"Thank you, Godzilla," Twilight Sparkle said with relief. "Now, hold still, relax your body... or at least relax it as best you can, and just accept the power being transferred into you. Concentrate on it, receiving it, accepting it."

Godzilla closed his eyes as he held his arms out at his sides while Twilight Sparkle closed her own eyes and focused on gathering the stone's power once more. Again it lit up as bright as could be, as did Twilight Sparkle's horn. Far off in the distance, Mons-Ahgar's roar rang out, but both Twilight and Godzilla refused to let it break their concentration. Both just kept focusing on the task before them; Twilight Sparkle gathered every last ounce of energy the stone had to give while Godzilla waited to receive it. The light from the red Alpha Stone illuminated brighter and brighter until the whole area was consumed by the glow.

Finally the light died down as a beam of power flew both out of Twilight's horn and the stone itself. The duel beams moved at unimaginable speeds as they collided with Godzilla's body. The giant monster's body jolted as his eyes shot opened and his let out a roar of surprise. Instantly his body was engulfed in a bright glowing aura of light. Godzilla looked down and all around at his body as he started to feel a strange sensation shoot through him.

At first he wasn't sure what it was, but he quickly remembered this was an energy transfer he was in the middle of. Even without the realization, he probably would've figured it out, for he suddenly started to feel really, really good. All the pain he was feeling before was instantly swiped away along with so many other negative feelings. No longer did he feel tired, or drained, or like his was on his last legs near heaven's doorstep. Despite still having many different wounds all over him, including a large one across his chest, right shoulder, and arm, he'd never felt better in his life.

The white aura flashing around Godzilla's body suddenly turned blue as he clenched his fists and posed his arms like those of a fighter. He stood up taller, a ferocious look on his face as he released all sorts of growls and roars from deep within. Suddenly, the bright aura around Godzilla flashed so bright it engulfed the whole area. A second later, the aura died back down to what it was before, revealing every single injury Godzilla had sustained was now completely gone. The king of monsters looked and felt like his health was at a hundred percent, which he exemplified with a loud three mile roar, announcing his return to prominence.

But that still wasn't the end of the great new power Godzilla was receiving, for he felt it continue to course ever greater through his being. Godzilla continued to roar mightily as the area around him started to shake. Soon the aura around Godzilla was flashing, red, orange, and gold instead of blue and white, signifying how much greater his power was growing. Godzilla released another three mile roar as his aura caused the whole area around him to light up once more. This event that almost appeared to be cosmic had reached its climax, as indicated by the great light.

Twilight Sparkle no longer felt the power of the red Alpha Stone coursing through her or out of her or out from the stone itself. It was all completely gone now, the tremendous power now having been completely transferred to the king of the monsters. The alicorn princess opened her eyes and looked down to the red stone, seeing that it no longer had its glow. As far as she could tell, the red Alpha Stone just looked like an ordinary gem with nothing else special about it. That just left Twilight Sparkle to see what had become of Godzilla, gasping in disbelief when she did.

In terms of the shape of his body and things like that, the great saurian looked just about the same. However, many parts of his body were now consumed in an orange glow, including the front of his body, his legs, his spines, and even his eyes glowed orange. There were even smaller parts of the glow that snaked out to his shoulders, arms, and neck like blood veins. Even more bizarrely there were clouds of smoke flowing out of some parts of Godzilla's body, it had gotten so hot. As if he wasn't already a force to be reckoned with, Godzilla now seemed to be even more the god among insects he was previously thought to be.

The super charged nature of Godzilla's body heat was just one of what was hoped to be many manifestations of the kaiju king's new power. Godzilla roared out as loud and proud as ever as his spines flashed brightly, along with a few stray flashes across his body.

"Oh... my..." Twilight Sparkle was unable to finish her intended sentence. "I don't believe... Wow... Godzilla... Truly you are the king of the monsters."

Godzilla looked himself over only for a moment before turning back to the fires he had been engulfed in previously. The now mega-charged kaiju began to stomp his way over to the giant wall of flames, Twilight Sparkle watching him with amazement all the while. Godzilla roared out his defiance of the flames and everything else that had been harming the island as he stepped into the hot inferno. Twilight Sparkle turned her head to the side as she thought about what Godzilla might be doing. As he bent down into deeper the flames, a realization crossed Twilight Sparkle's mind.

"Anguirus!" the alicorn princess exclaimed out loud.

She then watched as Godzilla started stepping back out of the fire. As he stomped backwards, it looked to Twilight Sparkle like he was dragging something or someone along. She instantly knew what it was, not needing to see Anguirus' charred and mangled corpse as Godzilla pulled it out of the fire. The king of monsters gently lowered his friend's body to the ground, Twilight Sparkle looking distraught as she put a hoof over her mouth. She couldn't believe that the four legged kaiju had suffered so badly, not even after seeing the shape his body was in.

The sight of Anguirus just made her want to weep, which she openly did.

"Oh, Anguirus... you poor, brave soul," Twilight Sparkle said. "I truly hope something can be done for you."

Godzilla looked Anguirus over, examining every last part of his physical being. He made out very heavily labored breaths and a faint heartbeat. Anguirus was alive, but just barely, something Godzilla hoped he could rectify with his newly gained power. Twilight Sparkle grew a little more worried when she saw the somewhat uncertain expression on Godzilla's face. It quickly disappeared as the saurian stood up straight and his spines started to flash.

The energy coursing through Godzilla emerged from his mouth in the form of a red mist. The smokey cloud of energy increased in size as it slowly encompassed Anguirus' whole body. Once the four legged monster was completely covered, random flashes of white light began to appear all over his body. Twilight Sparkle had to turn away, but out of the corner of her eye, the princess saw something amazing happen. Everywhere a flash of light appeared on Anguirus' body, an injury was healed; spikes were repaired, gashes and bruises were gone, and his broken leg even snapped back into place.

Twilight Sparkle's face lit up as she cheered on at the resurrection of the courageous quadruped. Finally a bright flash of light engulfed Anguirus' whole body, disappearing a second later to reveal his completely healed body. Both Godzilla and Twilight Sparkle waited to see what would happen next as they looked down upon Anguirus. A few seconds ticked by before the four legged kaiju's eyes shot open and he stood up on all fours with seemingly no strain or effort at all.

" _Woo!_ " Twilight Sparkle cheered just as Anguirus raised his head into the sky to announce his rejuvenation.

Godzilla allowed a soft smile or relief to cross his face as he looked down gratefully at his fully healed friend. Then he took a quick look at himself again, seemingly admiring the new power he was capable of. As Anguirus turned to Godzilla, the kaiju king's expression hardened to a far more stern, authoritative look. The spike covered kaiju was taken aback by the sight of what his friend had become. He kept his stunned look as he gazed up and down at Godzilla's super heated body.

Eventually Anguirus roared out to thank Godzilla, for he could tell it was him who brought the spiky shelled kaiju back from the brink of death. Godzilla slowly nodded his head as he gently growled back to Anguirus to accept his gratitude. He kept the monstrously authoritative look on his face, though, which unsettled Anguirus a little and even Twilight to an extent. Anguirus started to ask Godzilla about what happened to him when the king of monsters unleashed a bellowing roar, interrupting the dinosaur-like kaiju. Anguirus looked up uneasily as Godzilla pointed down at him and then pointed past him.

Godzilla roared out, demanding Anguirus leave the island and head out to sea. Anguirus looked to where Godzilla was pointing, thinking about it for a moment before he was interrupted by a loud call off in the distance. Godzilla, Anguirus, and Twilight Sparkle all looked back in the direction it came from, recognizing the angry roars of Mons-Ahgar. Anguirus' eyes widened before he looked to Godzilla, roaring his refusal of the leviathan's order. So long as Mons-Ahgar was still alive Anguirus wanted to stay with Godzilla because he knew he was going to try and fight the evil kaiju.

Godzilla seemed momentarily stunned before he snarled angrily and then roared another order for Anguirus to leave. Anguirus shook his head and roared out as Godzilla pointed for him to leave. The two continued to argue, Godzilla roaring for Anguirus to leave while the four legged kaiju didn't want to, desiring instead to stay and finish the battle. Both kaiju were as insistent and stubborn as could be in their stances, neither one looking like they wanted to back down. Godzilla wanted Anguirus to be safe from going through what he did before while Anguirus felt he had to stay due to how much was threatened by Mons-Ahgar's mere existence.

Twilight Sparkle looked on like a child watching their parents fight, feeling stuck in the middle while also being on the outside looking in. She wanted to say something or do anything, but she dared not get in between two arguing kaiju. The argument went on a little longer before it finally culminated in Godzilla angrily kicking his foot up into Anguirus' face. Twilight Sparkle gasped in shock as time seemed to slow down for a moment or two. Then there was a moment where both kaiju stood frozen, looking equally shocked at what had happened.

Godzilla breathed heavily as a small hint of regret crossed his face just before Anguirus looked up to him with an emotionally hurt look. The king of monsters' expression hardened again as he pointed and roared another order for Anguirus to leave. He insisted that he was going to finish the fight with Mons-Ahgar by himself. He also stressed he didn't want any more harm to come to Anguirus now that he was sure he didn't have to. Anguirus hesitated, only rubbing the spot on his face where he was kicked.

It wasn't until he saw Godzilla's trembling eyes that Anguirus seemed to finally relent. The monster slowly nodded his head and softly growled in reluctant compliance. Godzilla nodded his head approvingly as he thanked Anguirus for listening to him. Slowly the four legged kaiju began to turn away, but just as he started to move on, he stopped mid-step and looked back at his friend. Godzilla tried to reassure his friend with a confident look, his spines and even parts of his body flashing in brighter orange lights.

Anguirus still didn't like the idea of leaving Godzilla behind to fight Mons-Ahgar alone, but he dared not defy the super-charged kaiju king. Anguirus let out one final sigh of regret before walking away to get off the island. Twilight Sparkle felt the high emotions radiating off both monsters even from her spot high-off in the air away from them. They completely overpowered her own high emotions she was feeling at the moment. She watched Anguirus walk away until he was hidden behind the flames that engulfed nearly the whole island.

The violet alicorn's attention was taken when she heard Godzilla snort out a heavy breath. Twilight looked and saw the mighty king of kaiju turn to her, his eyes being just as stern as they were with Anguirus. The difference was Twilight Sparkle was much smaller and far more meek, thus it was all the more intimidating for her. She even flinched a little when he pointed a finger to her before then pointing in the same direction Anguirus was going. Twilight Sparkle got the message loud and clear and was more than willing to comply.

"Okay, Godzilla, I get it," Twilight Sparkle said. "But know that we're all out at sea in a bunch of boats we used to escape the volcano. When you're done here, head south and you'll find us all waiting. You can't miss us."

Godzilla nodded his head as he growled lightly. But then he quickly pointed again, looking all the more stern and authoritative.

"Yes, sir," Twilight Sparkle said. Her face filled up with emotion just before she was about to start flying away. "Good luck, Godzilla... I love you."

The mighty monster's face softened greatly as a hint of his own deep emotion shinned through. It was all Twilight Sparkle needed before flashing a smile and flying off. Godzilla watched her as she flew further and further away, not wanting to take his eyes off her until he couldn't see her anymore. His thoughts began to swirl with images of Twilight Sparkle and all his other little pony friends along with other pals like Spike, Discord, or even Anguirus. Every friend he'd made since coming to Equestria clouded his thoughts until Mons-Ahgar's roars rang out again.

Godzilla looked in the direction he had thrown his foe, growling fiercely. Mons-Ahgar sounded much closer, like he could arrive at any moment. Godzilla was a little surprised he didn't get there sooner, but he figured it must've been a really nasty fall for him. Nevertheless, he knew his foe could still be dangerous and he wouldn't underestimate him whatsoever. Godzilla turned and stood tall, making himself look as mighty as possible as he prepared to unleash his new full power on Mons-Ahgar.

He would give his all, not holding back in the least or showing any sort of mercy because he knew Mons-Ahgar wouldn't either. One way or the other, it was finally going to end there right in the middle of the burning inferno that used to be Pony Tale Island. Godzilla let out a great three mile roar to answer Mons-Ahgar's previous call as well as challenge him to finish their fight. All that was left now was to wait and then let loose the furies of war.

* * *

"TJ, you're doing the pacing thing again," Muse said.

"Would you get off my back!?" TJ said with frustration. "Did your new marefriend just willingly fly into a blazing inferno? No, mine did."

"Calm down, son," Strong Courage said. "I get what you mean, but... we all agreed she had to, didn't we?"

"Yeah, Dad, I know," TJ said. "That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"That's true," Strong Courage said.

"None of us likes it, TJ," Moon Bright said. "It's just one of those... that had to happen... no matter how much we didn't want it to."

There was a hint of Moon Bright's own regretful emotions in her voice, but she did her best not to draw attention to them. It seemed to work, for everypony looked away to the island and watched as it continued to burn.

"Yeah, you're right, Mom," TJ said. "I guess... it's just taking too long for me is all."

"I must agree with TJ on this," Rarity said. "Though, I think any time Twilight spends on the island is too much time."

"I still wanted her to be back by now," TJ said. "You saw that flash of light before. It had to be the power transfer. If she's done it already, she should've been heading back right afterwards and it's certainly been long enough that she could've already been back by now."

"Maybe under normal circumstances," Muse said. "But you got to think, she has to navigate her way back through all that." Muse pointed towards the island, specifically referring to its current state of destruction. "Plus, if she did do the power transfer, that means she doesn't have the power of the red Alpha Stone to protect her anymore on the way back."

"Oh, jeez, thanks for inspiring my confidence, Muse," TJ said.

"All I'm saying is it'll take a lot longer," Muse defended. "But I don't think for one moment there's a chance she won't make it back no matter what she has to go through. After all she's faced, for us specifically, I don't think a barbecue that got out of hoof is gonna slow her down too much."

"Yeah, don't sweat it, cuz," Rainbow Dash boasted. "If anypony can do this without some kind of horrible thing happening to them, it's Twilight for sure."

TJ smiled to who was apparently his new cousin with appreciation before worry overtook him once more.

"How much longer do you all think it's gonna take?" TJ asked.

Most everypony else indicated they weren't sure.

"Could be an hour," Firefly said. "Could be longer. Could be shorter. Who knows?"

"Or she could be here in a minute or two," Pinkie Pie said as she held a telescope to her eye.

"You really think so, Pinkie?" Muse asked.

"Sure, because I see her flying back right now," Pinkie Pie said.

" _HUH?!_ " everypony else exclaimed at the same time.

"Are ya for certain about that, Pinkie Pie?" Applejack asked.

"Sure I'm sure," Pinkie Pie said as she extended her telescope. "Here, take a look and see for yourselves."

Applejack grabbed the the telescope in her mouth before passing it off to TJ. He put it up to his eye and scanned the skies for his special somepony. He gasped happily as he froze on a specific spot in the air.

"I see her!" he exclaimed. "She's flying back this way!"

Everypony else expressed their joy and delight to hear the news. TJ held the telescope for a little longer before it started getting passed around. Finally it came to where the item was no longer necessary, for as she got closer, Twilight Sparkle became far easier to spot. Everypony started waving and speaking at the same time to welcome the princess of friendship back. As Twilight Sparkle came in closer, she heard all her friends' warm welcomes and smiled when she looked down to see how excited they all were to see her.

The violet furred pony came in for a landing while everyone made a path for her. It wasn't as smooth as she would've liked, but considering how out of breath and exhausted she looked, her landing was just fine. Once her hooves were on the deck, everyone crowded around her, all of them expressing their happiness to have her back. She gladly accepted all hugs and exchanged happy words with everyone until her eyes finally fell upon TJ. She ran up and kissed him eagerly, which he gladly accepted, even leaning deeper into it.

"It's so great to have you back, Twilight," TJ said happily after the kiss.

"It's good to be back, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said tiredly, but still as happily.

"We were all worried about you, Twilight, darling," Rarity said.

"But not as much as TJ was," Muse teased. "He was going on and on about how his marefriend or his special somepony was flying straight into an inferno."

Twilight smiled cutely to TJ who looked a tiny bit embarrassed.

"Well, I can certainly understand that," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'd worry myself if TJ, AKA my coltfriend and _my_ very special somepony did something like that."

TJ's face lit up before he shared another kiss with Twilight Sparkle.

"Let me tell you something, Twilight," TJ said. "Considering how bad today's gone overall, a lot still went right... But of everything that went right, how you just made me feel couldn't have been better. You just managed to make it the happiest day of my life, Twilight, despite everything else."

"Aww," several ponies standing by said in unison.

"You know something, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash said. "It still took you a little bit to get back here. But considering what you had to go through, I'd saw it was still a pretty fast return overall. I'm honestly surprised you made it as fast as you did. I mean, I've never dived nose first into a fire like that before, so I don't know how I'd do in a situation like that...

"I'd probably be pretty good, though... if not better."

"Well, I didn't have the Alpha Stone to rely on anymore," Twilight Sparkle said.

She pointed to the gem on her necklace, which everyone looked to. They saw that the glow was no longer there, that it looked like little more than a regular jewel.

"Then the power's gone?" Fluttershy asked.

"Completely," Twilight Sparkle said. "So, I had to be smarter about how to get back. Ultimately it was a combination of resilience, flying, and a _whole lot_ of teleporting."

"Very resourceful," Strong Courage admired. "Bet it was hotter than Tartarus back on the island there, though."

"Oh, it was," Twilight Sparkle said. "I almost couldn't breathe getting back. I thought I could suffer heatstroke or get burned or something. Luckily I've gotten much better at teleportation and flying since I started doing both. No more nearly making myself sick casting a spell or not knowing the right ways to flap my wings and all that."

"Either way it's just a good thing we got you back, Twily," TJ said. "If something had happened to you..."

"I know, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said.

The new couple shared a hug, Twilight nuzzling the side of her face into TJ's chest as they embraced. Everypony looked on happily as the couple kissed each other passionately.

"So... much... _cute!_ " Pinkie Pie squeed out while trying her best to whisper.

"I'm glad to be back with you all, everypony," Twilight Sparkle said. "But I didn't come alone."

Everyone looked to the pony princess in confusion just before a familiar howling roar echoed through the air. Instantly everyone turned back to the island, all of them talking excitably at once. Muse grabbed the telescope and looked out to the island. A few seconds later she gasped as a smile crossed her face, for she spotted a familiar kaiju emerging from the hellish flames burning away at Pony Tale Island.

"It's Anguirus!" Muse exclaimed happily. "Anguirus is leaving the island and heading out to sea! I think he's coming this way!"

This aroused further excitement and anticipation from the group of ponies on the deck of the ship. All of them started talking at once, some asking questions of what this meant while others were blinded by their excitement. TJ ended up going right to the source.

"Anguirus is alive?!" TJ asked.

"Mm-hmm," Twilight Sparkle said happily as she nodded her head. "Godzilla revived him just like I knew he would."

"This is great!" TJ said. "This is absolutely phenomenal!... But wait..." TJ looked to Twilight Sparkle questioningly "does this mean Godzilla's coming back, too? Does this mean they... won?"

The others took notice of the conversation between TJ and Twilight Sparkle and listened attentively.

"No," Twilight Sparkle replied. "Godzilla has... elected to finish the fight on his own. He... _insisted_ that both Anguirus and myself leave right away... or there'd be... _consequences_."

The others all gasped.

"Oh, wow," Moon Bright said.

"My word," Rarity added.

"Whoa, really?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I don't believe it," Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"I can't believe Godzilla would act like that," Fluttershy said.

"He just wanted us to be safe," Twilight Sparkle said. "He figured that since he was more than restored by the power of the Alpha Stone, he'd be able to finish Mons-Ahgar all by himself."

"And do you think he can?" Strong Courage asked.

"I'm... not entirely sure," Twilight Sparkle said. Then a glint in her eyes sparkled as a confident smile crossed her face. "But I will say this: after what I saw, if Mons-Ahgar is victorious despite the change Godzilla went through, frankly he deserves to win. I highly doubt he will, though."

The others looked stunned to see the change in demeanor from the princess.

"Whoa, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said. "I like you like this."

"So then, the transfer was a success?" TJ asked. "He was fully restored by the Alpha Stone?"

"Oh, yeah," Twilight Sparkle said extra enthusiastically. "Fully restored and more." Hearing this enticed the others to whisper amongst themselves. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see if it paid off... It's all up to Godzilla now."

"Then we've got nothing to worry about," Applejack said.

"Yeah, no doubt," Rainbow Dash said. "G was already tops to begin with. If he's gone to the next level like you say he has, though, then _bam_ , this should be no problem. All of us are on easy street."

"I'm just happy to have Anguirus back," Muse said. "Or... not _just_ , but... I'm glad he's okay. Hopefully Godzilla will be, too."

"Let's pray he is, Muse," Moon Bright said.

"He'll pull through for us," Fluttershy said. "I know he will."

While everyone was quiet, it was easy to see moral was slowly growing within their ranks; they were feeling more and more confident about their situation. In fact, they were feeling so positive that they were able to enjoy a silent moment of smiles as they waited for Anguirus. They knew he'd be getting off the island in no time; all that would be left was for him to swim out and make his way over to the ships. Everypony waited for the courageous quadruped with great anticipation, but none were more excited for his return than the young alicorn, Muse, who was his best friend. In their anticipation, it felt like no time at all had passed before Anguirus was swimming up to the group of ships.

He kept his distance, though, not wishing to do anything that might cause some sort of direct or residual or damage. It still wasn't enough for Muse who took the initiative to fly out and greet Anguirus more directly. Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Firefly looked to each other for a moment before deciding to join Muse. The four winged ponies all flew after Muse, but she was already hovering in front of Anguirus' snout. The kaiju and the alicorn greeted each other with the warmest of expressions, looking extremely happy to be reunited and to see that the other seemed to be doing fine.

"How are ya, big guy?" Muse asked in a soft, motherly voice.

The giant beast let out several soft growls as he continued to stare on happily.

"He said he's doing good." Muse looked to see Fluttershy coming up on her side. "Actually, better than good, he feels great. He's even better now that he's with you again. To him, it's been too long."

Muse looked to see all the other flying ponies coming up next her, all of them looking just as happy to see Anguirus.

"Well, I can agree with that," Muse said. "Oh, I'm really happy to see you're all right, Anguirus. I was so worried about you."

Anguirus let out a soft howl in reply.

"He says he feels the same way," Fluttershy translated.

Suddenly a sliver of sadness passed by on Anguirus' face as he let out another roar.

"Oh, poor baby," Fluttershy said.

"What?" Firefly asked. "What did he say?"

"He says while he's happy to see all of us," Fluttershy explained, "he also feels guilty."

"Guilty?" Muse asked. She then turned to Anguirus. "Why? Why do you feel guilty, Angy?"

The mighty quadruped roared, which Fluttershy was quick to translate.

"He says he wanted to stay on the island," Fluttershy explained. "He wanted to help Godzilla finish off Mons-Ahgar for good. But Godzilla wouldn't let him. Like Twilight said, he _insisted_ that Anguirus come find us while Godzilla finished Mons-Ahgar himself."

Anguirus roared out again.

"That doesn't feel right to Anguirus," Fluttershy went on. "He _does not_ like that Godzilla is finishing the fight by himself. He wanted to be there by Godzilla's side the whole time and look after him... like a friend's suppose to do."

"Oh, you can't put that on yourself, Anguirus," Muse said. "I get what you mean. I hated staying on the sidelines as much as I did... but part of me felt I had to. As much as I hate to admit it, there were more capable ponies who's hooves I had to leave the situation in. Godzilla seems to feel like he's more capable on his own since he was re-energized by Twilight Sparkle.

"His reasoning is probably that since he thinks he can do it on his own, then he should. He probably feels like others shouldn't have to suffer if he can prevent it. You were by his side neck deep in hard fought battles since the day started, which means he saw you go through so much pain and hardship. I'm sure you saw him go through them yourself, right?"

Anguirus gently roared in reply as he nodded his head.

"Well, it probably ate you up inside to see him go through that," Muse said. "I know it hurt him to see you go through all that, too. Godzilla just wants all of us to be as safe as possible, including you. With this new found power he probably thinks he can do it all on his own and... based on what Twilight told us... I think he can, too. Twilight Sparkle showed us a good chunk of the fight between you guys and Mons-Ahgar, Anguirus, and you were just magnificent.

"You fought with all your might and all your heart doing your absolute best, which is all anypony could asked. But now you don't have to because Godzilla has the power of five Mons-Ahgars I'm certain." Muse then looked to Twilight Sparkle. "Would you say that?"

"Probably," Twilight Sparkle said. "Honestly, it seemed to me like the transfer gave Godzilla more power than I thought it would. I mean, it was almost like he went through a near metamorphosis. I knew the red Alpha Stone was powerful... but darn. But we still don't know how powerful the red Alpha Stone is, therefore we can't really know how powerful Godzilla has become ether.

"I will say that it looked to me like Godzilla's got more power than I thought was possible for any living thing to have. It was incredible, truly one of the most cosmic experiences I've ever had in my life."

"And that's saying something considering the lives we've led," Fluttershy said.

"Whoa," Rainbow Dash let out. "G sounds even more awesome than he was before... And I didn't even think that was possible."

"Just wait until you see him," Twilight Sparkle said. "He's really going to rock your world."

"Whoa," Rainbow Dash and Firefly said at the same time as they looked to each other with awe filled expressions.

"So you see, Anguirus?" Muse said. "It's not that Godzilla doesn't think you're capable. He just wants you safe like he wants us safe. And me personally... I'm glad you're here with us. I love you, Anguirus, and I always want you nearby so I can take care of you and know you're safe and vice-versa.

"I appreciate everything you've ever done in the name of protecting us ponies."

"We all do, bro," Firefly said encouragingly.

"But now your place is here with us," Muse said. "And my place is at your side so that I can comfort and reassure you just like you'll do for me."

There was a moment of quiet where the ponies waited to see how Anguirus would respond. He didn't react immediately, looking stoic as he thought about what Muse and the others were trying to get across.

"You saw Godzilla back there, Anguirus," Twilight Sparkle said. "You know what he can do... But you also know how much he cares... You know because your heart is just as big as his."

Anguirus looked to Twilight Sparkle who offered an encouraging smile. The great kaiju then looked to see similar beams on the faces of the other ponies around him. It finally got to the spike covered monster who smiled back and roared out in appreciation.

"He says thanks to all of us for being such good friends," Fluttershy said happily.

"You're welcome, Angy," Muse said. She then flew in closer and started hugging and rubbing the end of his snout. "That's my good boy. I love you so much."

"Aww," the others said in unison.

"Betcha G's gonna lay the smackdown on that red dunder head now!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Darn right!" Firefly said. "I'm almost certain of it!"

Everypony else watched on quietly as Muse continued to snuggle Anguirus' snout.

"The two of you are totally right, though," Twilight Sparkle whispered to Firefly and Rainbow Dash. "Mons-Ahgar's in for a world of it now and Godzilla's going to be the one who gives it to him. Just wait and see what happens now!"

* * *

The newly super charged monster king stood his ground, looking as tall and as powerful and as mighty as ever. There was an extreme focus in his eyes as he stared forth at where he expected Mons-Ahgar to pop up from. As he waited for the final showdown, Godzilla couldn't help but notice his body temperature seemed to be increasing exponentially with each passing second. It was no surprise given that half of his body was glowing like a nuclear reactor, but it was starting to ache at Godzilla. Up until now the blazing hot temperatures hadn't bothered him at all, at least externally.

But now they were coming up from within him and it was actually starting to hurt him somewhat. Any part of him that wanted to worry about the alarming signs were forced to remain quiet and unanswered. All focus was kept on taking out Mons-Ahgar. The burning pain he was starting to feel currently was little more than an irritant anyways, so rather than worry about it, Godzilla used it to fuel his anger. He hoped this would help bring out the mean in him more so he'd be able to use it against Mons-Ahgar.

Godzilla waited a few seconds more before his patience finally paid off. Mons-Ahgar's roar rang out louder than ever before, followed by the sounds of burning wood cracking away as if being smashed or pushed to the side. Mons-Ahgar stomped pass the burning pieces of plant life before he raised his head and roared out in anger. Godzilla answered with a far mightier roar of his own. The two fighting mad kaiju stared at each other with grim faces of pure hatred.

In that time, Godzilla took notice that Mons-Ahgar still had all of his injuries he had sustained throughout the whole fight. On the other hand, Godzilla was fully healed and powered up beyond his usual capacities. Thinking about his huge advantage made Godzilla unable to keep himself from smiling as confidently as could be. Seeing this greatly infuriated Mons-Ahgar who took it as a personal insult. Mons-Ahgar let out a few low growls before he began walking his way over to Godzilla, who in turn approached the red, armored monster.

Apart from the sounds of the island being destroyed, the only noises that could be heard were a few low growls both monsters emitted as they continued their approach. But then Mons-Ahgar suddenly stopped, staring in shock when he realized the state Godzilla was in. He looked the glowing kaiju king up and down being unable to comprehend what could've happened to him. Mons-Ahgar had thought the glows were coming from the fires destroying the island and that his vision was just slightly distorted. But now he realized that Godzilla was, in fact, glowing because he had been super charged to levels that quite possibly no earthly thing had reached before.

Godzilla saw Mons-Ahgar's demeanor change and figured he'd realized what had happened. This caused the king of the monsters to smile again, looking just as smug as before. He then roared out, asking Mons-Ahgar if he was sure he wanted to continue the fight. This caused another jolt of shock to go through Mons-Ahgar, this one much angrier. His head lowered until he was staring down at the ground.

He stood like that for a few seconds before his body began to shake with pure rage. His fists clenched tightly as his body shook ever more until he let out an extra enraged roar. Mons-Ahgar then began to stomp towards Godzilla, who roared out his acceptance of his foe's decision to continue the fight. Godzilla clenched his own fists as flashes of light began to go off all over his body, especially on his spines. He then stomped his foot into the ground, which seemed to set off a chain reaction making the ground start to tremble all the more.

Some sort of jolt seemed to jet forward through the ground, making it crack and break up. Orange glows emitted out of all the fresh new cracks as the tremor continued to shoot forward until it reached Mons-Ahgar. Vents of intense heat began to seep up out of the cracks, hitting Mons-Ahgar with painfully scorching results that stopped Mons-Ahgar dead in his tracks. Suddenly flashing waves of energy began to pulse out from all over Godzilla's body, which made anything they touched explode. Even the very air itself seemed to erupt with flames, which were amplified when the pulsing energy waves reached Mons-Ahgar.

The once mighty kaiju shrieked in anguish, the power of the waves hurt him so much. Godzilla paid no heed to his enemy's calls and simply released more pulsing waves of power that ignited several great explosions all around. Mons-Ahgar kept screaming as he felt incredible blasts going off across his body. Finally, the kaiju managed to shoot his eye darts forth at Godzilla. But when they made contact with him, it was like they had no effect at all, like they were nothing at all.

Seeing that something that had hurt him so badly before no longer had any effect on him boosted Godzilla's confidence that much more. The all-mighty monster lord decided to respond in kind, first flashing a smirk that nearly made Mons-Ahgar want to run. Godzilla's orange glowing spines let up all the more as flashes of light went off all over his body. Then Godzilla released a power breath attack of god-like magnitude. A swirl of red, orange, and gold glowing energy escaped his mouth with a second, smaller beam spiraling around it.

Mons-Ahgar's eyes widened at the sight of the large, spiral ray coming at him. Once the beam hit his chest, it ignited a series of explosions so big and powerful, they nearly engulfed Mons-Ahgar's entire body. Mons-Ahgar cried out like he was on the most painful of death beds while parts of him and splats of his blood flew all over the place. Godzilla saw the progress his new spiral ray had caused and fired several more shots up and down all over Mons-Ahgar's body. He was absolutely relentless in his beam blasting assault.

One beam even hit Mons-Ahgar directly in the face, sending pieces of his features flying away in smoke and flames. After five shots it was a wonder how Mons-Ahgar had enough parts of his body left to still be standing, let alone still living. Godzilla saw his opponent was able to stay standing on his feet and decided to get up closer to finish the fight rather than do it from a far. Mons-Ahgar saw the scariest, most terrifying sight he'd ever seen in his life: a glowing, burning, super charged Godzilla coming towards him. He was unable to do anything to stop Godzilla before he got close enough to wrap his arms around Mons-Ahgar.

Once he was caught in Godzilla's embrace, Mons-Ahgar immediately screamed out like he'd just been shot in the back. This was because he felt a scorching heat emitting from Godzilla's body, which severely burned his own. Yes, even Godzilla's mere embrace was dangerous, no matter how hard or soft he squeezed. It was like Godzilla just lightly putting his hand on another creature would burn away at their flesh. However, in this instance Godzilla used far more than just a simple pat on the back; he had his arms wrapped around Mons-Ahgar in a monstrously big bear hug.

Smoke hissed from everywhere Godzilla's flesh touched Mons-Ahgar's as the evil monster continued to scream. But even though he was already at a clear advantage, it wasn't enough for Godzilla. He had to press his dominance further, which he did by releasing another explosive wave of his power pulse from his body. The force of the blast pulled Mons-Ahgar out of Godzilla's embrace and made him go back a few feet before he landed back on the ground. Unfortunately for him, the burning saurian was already there to greet him with a series of flaming hot fists to the face.

That particular moment lasted for about seventeen punches, during which Godzilla eventually started hitting all over Mons-Ahgar's body rather than just his face. For Mons-Ahgar it was probably the longest moment in what had been his very short life. The combined might of Godzilla's flaming touch to the mountain smashing force he put into his punches made it feel like a whole lifetime of punishment. It wasn't helped when Godzilla began slashing his claws across Mons-Ahgar's face, which felt like he was being cut up by fresh, hot newly forged blades. After eight swipes, Godzilla finished with both an open hand upward claw swipe and a closed fist uppercut.

Godzilla took the moment to roar in the screaming Mons-Ahgar's face, openly mocking him. Then the kaiju lord leaned in, stomped his foot down on Mons-Ahgar's, pulled him closer, and actually bit into his foe's neck. As expected, it felt like the red kaiju's neck had been caught in a burning hot bear trap. Godzilla was able to pull back with great ease, having no trouble taking a piece of Mons-Ahgar with him. Godzilla pushed his attack even further with a kick to the gut, a blast of his spiral ray, and four searing tail whacks to the face.

Mons-Ahgar probably would've toppled over if Godzilla didn't grab and hold him up while he thrust his knee into the reeling monster's side. Three heavy knee lifts made Mons-Ahgar feel like he'd probably never be able to breathe right again. It wasn't helped when Godzilla grabbed his legs, lifted him off the ground, and then slammed him down on his back. The ground cracked and broke away, forming a crater that consumed both monsters. However, Godzilla was able to stay on his feet the whole time as he waited for everything to settle so he could keep on pounding away at Mons-Ahgar.

Godzilla was feeling as mean as ever as he looked down at Mons-Ahgar's broken body. He had no sense of pity or mercy stirring within him. All the king of the monsters felt was the intense, burning desire to take this monster's life and wipe him off the face of the Earth. It was this feeling that propelled Godzilla to hurt Mons-Ahgar further, starting with two stomps to Mons-Ahgar's already injured chest. Then Godzilla turned away and swung his tail down on Mons-Ahgar before firing another blast of his super spiral ray down on him. The explosion it caused wasn't as big as those that came before, but it was still a nightmare of a blast to be certain.

Godzilla didn't bother to wait and see if Mons-Ahgar was still alive or not. The mighty kaiju king bent down and began swinging his mighty fists across Mons-Ahgar's face. This absolute mugging was a sight that would surely strike horror into the hearts of any who saw it. Even though Mons-Ahgar was as evil as they came, what Godzilla was doing to him somehow almost seemed just as evil. Godzilla must've thrown over twenty straight blows before switching tactics.

He grabbed Mons-Ahgar's tail and then swung him up into the air. In mid-swing, the burning kaiju released his grip and allowed Mons-Ahgar to go freely sailing. Godzilla watched him go before firing up a blast of his spiral beam after him. After the explosion the beam caused, Mons-Ahgar crashed back to the ground, the collision sounding like it was earth shattering. Godzilla roared out loudly, announcing his dominance before he went off to go find Mons-Ahgar again.

Once he had gotten out of the crater and waded his way through the desolation overtaking the island, Godzilla was easily able to spot his foe. He was genuinely surprised when he saw that Mons-Ahgar could not only still move, but was actually half way up already. A small part of Godzilla was impressed by Mons-Ahgar's persistence, but the rest of him was infuriated by it. Godzilla knew exactly what to do about his growing temper: keep taking it out on Mons-Ahgar. He stomped up to the hurting, desperate Mons-Ahgar, then grabbed his left arm before judo throwing him over his shoulder.

Once more the monster was sent sailing through the air before crashing down. The ground quaked just like before, but Godzilla didn't let it keep him from stomping after Mons-Ahgar. Godzilla easily reached him and discovered he was laying on his belly... which gave the kaiju king an idea. Godzilla quickly grabbed a hold of Mons-Ahgar's tail and swung him up into the air before pulling him back down, slamming him into the ground. He repeated this process a multitude of time, each collision seeming like it made the whole island shake all the more.

After five time of Godzilla lifting Mons-Ahgar up and slamming him down into the ground by his tail, the great leviathan switched things up a bit. When he lifted up Mons-Ahgar a sixth time, he kept swinging him up until he eventually sailed over Godzilla's head. Then he swung Mons-Ahgar down onto his back, sending him crashing through the ground. Godzilla roared out before firing his spiral beam across Mons-Ahgar's body, which led to explosive results. After that the king of monsters grabbed Mons-Ahgar by the head and pulled him up.

When the severely injured kaiju was about halfway back up to his feet, hunched over, Godzilla started ramming his right knee into his side. Then he slammed his left knee into the side of Mons-Ahgar's head before swinging two left punches into his gut. A major uppercut to the jaw stood Mons-Ahgar up straight, leaving him free to the full fury of Godzilla's mighty fists. He capped off the ten punch volley with another massive uppercut to his enemy's lower jaw. Then Godzilla wrapped his arms around Mons-Ahgar's head and actually flipped him over his shoulder to the ground in a sitting position.

Godzilla quickly followed up by swinging his tail across the front of Mons-Ahgar's body, sending him flat on his back. The dominant leviathan let out several roars to announce his superiority over his foe. He then unleashed another blast of his crazy powerful spiral beam across his foe's body. Mons-Ahgar screamed out, begging and pleading for pity or mercy of any kind. He was quickly reminded that Godzilla had none to give when his right hand wrapped around Mons-Ahgar's throat.

Godzilla pulled him up until they were face-to-face so that Mons-Ahgar could see the look in his eyes, which told a clear story of his intentions. This was it for Mons-Ahgar and he knew there was nothing he could do to stop the dominant monster king. Godzilla roared as he used his legendary strength to press Mons-Ahgar up over his head. Then he tossed Mons-Ahgar through the air before firing a spiral ray after him. The beam and the explosion it caused propelled Mons-Ahgar even higher into the air before he finally crashed into the ground once again.

Godzilla roared out as he stomped after Mons-Ahgar to make sure he was done. Fire stood in his path, but he passed by everything else like he had no problems with it, like it didn't bother him at all (which it didn't). He had no fear of the island destroying event happening around him, nor did he fear any possible consequences from getting in close to Mons-Ahgar. He walked up until he was close enough to see Mons-Ahgar's back spikes lightly glowing. He was trying to release another blast of his super beam from before!

Godzilla was quick to get the shot first, firing his spiral ray across Mons-Ahgar's back. All of his back spikes were blown to pieces in a truly brilliant display of destructive power. Mons-Ahgar's shrieks of anguish were cut off when Godzilla's hand came around his throat. Then Godzilla worked both his hands into the once mighty kaiju's mouth and pried it open. He charged up his energy for an extra extended period before letting out one of the most powerful blasts he'd ever fired.

The spiral beam went out of Godzilla's mouth and directly into Mons-Ahgar's. The evil, soulless, black hearted kaiju was dead before his whole body exploded into a million pieces. All that was left was his half destroyed head, which Godzilla held in his right hand. The victorious, undisputed king of all monsters looked down at his trophy before raising his head to the sky and roaring as loud as he ever had in his life. The bellowing, bombastic roar filled with bluster and bravado echoed on far and wide for all to hear.

For many it would probably be a frightening intimidating, monstrous call, a beacon of fear like no other. For those who knew Godzilla, however, it was a signal that the world was safe from the wrath of a demon that had been created solely to destroy it. A hero had conquered the last of the villains in this story and thus the kingdom would be safe from harm once more. For Godzilla his roar meant most of these things, but it was also sounding off the vindication he was feeling after such a long, hard fought battle. He'd gone through a lot to earn this victory and the fact that he had won meant he had saved so many in the process made him feel all the greater.

As his roared died away and he fell silent, though, he couldn't help but focus on something else. He stood there breathing heavily as he realized his body temperature had increased more than ten times what it was before. Even worse, it was still getting hotter and didn't feel like it would stop anytime soon. On top of that, it was causing him even more internal pain then he'd been feeling already. Godzilla looked down at himself one more time as he wondered if having all that extra power concealed within him was really such a good thing.

It was then that a flash of realization went through Godzilla's mind. He thought back to the last night he ever saw his father. The mighty Godzilla before him had looked almost exactly like he did there standing in the middle of Pony Tale Island. He'd had orange glows illuminating all over his body, as well as smoke flowing from certain parts of him body, too. Except for his scaly skin being more of an emerald green color, Godzilla was almost the exact spitting image of his father from that fateful night.

He had just gotten through a terrible battle with what turned out be a truly dreadful demon before sensing the presence of his father nearby. He could feel his father's increased power, but wasn't ready to see what it had done to his body. Clearly he had not gotten to a point where he could handle such power coursing through him. At the time Godzilla didn't think much of it, for he was just happy to be reunited with his adopted father. Before he could properly reunite with him, though, the demon returned in a far more horrifying form.

It took Godzilla away and even took his life that night. Yet he managed to cheat death and come back to the world off the living. He was revived due in huge part to his father's own death, which came as a result of his power being too much for him to control. In his father's last moments he transferred what power he could into Godzilla's body so he could live again. Not only that, but Godzilla even grew bigger, stronger, and more powerful than he was before.

It all came at the cost of seeing his father melt away right before his eyes while the transfer was being completed. Now, it seemed like he had a similar power coursing through him that could melt him into nothing at anytime. Godzilla was as determined as could be to make sure that didn't happen. He did not wish to die like his father and he certainly didn't want to leave behind his friends.

He cared too much for them and wanted to stay with them for as long as he could. Plus, there was no telling what the power within him could do if it were released with nothing to anchor it back. What if it would have some sort of negative effect on the rest of the world? While Godzilla didn't know if that would happen for certain, he wasn't willing to chance it. Godzilla also thought of how bad Twilight Sparkle and the others might feel knowing a power she'd given him had also killed him.

No matter what it took, Godzilla had to go find Twilight Sparkle and give her back the power she'd originally transferred to him. With that in mind, the king of the monsters took one final look at the head of Mons-Ahgar, which he still held in his hand. Then, with a snort of contempt, he tossed it forth into the fires destroying Pony Tale Island in hopes they'd do the same to the decapitated head. Godzilla raised his head and roared out before he began stomping his way through the blazing inferno around him. While none of it affected him directly, without a fight to distract him he now saw just had bad things had gotten.

Pretty much all plant life had been burned away and consumed by the hot fires and melting lava. Large chunks of the ground were completely gone now, replaced by pools, rivers, and waves of molten magma. It didn't look like it was going to end anytime soon as Godzilla found out when the ground he was about to step on broke away. Luckily he was able to pull back before he could fall into the newly revealed lava pit. While it probably wouldn't have had any affect on him, Godzilla was infuriated, not wanting to waste time with any sort of obstacles.

Godzilla wanted so much to get off the island so he could both return the Alpha Stone's power to Twilight and, most importantly, reunite with his friends. He felt he'd been away from them for too long and the saurian was desperately yearning to see them all again. And so, with the motivation of a lifetime, Godzilla continued to press his way through the desolation that had befallen all of Pony Tale Island. The great monster king even promised that should the whole island fall down upon him, he'd still get back up again and fight through it all. He'd push back against any and all things trying to get in his way so he could find happiness in being with his friends once again.


	42. Chapter 42: Homeward Bound

The ponies spread out over several ships clustered together in the sea near Pony Tale Island stood and looked on as it continued to get pulverized. It was still a frightening sight to be sure and one that would most likely leave lasting impressions to be replayed in many a post-traumatic nightmare. For the time being, however, a good chunk of the ponies were starting to not be as bothered by it nearly as much as they once were. This was because, after seeing a particularly large set of explosions go off across the island, they'd heard the call of a great beast ring out. The vast majority recognized this call as the roar of Godzilla and figured it to mean he had been victorious in what was surely a legendary battle against Mons-Ahgar.

All of them knew that the guardian monster had stayed behind on the inferno of an island to make sure the potentially planet endangering threat had been effectively neutralized. But only a certain few knew the whole details of it all and could truly comprehend the enormous implications of the situation. While everypony felt a large emotional attachment to what was going on, this smaller group felt it that much more than the larger number of ponies. This smaller group of equines were located either on or hovering near a single ship; the one closest to the island. Twilight Sparkle and TJ stood at the head of their clique and looked on intently as they waited to see some sign that Godzilla was coming their way.

Around them, many of their friends and family had huddled closer into their own little groups. Rainbow Dash and Firefly hovered above the ship's deck close together. Rarity and Applejack stuck close by to Moon Bright and Strong Courage while Muse and Fluttershy had left the ship altogether. They were both flying close by, though, having left to console the giant ankylosaurus-like monster, Anguirus. They were surprised by Pinkie Pie when she decided to join them, airlifting herself over by tying several balloon strings around her waist.

Nopony questioned it, knowing the bizarre nature of Pinkie Pie and usually anything else used by the... _interesting_ pony. Besides, Muse, Fluttershy, and Anguirus were all happy to have her company. All of them found her eccentricities quite charming and a beneficial diversion from the current situation, just like many of her other friends did (in small doses). But despite how comforting everypony might have been to each other, they couldn't allow themselves to become truly content. Only when they saw Godzilla again and were able to truly leave the sight of the dying island behind would they allow a real moment's peace.

All of them were biting at the bit for any signs, but, up to that point, they saw none that indicated Godzilla was on his way. It finally got to the point where Rainbow Dash couldn't take it anymore and grunted out in frustration.

"Okay, I'm sorry, but G really seems to be taking his sweet time coming back," Rainbow Dash said in frustration. "Like, I think we can all agree those roars we heard meant G won. So why isn't he here with us already?"

"Well, it certainly can't be easy for him, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said.

"Could you imagine having to fight a world killing monster in all that?" Applejack asked as she pointed a hoof.

"And then having to navigate your way back through it?" Rarity added. "Can't be easy even for a creature as great as Godzilla."

"Okay, okay, ya got a point!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "I just want to get out of here already! And... I want Godzilla to come back with us when we do."

Everypony caught a small hint of emotion in the rainbow maned pegasus' voice and instantly sympathized with where she was coming from.

"It's alright, Dashie," Firefly said as she flew in closer and gave her daughter a side hug. "We all know Godzilla's coming back, so there's no need to worry... No matter how big and bad and scary the fire destroying our old island tries to make itself look, Godzilla's that much bigger, badder, and scarier. You think he wouldn't be able to come out of all that?"

"What about the fight with Mons-Ahgar?" Strong Courage said. "I want to believe the best, but we all saw what he put Godzilla through before. Even if Godzilla did get that power boost Twilight gave him, the power Mons-Ahgar displayed before must still count for something. Isn't it possible that even if Godzilla won he'd still maybe be left with... I don't know, a limp or something? I don't want that to be that at all, but we need to come at this from every possible angle."

"Sure it's possible, but I highly doubt it," Applejack said. "Y'all saw the trouble Godzilla was givin' Mons-Ahgar even though he was obviously the tougher bull in the fight. Old Ziller was more stubborn than a pregnant cow chewing the dirty grass in the middle of the gate. He wouldn't stop until he was absolutely forced to despite him not being anywhere near full power. Naw, everypony, my opinion, Godziller put Mons-Ahgar down easier than catching the breeze in your mane on a windy day."

"Absolutely agree with you, AJ!" Pinkie Pie screamed out while petting Anguirus. "Godzilla ripped Mons-Ahgar up and spit him out like a bad packet of ketchup!" Everypony looked to the high, squeaky voiced Earth pony mare with uncertainty, to which she responded in kind. "What? You gotta rip ketchup packets open in order to squeeze it all over your hayfries.

"And have you tasted ketchup that's gone bad?! _BLEH!_ That's just nasty... just like Mons-Ahgar was, which is why Godzilla had to rip him up and lay the smackdown on him like I know he did!"

The others still looked befuddled by Pinkie Pie's less than elegant approach to getting her point across. However, as seconds passed, they all seemed to slowly be getting what she was trying to say.

"Way to be colorful with your words, Pinkie," Muse said. The two mares quickly flashed each other quick smiles. "But still, I'm with her all the way. There should be no doubt in anypony's minds that he won. It's just taking him a little bit to get back here is all."

"All fair points," Twilight Sparkle said. "I just wish he could get here faster. At the very least I'd like to know he's okay."

"Yeah, somehow," TJ agreed. "Too bad we don't have a way to check up on him. Not unless anypony wants to volunteer to go back to the island that is. Rainbow Dash, Auntie Firefly, don't either of you dare raise your hooves!"

Both pegasi stopped their hooves in mid-lift, both of them looking somewhat stunned before putting their hooves back down. All of a sudden, something that nopony at all was expecting happened. There was a tiny flash of light. It seemed to be so random because nopony did anything to create the light. No one lit a lantern, flashed their horn's aura, anything.

Twilight and TJ were the first to make the discovery of the light's origin. Looking down, they saw that the red flashing light was coming from the Alpha Stone. Everypony caught wind and moved in closer, their surprise turning into amazement as they stared at the magical jewel.

"What's going on with the Alpha Stone?" Moon Bright asked.

"I have no idea," Twilight Sparkle said. A second or two later, her eyes widened as a thought came to her. "What if... just maybe... somehow... the stone is recharging itself?"

The others all gasped as they thought about what their friend was suggesting.

"No way!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Is that even possible?" Muse asked. "Can the Alpha Stones really do that? Can they recharge themselves after releasing such a large amount of power?"

"No chance!" Firefly said. "There's no way the Alpha Stones can do that... Can they?"

"Why else would it be glowing like that?" TJ asked.

Before anypony could get any answers to the questions about the Alpha Stone, a familiar roar rang out across the way. Everypony instantly turned back to the island as their hopes rose ever higher. Seconds seemed to more like hours as they waited impatiently as could be, staring at the island for any further signs.

"Look, there he is!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Several of the others all looked to her.

"Where, Pinkie Pie?!" TJ asked.

"He's heading for the beach that Anguirus came from!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "You'll see him soon. Ya can't miss him!"

Everypony looked to the beach where Pinkie said Godzilla would be, yet they still couldn't see any traces of him. Or at least none of them could at first.

"She's right!" Firefly said. "Here he comes!"

" _It's Godzilla!_ " Rainbow Dash screamed happily.

Other joyful voices rang out as the ponies all began to catch sight of the great king of the monsters. Fluttershy's eyes enlarged to practically twice their regular size when she saw Godzilla coming stepping onto the beach, his roar ringing out once again. Ponies all around cheered as the victorious and mighty kaiju stomped his way through the fiery hell that had consumed Pony Tale Island. There was no doubt left in anyone's mind; they knew that Godzilla had indeed won and proved who the true alpha predator was.

"He made it!" Rarity exclaimed. "He made it through everything and came out on top just like we knew he would!"

Several ponies all whooped and cheered or spoke about how glad they were to see Godzilla.

"That's our G-Dude for ya!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "He's the animal! He's the predator! And he's the top of the food chain! No one can mess with G!"

" _Woo-hoo!_ " Pinkie Pie cheered. "Godzilla did it!"

"And he looks great!" Applejack said.

Everypony was hit by surprise when they saw the state Godzilla was in. Some of them even allowed their surprise to replace the joyous smiles that had previously been on their faces.

"I'll say he looks great," Firefly said.

"You weren't kidding about that super charge look, Twilight," Pinkie Pie said. "He looks like a giant living, breathing, walking, roaring lantern."

"Screw that," Rainbow Dash said. "He looks like a living volcano! Which... is... so... _awesome!_ "

"I told you!" Twilight Sparkle said.

Most everypony gazed in admiring awe of Godzilla's change in appearance. While many commented on it in a positive light, Fluttershy didn't feel the urge to speak. She chose instead to look on in silence, internally thanking whatever higher power there might be that she was getting to see Godzilla again. Everypony watched as Godzilla walked passed the desolation that had befallen Pony Tale Island, stepping across the beach until his foot touched the sea. As he continued to walk out and let his body be further submerged by the water, ponies took notice of how it bubbled and boiled around him.

"Dude, Godzilla's hot," Rainbow Dash said.

"You finally fell for his charms, Dashie?" Muse teased.

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as several ponies around her let out a few snickers, even her own mom.

"No, that's not what I meant!" Rainbow Dash said. "I... He..."

"Good one, Musey!" Pinkie Pie congratulated as the two exchanged a hoof bump.

Rainbow Dash gave up, letting out an exasperated sigh. But she quickly started laughing along with her friends. She was just as happy as all her friends, and everypony else across the ships, to see Godzilla again. They were completely elated, but as Godzilla moved ever closer and everyone got a better look at his new outer appearance, their elation was replaced with more awe. Godzilla was always an amazing sight as it was. The orange glowing parts of his skin, his spines, the smoke hissing from his body, and the heat he generated just added to his overall stunning appearance.

It was almost more than the ponies could take, in more ways than one. In addition to Godzilla's far more eye-catching appearance, the ponies all quickly found out just how much hotter his body temperature had really gotten. Besides smoke flowing out of his body, the orange glow, and the water bubbling around him, the ponies were actually able to feel the heat radiating off Godzilla. He was still several hundred meters away and they could feel the temperature around them increase that much more. It was actually starting to make a few ponies sweat a little here and there.

At first, they all just ignored it because they were so happy to see Godzilla again. Not just his main group of pony friends, but ponies all across the ships spread out on the water were ecstatic. There were cheers, rounds of applause, everything a hero returning from war would most likely fantasize for. It certainly made Godzilla feel all the better despite everything else he'd had to deal with and, to an extent, still was. Despite how far away he may have been, Godzilla's incredibly well sighted eyes were able to see how happy everypony was to see him.

His heart raced with joy just thinking about how great the reunion would actually be once he was able to actually see his friends up close. But as he was wading his way out to the ships, suddenly he just stopped in his tracks, his joyful smile disappearing from his face. Worry spread on the faces of the ponies as they looked on at Godzilla's continuing change in behavior. Some turned to each other with questioning looks, some even verbally asking about Godzilla's change in demeanor. Not many had a clear answer, though those in Godzilla's main group of friends figured it out pretty quickly.

"What's G's issue?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Come on, Rainbow, can't you feel it?" Applejack asked. "It's the heat he's generating. He's all the way over there and we can feel it way over here like the sun's right in front of us."

"He's worried about what it could do to all of us," Moon Bright explained further.

"But how would he even know he's that hot?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean, he was submerged in a pit of lava at one point during his battle on the island. That same island, in case you don't remember, which was also completely on fire!"

"Could he really be much hotter than all that?" TJ asked.

"You feel him from here, don't you?" Twilight Sparkle responded. "No, Godzilla knows how high his body temperature is and he's afraid of what it can do to us. That's why he won't come any closer."

"Oh, the poor dear," Rarity said. "As striking as his new appearance may be, you got to imagine how isolated Godzilla will start to feel if this to be his existence from now on. Just imagine; all that power and it's turning him into a living volcano... if not hotter."

The two sides were pretty far away, but still able to see what the other was thinking. The Mane Six and TJ's family saw how concerned Godzilla was that his new power could have possible negative external effects on the ship bound ponies. In turn Godzilla saw that his friends had figured it out and many of them expressed their regret with sad frowns, which broke his heart to see. Fluttershy particularly seemed the most upset by this; even having Muse, Pinkie Pie, and Anguirus nearby wasn't enough to comfort her. The giant quadruped looked to Godzilla with a knowing and understanding expression, but it wasn't enough to ease the saurian's unease.

Godzilla wanted so much to go over and reunite with everyone. He just couldn't bring himself to get any further knowing how his own body temperature was effecting him. Godzilla shuddered at what he feared it could do to the ponies he cared so much for if it give even him so much trouble. It finally got to the point where Fluttershy couldn't bother to care anymore and broke off from the rest of the group. Everypony else was caught by surprise as they watched the yellow furred pegasus fly out to try and reach Godzilla, front hooves outstretched.

"Fluttershy, no!" Twilight Sparkle shouted before flying after her.

"Twilight!" TJ exclaimed with concern.

Godzilla's eyes widened in alarm as he let out a short shriek of protest.

"Stop!" Firefly hollered before she and Rainbow Dash took off after Fluttershy.

The trio of Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Firefly were in hot pursuit as they flew at top speed to catch Fluttershy. Although the yellow pegasus was flying fast, Rainbow Dash and Firefly were simply faster, being able to easily pass by Twilight and catch up with Fluttershy. The princess of friendship was able to use her magic to catch one of Fluttershy's back hooves in a small force field, making her come to a stop. Fluttershy looked and saw what was happening to her back hoof and tried to pull it free. Unfortunately for her she was caught by Rainbow Dash and Firefly before she could progress any further in her quest to reach Godzilla.

Fluttershy tried to break free, putting up a feeble struggle that Firefly and Rainbow Dash were easily able to fight back against. They restrained her in place as Twilight Sparkle came and flew up next to them.

"Let me go!" Fluttershy demanded as she continued to struggle.

"No way, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"Not gonna happen," Firefly added.

"Fluttershy, we can't let you get any closer," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's too dangerous."

"I don't care!" Fluttershy responded. "Godzilla needs me! Just look at him! He's burning up and he feels so alone, I know he does! I can't just stand by and let him feel bad like this!"

"Fluttershy!" Twilight Sparkle said with an authoritative tone. "He could come up to us any time he wanted to! Just look at him; he's only hanging back because he knows what will happen to us if he doesn't. Can't you feel the heat from here?"

Fluttershy didn't answer and instead continued to struggle as hard as she could to break free of the hold Rainbow Dash and Firefly had on her. But as Twilight had been talking to her, it was clear to see the conflict and hesitation in Fluttershy's trembling eyes increase as tears streamed down her face. Not once did she ever take those saddened eyes off the kaiju she was so desperate to reach. It was only then that Fluttershy seemed to notice how intense the heat actually was. She was slowly realizing that what her friends had been trying to tell her was the plain, simple truth.

"Come on, Fluttershy, you know Twilight's right," Rainbow Dash said. "G wouldn't want anything to happen to you, or the rest of us. That's why he won't get any closer and why he doesn't want any of us to get closer to him either."

"Seriously, Fluttershy," Firefly said. "Come on now, this is insane."

The ponies were interrupted when Godzilla released an extra loud roar that caught their attention. When the ponies all looked to the kaiju king, he had a sad look on his face, though he was clearly trying to look intimidating (usually not much of a feat to ask of him). Everypony wore a frown as they looked to the kaiju, Fluttershy being the only one who dared to move. Because of the surprised state of the others around her, Fluttershy was able to slip past them and attempt to reach Godzilla again. She barely got an inch forward before Godzilla held a hand up, which instantly stopped the pegasus pony.

He let out a few soft growls as he shook his head. Nopony needed Fluttershy to translate for them. It was obvious what he had on his mind.

"Oh, Godzilla," Fluttershy sobbed out as she buried her face in her hooves while she continued to weep.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Firefly were soon at the distressed mare's side to comfort her. It took another second or two for them to be joined by Muse and Pinkie Pie, who was still traveling by her balloon lift. All of them wanted so much to reassure Fluttershy and make her feel better, although they didn't know exactly how they could. Besides that all of them felt like they needed consoling themselves, for they too wanted so much to reunite with Godzilla. But they knew that wasn't possible, not with the current state Godzilla was in.

Over at the boats the morale wasn't exactly very high either. Everyone had seen the scenario play out and it crushed them as well despite only being observers on the side. Somber expressions were plastered on the faces of ponies like TJ, Rarity, Moon Bright, Applejack, and Strong Courage as they continued to look on.

"Wow," Applejack said. "And here I thought seeing Godzilla in his new look would be a bit more upbeat... He may still be a gander to look at... but what good is that if we can't even get close enough to touch him?"

"Indeed," Rarity said. "It was already hard enough trying to get around a three hundred foot being we loved so much. Now, we can't even come within a mile of him without suffering heat stroke or worse hot temperature-related consequences?"

Anguirus' roars interrupted the conversations amongst the ponies on the ships. They looked to see the bold kaiju trying to swim his way closer to Godzilla, who looked on disapprovingly. He voiced that disapproval with a ferocious, growling roar as he held up a hand in protest, stopping Anguirus cold.

"He won't even let Anguirus get close to him!" Moon Bright said.

"Something's gotta be done about this!" TJ said.

"Yeah, but what?" Strong Courage wondered.

There was a moment of silence; nopony seemed to have the correct answer. However, it seemed like that quiet time was what TJ needed to think of a solution.

"Twilight!" TJ exclaimed.

The others looked to him with uncertainty.

"Huh?" Applejack and Rarity said together.

"Twilight has the key to it all," TJ went on.

"I don't follow, TJ," Moon Bright said.

"Twilight has the key to fixing Godzilla's problem," TJ said. "She's got to use the Alpha Stone."

Further ahead, Anguirus was looking like he wanted so much to defy Godzilla, to come closer, to be there for him like a true friend would. But even he still wasn't brave enough to confront the mighty king of monsters with insubordination. A little further behind the spike covered kaiju, the group of flying ponies and Pinkie Pie with her balloons were still crowded around Fluttershy. She was still extremely upset about Godzilla's current situation as were the rest of the ponies around her.

"Is this going to be it from now on?" Fluttershy asked. "Am I never going to get a chance to touch Godzilla ever again?"

No, Fluttershy, that just can't be!" Pinkie Pie exerted. "Or can it? Can it? Can it not? And if it is, is that all it's ever gonna be?!"

"No way!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "There's no way this is how it's gonna be from now on. Godzilla wasn't like this before, he was made this way. Somepony did it to him; no offense, Twilight. I'm just saying that if there was a way to make Godzilla like this, then there's a way to unmake him like this."

It was then that the thought that came to TJ's mind made its way into Twilight Sparkle's.

"I know-"

Before Twilight Sparkle could finish, Godzilla's roar rang out, catching everyone's attention once more. Upon seeing his face, everyone noticed a mixed array of emotions in his expression. He still seemed somber, but he also looked to be very intent, very focused like what he had on his mind was the most important thing in the world. He roared out again as he pointed to the group of flying ponies, which took them somewhat by surprise. He kept pointing his finger forward like he was trying to pick out somepony in particular within their ranks.

"Is he pointing at me?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"I think so," Muse said. "Yeah, Twilight, I think he's definitely pointing at you."

Godzilla roared out as he pointed again.

"Oh, yeah, he totally is," Firefly said.

"Hmm," Pinkie Pie said as she held a hoof under her chin, a pondering look on her face. "He could be... Or maybe he's pointing at me. Or it could be you, Rainbow Dash. Oh, or maybe he's pointing behind us because there's something back there about to attack us and-"

Rainbow Dash and the others were about to tell Pinkie Pie to cool it when Godzilla roared again. They looked to see Godzilla seemed to be even more 'insistent' as he pointed on.

"Fluttershy?" Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Firefly, and Muse all asked together.

The distraught pony wiped away her tears and sniffled a few back before Godzilla continued to roar.

"Yes, he is calling to you, Twilight," Fluttershy confirmed.

"Yes, Godzilla, I'm here!" Twilight Sparkle called out. "What can I do for you?!"

Godzilla roared again as he pointed to Twilight and then his chest.

"What could that mean?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well," Pinkie Pie began, "it could be-"

"Don't start," Rainbow Dash and Firefly said bluntly.

Godzilla continued to roar, making Fluttershy gasp.

"Twilight, he wants you to use the Alpha Stone," Fluttershy said.

"He's figured it out!" Twilight Sparkle said proudly. "I knew he'd be smart enough to."

"What do you mean, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I have to use the Alpha Stone to take back the power I gave him," Twilight Sparkle said. "Or at least the excess power while still leaving him his normal capacities. That's what he's saying, isn't it, Fluttershy?"

"Exactly," Fluttershy confirmed. "So, please hurry and do it, Twilight."

Godzilla let out a series of roar.

"Oh, no!" Fluttershy said, her face looking like horror had struck her right in the heart.

"What?" Muse asked. "What is it?!"

"He says," Fluttershy began, "if we don't use the Alpha Stone to reabsorb the power from him soon... he could die."

The others looked just as horrified as Fluttershy.

"Are you serious?!" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"Yes," Fluttershy said. "He says the power is heating up his body so much it's actually starting to melt him. He can already feel his back plates starting to melt."

"Then there isn't any time to waste!" Muse said.

Twilight Sparkle didn't waste any words as she flew in a little closer. Godzilla also took about three steps forward before catching himself and stopping. His strong desire to not let his residual body heat hurt any others was still very much firmly in place. His urge to be free of the immense amount of power that was slowly killing him just took over for but only a moment. Now that he had gotten himself under control, the kaiju king looked to Twilight Sparkle as she stopped in mid-air. She straightened herself and closed her eyes just before her horn and the stone started to glow.

The others all looked on in antsy anticipation for what would happen next. Of course they all hoped Godzilla would come out of this okay, but they were all curious to see what the process of the power transfer would be like. They all got their first dose of the experience; despite Twilight being further up ahead of them, the glow of the stone was too much of a spectacle not to be noticed. Off to the side, Anguirus gaped at the near cosmic even with great awe, as did the flying ponies behind Twilight and even those further away on the boats. Even from that far away, the intensity of the Alpha Stone's glow was almost like a ray of the sun.

"Good," TJ said as he held a hoof over his eyes. "She figured out what to do."

The sweltering hot Godzilla held his arms at his side as he nervously anticipated the large drain that was coming. He only hope it wouldn't come too late to help him. He could feel himself continuing to get hotter by the second and his back plates were still melting. He looked on hopefully at Twilight Sparkle knowing she'd do everything she could to help him. They were friends, best buddies even; she loved him too much not to do everything she could for him, just like she knew he'd do the same for her.

Keeping that in mind, Godzilla felt no worries at all when he saw small specks of light escape from the Alpha Stone, all of them flying around randomly. The strange, wondrous lights lit up the area like a brilliant flash from a fireworks show despite it being the middle of the day. Everyone else watching the great event looked on in complete awe despite having to shield their eyes.

"Wow," TJ said.

"Ditto," Moon Bright agreed.

"Whoa," Rainbow Dash let out from her spot in the sky with the others.

"The Alpha Stones are more powerful than I thought," Muse said.

"Look!" Fluttershy exclaimed as she pointed.

The lights seemed to finally have a set destination when they all started gathering near Godzilla. They made the monster shutter just a little as they passed through his skin and into his chest. Suddenly all the parts of Godzilla's glowing body illuminated even brighter than ever before. Most ponies either had to turn away, squint, cover their eyes, or do combinations of the three. Most of them did their best to try and see what was going on, for none of them wanted to miss a moment of what was truly an otherworldly event.

Even Anguirus was having a problem staring at what was happening. Although his eyes weren't nearly as strained; not to the extent his pony friends' eyes were at least. Despite his stature as a giant monster, even the spiky shelled kaiju was in awe of what was happening (not to mention a little worried). A slight hint of concern rushed through everypony when they heard a high pitched shriek escape Godzilla's mouth. The kaiju king's body shook for just a moment before he stabilized and released a red beam of light from his mouth.

The light flew like a giant wave, its target looking to be Twilight Sparkle. Only a select few ponies were able to make out what was going on. But when they felt the natural impulse to try and protect Twilight from the in coming beam, they were stopped instantly. The burning heat and bright light from the beam was just too much for them to overcome. They weren't able to move or do anything; everyone, even Anguirus was forced to stay where they were as the event continued to play out.

No one even saw if the beam had struck Twilight Sparkle or not, so they were only left to guess and continue to worry. No one knew exactly how long the event lasted, but it felt like it went on for eons. At some point, however, the event did, indeed, end. The light faded until it was completely gone, as did the intense heat that had been felt previously. No one was able to see right after it, though, because their eyes still needed to adjust somewhat.

The wait was absolutely worth it for everypony when they were able to see the miracle that had happened. Beams of joyful jubilation crossed everyone's face when they looked to see Godzilla had returned to his old self, the self they all knew. Gone were the flows of scorching smoke from Godzilla's body and all the previously glowing parts of his figure were no longer illuminated in fiery orange lights. Godzilla was completely back to the way he was: full physical health and a hundred percent power with no signs of being overcharged.

"She did it!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "Twilight got Godzilla back to normal! Or as normal as a kaiju can be!"

"Alright, Twilight!" Firefly exclaimed in celebration. "Woo!"

"I knew she could do it!" Muse said.

"Oh, yeah, we get to keep our G-Dude!" Rainbow Dash cheered. She then wiped a small tear away as she continued to smile. "Thank Celestia."

" _Ye-hoo!_ " Applejack cheered as she kicked her front hooves in the air. "Looks like Old Godziller's back to his old self again!"

"How marvelous!" Rarity cheered. "I cannot begin to tell you all how absolutely astounded I am to hear such fabulous news! We'd already had to deal with so much... Losing Godzilla is something I just couldn't take. Not now, not ever."

"I hear ya, Rare," Applejack said.

"Luckily, we don't have to worry about such things," Rarity said. "Godzilla's still with us, completely safe and sound, and so is everypony else. Now that we're all together and sailing out safely to sea, it can't get any better."

"And how!" Applejack said before high hoofing with Rarity.

"Yes!" Strong Courage cheered. "Freaking yes! Buck yeah!"

"Woo-hoo!" Moon Bright cheered. "Finally... things are starting to get better."

TJ stood in silence as he kept looking on out to sea with a smile on his face the entire time everyone else was talking together.

"Way to go, Twilight," TJ finally said, breaking his silence. "Way to go, Godzilla... Way to go, everyone... _We did it!_ "

Twilight Sparkle didn't see the results of hers and Godzilla's power exchange as soon as everyone else did. She'd kept her eyes closed for longer than she probably should've. When she did open them again, however, they were met with the surprise of the bright glow of the red Alpha Stone. _I'd almost forgotten how bright its glow is._ Twilight Sparkle's face lit up in joy, matching that of all those around her.

The violet alicorn princess looked to see that Godzilla was still looking himself over in both relief and amazement at the change he'd just went through. Seeing how happy her larger-than-life friend was to be himself once more made Twilight Sparkle feel all the happier as well. Another individual who felt ecstatic about the positive development was Anguirus, who howled out happily from the side. Everyone looked and watched as the happy kaiju swam over to Godzilla. He stopped a few meters in front of the kaiju king and the two spent a few silent moments looking to each other happily.

Suddenly a small frown crossed Godzilla's face as he let out a few soft growls telling Anguirus he was sorry for the way he'd treated him before. The spiky shelled kaiju responded merely by reaching a front foot out of the water and putting it in Godzilla's hand. The saurian looked at it for a moment before seeing the reassuring smile on Anguirus' face. The two then exchanged some positive roars before Godzilla turned back to Twilight Sparkle. She, like everypony else, was deeply touched to see the show of care and friendship that Godzilla and Anguirus had exchanged.

The king of monsters roared out to the princess of friendship, who only needed her heart to translate what he was saying in this instance.

"You're welcome, Godzilla!" Twilight Sparkle said. "Thank you both for all your hard fought efforts in keeping us all safe!"

The violet coated alicorn was taken by surprise when the cheering voices of her friends came up behind her. She looked to see Rainbow Dash, Firefly, Fluttershy, Muse, and Pinkie Pie (who was being pulled along by Fluttershy and Muse) were right there. As soon as she turned around they were all right there. They crowded around her speaking at the same time about how happy they were.

"Woo-hoo!" Rainbow Dash cheered. "You did it, Twilight!"

"You saved Godzilla!" Firefly added.

"I knew you had it in you, Twilight!" Muse said as she exchanged a hug with Twilight, which was one of many going around.

"Woo-hoo, yeah!" Pinkie Pie cheered, being the loudest of the bunch. "Saved Godzilla from melting away party!"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much, Twilight!" Fluttershy said. "You have no idea how much I appreciate what you did for Godzilla!"

"Oh, yes I do," Twilight Sparkle said. "I feel the same way for him, Fluttershy."

"We all do," Muse said.

"Godzilla's saved all of us so many times before," Twilight Sparkle said. "How could I now do the same for Godzilla when the time came? For the record, I honestly thought it never would. Anything is possible, I guess.

There was a quick howl that got everypony's attention.

"And you, too, Anguirus!" Rainbow Dash called back. "You're just as awesome as any kaiju out there! Believe it!"

The ponies all looked over to Godzilla and Anguirus who stared right back, both sides expressing the same level of good feeling and emotions. Finally it became too much to where Godzilla beckoned to his pony friends both vocally and with his arms out stretched, his hands waving them over. Twilight and the others obliged Godzilla, flying over at top speeds with Pinkie Pie still being pulled along by Fluttershy and Muse. It felt like no time at all before everypony was hugging at Godzilla's chest, their hooves stretched out as far as they could muster. Godzilla then slowly and carefully wrapped his arms underneath everypony in a cautious attempt to try and hug them back.

While it wasn't the big show of emotion type of embrace Godzilla would've wanted, it still made him feel all the warmer inside, but in a good way. That fact that he could even touch another living creature, let alone those so much smaller than him, and be able to do it safely was enough. The feelings between him and all his friends were plain for anyone to see. After a moment, Anguirus came in closer, prompting Godzilla and the ponies with him to break off their hug. Then the flying equines flew over and began petting Anguirus.

Whether they were on top of his head, the end of his snout, the side of his face, anywhere they could, the ponies were petting him. Between petting Anguirus and looking back to flash Godzilla reassuring smiles, these ponies helped make the two kaiju feel more loved than any kaiju had ever felt before. But it finally came time for them to acknowledge the sounds of cheers and the ambiance of good feeling coming from the group of ships nearby. Everyone looked on and basked in how great it felt to hear the elation everypony else was feeling.

"Well... let's not keep them waiting," Muse said.

"Couldn't agree with you more, Muser," Rainbow Dash agreed.

"Then let's get mobile, everypony," Firefly said. She then flinched as her eyes widened and she looked to the two kaiju around her. "Uh... I mean, everyone."

Godzilla then let out a soft roar in response.

"What did he say, Flutters?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Fluttershy giggled before saying, "He said, 'no, Firefly, you meant _everypony_ '."

Firefly looked up to see Godzilla smiling down at her and then turned to see Anguirus doing the same, even adding a small nod of his head.

"Aww," several of the other ponies said in unison.

"Yeah... I guess I did then," Firefly said.

"Let's go... _everypony_ ," Twilight Sparkle said.

With that, everyone began to move in closer to the grouping of ships, including Godzilla and Anguirus. It didn't feel like anytime at all before Twilight and the other ponies landed back on their boat where all their friends were waiting to greet them oh-so warmly. Godzilla and Anguirus hung back as the four legged kaiju had done when it was just him. While half of Anguirus' body was submerged, Godzilla was still only up to his thighs in water, though the two were still happy either way. They just hung back and looked on joyfully as the fantastic reunion and celebrations continued both on the Mane Six's ship and those all around.

It was a great feeling for everyone there who was able to forget all the trials and tribulations and everything else bad they'd been put through if only for a moment. They were too consumed by the positivity going all around to let any worries they'd had or may have still had get in the way of their happiness. There were cheers, cries of gratitude and joy, applause, even jumping around or dancing. Some ponies even sang they were all so happy. The feeling was no stronger than amongst the Mane Six and their main group of friends they'd made on Pony Tale Island.

While everyone around them celebrated like there was no tomorrow, their own joy and good feeling seemed to be at levels ten times that of everyone else. They must've hugged each other a hundred times while speaking a thousand words a minute. Even when things started to cool down a little bit, most ponies still felt like they could jump over the moon if they wanted to. About the only ones who seemed to truly calm down, at least at first, were TJ and Twilight Sparkle. The two stared at each other longingly, their beaming faces looking the happiest of all.

"You did great, Twilight," TJ said.

"Thank you, TJ," Twilight Sparkle replied. "But we couldn't have gotten to this point without everyone working together and putting their all into it."

"Absolutely," TJ said. He then looked out to the still dying Pony Tale Island, as did several other ponies. "We had to sacrifice a lot to get here, even more than I honestly thought we'd ever have to... But sometimes we just got to let the past go, I suppose. Dwelling on things that have been or could've been would be a waste of effort on our parts."

"Yes," Twilight Sparkle said. "Now is the time for us to look to the future and see how we can make it the best it could possibly be. With all of us working together to make the bonds of friendship we formed even stronger, we can and will make a better tomorrow. My heart will always ache for you who had to lose so much. I can only hope that the new offerings we can provide, stronger friendships and new homes among other similar things can be enough."

"It'll certainly be for me," TJ said.

Several ponies spoke at the same time, voicing their agreement.

"I know I'll be happy to have you all with us," Pinkie Pie said. "It'll be the biggest 'welcome to your new home' party I've ever thrown! But you'd better bet your sweet flanks I can pull it off!"

Several ponies laughed in amusement.

"Never doubted it for a second," Muse said. "I know I can't wait to see what our new lives are gonna be like. That's especially if it includes ponies as great as Pinkie Pie and the rest of you!"

"It'll be even more awesome now that we'll have you all to chill with us!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Especially you, Mom."

"Aww, thanks, Dashie," Firefly said. "I haven't been home to Equestria in many years... but I'm certainly excited to be going back... And a little nervous... but mostly excited still."

"I understand, Mom," Rainbow Dash said. "I'm just happy to finally be getting you back!"

"Well, I know that I certainly cannot wait to get back home," Rarity said. "I have so much I want to do, a good chunk of it being for all our soon to be new residents of Equestria. Oh, just seeing us all together like this so happy and has given me such inspirations. I may even make a whole new line. No, two lines... or three!"

"What else can ya say after all that?" Applejack said.

"Um... 'yay'?" Fluttershy suggested.

"Sure, why not?" Applejack agreed.

"Well, maybe I can also add onto it by saying this," Strong Courage interjected. Everypony turned to the older Earth stallion. "I lived in Equestria a long time ago. I left it for what I thought would be a better life... And I was right... for the most part.

Everypony awed at Strong's touching words as he put a hoof around his wife. "Despite what I've had to go through, I don't regret it. I met the best mare I could possibly ever ask for and it helped make my family even bigger and all the stronger. I hope that can stay true for my family and myself going forward. I love you all as much now as I did when I first met you so long ago."

Strong Courage and Moon Bright shared a quick kiss as those around them applauded and cheered. Afterwards, the blue unicorn mare stepped forward a little.

"I... I don't know what else can be said," Moon Bright said. "I... wish I could say I have no regrets... but I'd be lying. I _do not_ , however, regret meeting all the ponies I've come to love so much along the way. That includes my husband... my son... my _sister_ , Firefly... or any of you fine mares from Equestria. Despite what we may have lost, you girls helped to give us so much more than what we had before.

"So, while I may be somewhat unsatisfied with where I've been... I am down right giddy about where we're all going."

Everypony cheered and applauded again, which made Moon Bright feel all the better about what was to come. Everything else was cut off by the celebratory roars of Godzilla and Anguirus sounding out through the air. While making most ponies jump in surprise at first, they all turned and laughed as they happily looked on at their giant guardians.

"And of course, where would we be without these truly awesome guys?!" Moon Bright asked.

"Not very far I can tell you that," Applejack said.

"We owe so much to each other," Fluttershy said. "But we should never forget what these two did and what they went through for all of us. We all played our parts in what had to be done, but I don't think anyone went as far above and beyond the call of duty then Godzilla and Anguirus."

"Certainly not," Rarity said. "Why, if there was ever a living embodiment of what a hero was, you'd need look no further than these two."

"We're lucky to have the both of you," Muse said to Godzilla and Anguirus. "But I don't think you'll never really know just how much."

Godzilla and Anguirus looked on with deep gratitude to have such great ponies for friends while everypony looked on just as gratefully. The two monsters of mighty magnitude looked to each other for a moment before roaring out again. Another burst of good emotions came from the group of ponies as if they were trying to emulate the mighty nature of the two kaiju's roars. Godzilla and Anguirus both watched approvingly as the crowd of ponies went on. After a little bit, everyone took a deep breath and tried to get a hold of themselves.

"So... now what?" Fluttershy asked. "What's our next move."

"Hmm," TJ hummed as he stepped forward. He looked around for a bit before pointing out to sea. "This the way to Equestria from here?"

Everypony else lightly chuckled.

"Oh, no, we're not sailing there," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Huh?" several ponies let out questioningly.

"I'm not keeping us from Equestria any longer than we have to be," Twilight Sparkle said. She then looked to the jewel around her neck. "Now that the Alpha Stone is back to full power, I have every intention of putting it to good use."

"You mean you're gonna use it to get us to Equestria faster?" Moon Bright asked.

"I'm teleporting us directly there from here," Twilight Sparkle said.

Everypony was quiet for a moment.

"What about the boats?" Strong Courage asked.

"What about 'em?" Firefly asked back.

"Eh, fair enough," Strong Courage replied.

Everypony then spoke in enthusiastic agreement about getting to Equestria as fast as they could.

"Oh, my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Muse let out as she started to jump up and down. "I can't believe it, I can't believe it, I can't believe it! I'm so excited to see our new home! Who's excited? Because I'm excited!...

Muse then let out a squeal before saying, "I've never been so excited!"

"I know, right?!" Pinkie Pie said before letting our her own squeal and then sharing one with Muse.

"Oh, great, not another one," Rainbow Dash said.

"You know you love it!" Pinkie Pie and Muse said together.

Rainbow Dash lifted her hoof up halfway indicating mixed feelings. She was nudged a few times by Applejack, Firefly, Rarity, and even Fluttershy prompting her to put a playfully defeated look on her face before nodding in agreement. Then she looked up to Godzilla and Anguirus.

"Hey, guys, guess what," Rainbow Dash said.

"We're a-going a-home!" Pinkie Pie squealed excitedly.

Instantly Godzilla threw his hands back and roared out loudly as he lifted his head to the sky. Even Anguirus jumped slightly from the kaiju king's emotional outburst, as did everyone else. Godzilla then began roaring to Anguirus, sounding rather hyper the whole time.

"What's Godzilla saying to Anguirus?" Muse asked.

"He''s basically talking up how glorious Equestria is," Rarity said.

"Yes," Fluttershy said a little surprised. "How did you know that?"

"Come on, darling," Rarity said. "Who wouldn't boast about the majesty that is Equestria?... Also, you can tell by his reaction to us going home... I'm not biased at all."

"Oh, no," Muse said sarcastically.

"Certainly not," Applejack said just as sarcastically.

The orange mare gave her friend a playful wink.

"Hey, I get it, though," Muse said. "If our new home is even half as great as I've heard, I'll be happy. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm floating on cloud nine just thinking about it."

"Then I think you better do your stuff and get us there, babe," TJ said to Twilight. "With all this raw emotion going around, we're all libel to burst with anticipation before we get there."

"Well, we certainly can't let that happen, can we?" Twilight Sparkle said with a giggle.

"Go on, Twily, show them what you got," TJ said.

The two then embraced, each holding the other passionately as they looked into each other's eyes. They then shared a kiss, which everyone else looked on at, most of them getting the feels over the public display of affection. However, one particular onlooker didn't seem so certain about it. Godzilla stared on confusion and uncertainty as he released several questioning growls. He then looked to Fluttershy and asked her about it directly.

"Huh, what is it, Godzilla sweetie?" Fluttershy asked.

Godzilla again questioned the pink maned pony about Twilight and TJ's interactions that were so unusual to him. It actually caused Fluttershy to giggle.

"You can be so cute sometimes, Godzilla," Fluttershy said. The kaiju tilted his head in confusion. "It's a display of intimacy. It's what two ponies do when they... you know, care about each other... Like, more than friends."

After a moment, a look of realization crossed Godzilla's face. His brows then lowered as he emitted a few soft growls. This caught everyone's attention as they looked to Godzilla with uncertainty. They all saw that he seemed to be looking down at somepony in particular, although it was hard to tell who.

"Is he looking at me again?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"No," Fluttershy answered. "He's looking at TJ."

The Earth pony stallion's eyes widened in alarm.

"What?!" he exclaimed. "Why?! What did I do?!"

"Probably has to do with you smoochin' a close friend of his," Applejack suggested with a playful bluntness.

Everyone looked to see Godzilla nod his head before he let out a soft, moaning roar.

"He says you and he will talk about it later, TJ," Fluttershy translated. "But he does stress that you _are_ going to talk about it."

"Y- Yes, sir," TJ said.

"Thanks, Dad," Twilight Sparkle muttered.

This got an authoritative growl out of the kaiju king, which made everyone jump.

"He heard that," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah... I guessed," Twilight Sparkle said. "Uh... I think I'm going to go let everyone else know what's happening and then teleport us home."

"Sounds good," a still, somewhat shaken TJ replied.

The violet furred alicorn took wing and flew up high into the sky. Along the way, she cautiously watched Godzilla who's expression softened significantly when he saw how much he'd upset her. He tried for a smile as he growled out an apology, which seemed to do the trick, for a smile crossed Twilight's face as well. Anguirus started to question Godzilla, who in turn conversed with him as Twilight Sparkle settled a few meters away from the saurian's head. She then used a voice amplifying spell so that everypony could hear her loud and clear.

"Attention, everypony," Twilight Sparkle announced, her voice being loud enough for all to hear like the spell was suppose to do. Instantly all eyes fell on the alicorn princess. "Since I don't want us to have to go through several days of sailing to get back to Equestria, I've decided to teleport us all there right now. I'm going to use the Alpha Stone to take us all to Ponyville right outside my castle where we'll work immediately to get you all taken care of and settled in. I promise you all, we're going to do our absolute best to make sure your new lives in Equestria start off in the best of ways because you all deserve it!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd, clearly giving the princess their approval. Among them, on one of the boats, a lone minotaur was still somewhat stunned. Kerchek, who stood on a boat separate from the Mane Six, couldn't help but be fascinated.

 _Is there anything these ponies can't do? Or any feeling they can't make you feel?_ Kerchek didn't have the answer, but he didn't need it. As far as he was concerned, being amongst these ponies could only be a good thing. His attention was caught again, along with everyone else's, when the glow of the Alpha Stone increased in intensity.

"She's already casting the spell?" Moon Bright asked.

"Why waste time?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Good point," Moon Bright acknowledged.

Everypony watched with eager anticipation as the glow of the stone kept getting brighter and brighter. Rarity came up to TJ's side as he kept watching in awe of Twilight Sparkle.

"Welcome home, TJ," Rarity said. The Earth pony stallion looked to his friend happily. That was when everypony else in their group of friends gathered around, each one of them looking just as elated. "Welcome home to all of you."

Suddenly a sound like lightning crackling was heard, echoing out through the air as the stone's aura reached peak brightness. Then, all of a sudden, the light disappeared revealing a bunch of empty ships. Everyone was gone without a trace. Everypony; Earth, pegasus, and unicorn, and even the two giant monsters, Godzilla and Anguirus. They had all disappeared. They had all gone home.

* * *

 **TWILIGHT SPARKLE'S CASTLE OF FRIENDSHIP, PONYVILLE, EQUESTRIA:**

"Got any threes?" Spike asked as he steadily held his cards up to his face.

He carefully tilted his head out to look across the table at Starlight Glimmer, who used her levitation magic to hold her own cards close to her. While the young dragon looked about as antsy as could be sitting in his seat, the light pink unicorn mare across from him was completely calm.

"Hmm," Starlight Glimmer hummed before looking out from behind her cards, over at Spike. A playfully sly smile crossed her face as she raised an eyebrow. "Bingo!"

The purple scaled young dragon groaned as his face dropped down on the table. He was sure to drop his cards face down so Starlight Glimmer couldn't see them. The unicorn mare reacted with amused chuckles.

"Spike, you're too easy," Starlight Glimmer said between laughs.

"You keep doing that!" Spike said as he lifted his face off the table. "Bingo, Yahtzee, War, goal, it's good, home-run! You even said you had a full house at one point!"

"I did," Starlight Glimmer defended.

Spike's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets.

"We're playing go-fish!" Spike exclaimed as he threw his hands up in the air.

"Yeah," Starlight Glimmer said in amusement.

This caused the young dragon to groan.

"I give up!" Spike exclaimed.

Then there was a short moment of silence where neither said or did anything, not even moving an inch. The only thing that moved were Starlight Glimmer's eyes as she started to look around awkwardly.

"So..." Starlight Glimmer finally uttered, "was that a strike or a spare?"

Spike's face deadpanned as he stared at Starlight Glimmer, who smiled innocently. This seemed to set off some sort of reaction in Spike, for he himself actually started to smile as well. A moment later his light chuckling turned in hysterical laughter, which Starlight Glimmer joined in on.

"Aw, thanks for the laugh, Starlight Glimmer," Spike said after being able to get a hold of himself. "I really needed it."

"I figured," Starlight Glimmer said. "I know you've been missing Twilight. You've seemed pretty down as of late, so I thought I'd do my best to cheer you up."

"Thanks again," Spike said. "Yeah, I have been missing Twilight a lot. I guess it finally got to me."

"It certainly wasn't this to-do list Twilight made for you to take care of while she was gone that's bummed you out, that's for sure," Starlight Glimmer said. She then used her levitation magic to pull up the extra long sheet of paper that was the princess's list. "I don't think I've seen you do one thing on it. And I don't see any boxes checked off of it either."

"Eh, don't worry about that list," Spike said. "It's just light stuff."

Starlight Glimmer looked at the list in utter shock.

"This is light stuff?!" the unicorn mare questioned.

"Yeah, it's no big deal at all," Spike said. "I can do it all-" Spike snapped his fingers "-just like that. I'm just lucky Twilight didn't give me a real load full to do while she was gone."

Starlight Glimmer's eye started to twitch.

"What's 'a real load full'?" the nervous pony asked.

"You don't want to know," Spike said, his eyes looking like those of a war vet having flashbacks.

This sent a shudder through Starlight Glimmer. She then looked to the list one more time, a tinge of worry forming in the back of her head.

"Hey, Spike," Starlight Glimmer said. "While I've enjoyed playing all these games with you, don't you think you should do at least a few things on the-?"

"It's fine, Twilight!" Spike exclaimed.

The little dragon youth realized what he'd said, gasping as he put his claws over his mouth. Starlight Glimmer stared ahead blankly as she saw the emotion start to build up in Spike's face.

"You already did the things on this list, didn't you, Spike?" Starlight Glimmer inquired.

"Yeah... I did," Spike said, his voice and face making it clear just how upset he was.

"Then why didn't you check off anything on the actual list?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"I've got a reputation to uphold," Spike said.

"A lazy assistant who doesn't do anything while the princess he assists is out of town?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"Well, when you say it like that, a _nything_ can sound bad," Spike said as he crossed his arms. Starlight Glimmer raised an eyebrow as she silently waited. "Okay, okay, I just forgot to mark the check list while I was doing everything on it... It's not easy doing it all without Twilight here... and not knowing how she's doing. I guess I just forget a few things when I'm worried."

Starlight Glimmer looked at the little dragon first in surprise, then in admiration.

"Hey," Starlight Glimmer said. "If crossing off boxes on a to-do list is all you forgot, then I don't think anypony has a right to be on you. You still remembered to do more than what I think a lot of ponies in your position would."

Spike smiled thankfully to the pony sitting across from him, who responded in kind.

"Thanks, Starlight," Spike said. "I haven't just been missing Twilight, I've been worried like crazy about her. Well, all of them actually. You'd think it'd get easier having your friends always running into life or death situations to try and save the world... but it doesn't."

"I... can't see how that could ever get easier to accept," Starlight Glimmer said. "Sure, they may do it a lot, but it's still always dangerous, no matter how many times they do it. This had to be an especially dangerous mission if they had to take Godzilla with them this time around."

"Yeah... I guess so," Spike said, his voice and overall demeanor seeming to turn sour all the more.

"Spike, I'm sorry," Starlight Glimmer said. "I didn't mean to make you worry more. I was just trying to assure you that you had no reason to feel bad for worrying about Twilight and the others. It can't be easy."

"No, I know," Spike said. "It's just... Well... I..."

Spike groaned as he struggled to find the right words to say. It almost looked like a tear might escape his eye, which prompted Starlight Glimmer to get out of her seat and walk over to the upset dragon's side. She then put a hoof around his shoulders and pulled him close.

"Hey... I'm worried about them, too," Starlight Glimmer said as she looked into Spike's eyes.

Spike leaned into the side hug as he looked to Starlight Glimmer with an appreciative smile.

"They're the best friends I've ever had, Starlight," Spike said. "Twilight... Rainbow Dash... Applejack... _Rarity_... Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, all of them. We've been through so much together and they've done so much for me. I always hate not knowing how they're doing when they go out to do what they all know is a dangerous mission.

"But then I think about how strong they are to always be willing to do it since they know it's the right thing to do. I always figure if they're strong enough to go, then why shouldn't I be strong enough to trust them to go do the mission and then come back safe and sound?..." Spike let out a soft sigh before saying, "I guess I just can't help myself... Pretty pathetic, huh?"

"Not in the slightest," Starlight Glimmer said. "These feelings are natural and everypony who has someone they care about would feel the same way if their loved ones led lives with danger filled missions. The fact that you've done as good as you have with them gone is, frankly amazing to me. It makes me respect you that much more... which is saying something, because I already respected you quite a bit."

"Wow," Spike said as he smiled graciously. "I appreciate that, Starlight Glimmer."

"It's fine," Starlight Glimmer said as she broke up the side hug. "Besides, it could be worse. You could miss Twilight and the others to the point where you let it mess with your head making you think cutie marks are a bad thing and make you enslave a whole village of ponies and then mess with time to get revenge on a bunch of ponies who ruined your plan even though your plan was always wrong to begin with."

Spike stared at Starlight Glimmer with a shocked look on his face, his eyes blinking a few times despite his expression never changing.

"Uh..."

"Too soon?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"I'm not sure," Spike said. "You said so many words it was hard for me to keep up after 'enslave a whole village'... But I got the gist of what you were trying to say."

"Yeah, that was pretty bad of me, wasn't it?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"You mean the thing you were trying to say?" Spike asked. "Or the fact you said so many words without taking any pauses, not even a tiny breath just to say it?"

"Yes," Starlight Glimmer answered.

The two then shared a short laugh together.

"Okay, yeah, it was pretty bad," Spike said. "But it's okay, though. You're turning yourself around. You agreed to let Twilight take you on as her pupil and you've gotten pretty close with a lot of other ponies... including Rarity."

"Huh?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

Spike snapped out of his little lull.

"Uh, your hair," Spike said hurriedly. "I noticed you changed your mane. It kind of reminds me of Rarity's... That's all."

"Oh," Starlight Glimmer said as her eyes looked upward. "Yeah, I guess subconsciously that was something that went into it. I also just wanted to shed myself of my... old self as much as I could." Starlight Glimmer walked over and took her seat at the other end of the table. "It's not easy living with having done something as wrong as I did.

"But thankfully I was pulled out of that dark pit I allowed myself to fall into. Twilight was a big part of that effort, along with everyone else, you included. You guys didn't have to take it so easy on me. I'm actually kind of surprised you did."

"Well, it wasn't like you did irreversible damage or anything," Spike said. "The village ponies got their cutie marks back, time was restored, and you showed a surprising eagerness to make it right. You were so eager in fact, you practically jumped at everything everypony else wanted to do with you."

"That was because I was so grateful they actually wanted to do those things with me despite it all," Starlight Glimmer said.

"Even still, that's amazing," Spike said. "Besides... we all learned the hard way that there's a price to pay for not giving someone a real second chance. But you're much nicer and funner to hang out with than that other guy."

"Thanks, Spike," Starlight Glimmer said. A mischievous smirk crossed her face. "But 'funner' isn't a real word."

An annoyed frown crossed Spike's face before he said, " _Most_ of the time you're _bette_ r to be around."

Starlight Glimmer couldn't help but giggle, feeling even better when she saw a small smile cross Spike's face.

"But yeah, no, seriously, Spike, I really miss them, too," Starlight Glimmer said. "I feel like I had barely gotten to know them all before they had to be called away, even Twilight. I know they have an important part to play in keeping Equestria safe. Seriously, I had to actually be shown just how important it is. Still, I don't know how I'll be able to cope with them having to do it so often.

"But like I said, they have to play those roles. They're too good at it. Or at least it seems that way. Plus, if they don't, who else will that can do it so well?"

"Eh, I guess," Spike said. "Still never get use to it, though. Or at least I haven't. I wish I could, though."

"Like I said before, Spike, nopony will fault you," Starlight Glimmer said. "Or at least they shouldn't."

"Thank you, Starlight Glimmer, for understanding," Spike said.

"Same to you, Spike," Starlight replied. After a little bit Starlight Glimmer used her telekinesis to hold up her cards once more, a smile on her face. "Shall we get back to our game of cricket then?"

While Spike rolled his eyes he still had an amused smile on his face as he shook his head.

"Sure, why not?" Spike said as he grabbed his cards.

"Oh, you might want to grab a new hoof, though," Starlight Glimmer said, her innocent smile growing bigger. "I may have accidentally saw your cards... twice."

Spike's eyes widened as Starlight continued to look as apologetic as ever.

"Yup, that's a good reason for a new hoof all right," Spike said.

He then put his original hoof of cards back into the deck and shuffled it like a professional.

"Yeah, I saw them when you threw your claws up," Starlight Glimmer said. "Then I caught a glimpse of them when I came over to comfort you. I tried both times to look away and not see them... But I can't unsee them when I see them. Once I see them, that's it, done, poof."

"I get it, Starlight Glimmer," Spike said as he dealt himself a new set of cards, keeping the same number as he had before. "I know you're not a cheater. If you were, you would've let me keep playing with the cards you'd already seen."

Starlight Glimmer just smiled brightly before looking to her cards to see what to play next.

"It was, um, my turn, wasn't it?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"Yep, sure was," Spike confirmed.

"Hello?" a voice called out from somewhere in the halls. "Is anypony here?"

"That sounds like Apple Bloom's voice," Spike said. He then turned towards the open door of the room. "Yeah! In here!"

Spike then put his cards down to go meet his and Starlight's visitor. He quickly caught himself and flipped them around before he looked to Starlight Glimmer with a playful look meant to emulate authority.

"No peeking," Spike whispered in a voice meant to sound stern.

Starlight Glimmer just chuckled before she and Spike went to go greet Apple Bloom. They saw her standing just outside the door and it also turned out she was not alone. The small Earth pony filly was accompanied by (as was usual a majority of the time) her unicorn and pegasus friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Only slightly more surprising was they had a fourth pony tagging along, that being Apple Bloom's older brother, Big McIntosh. Everyone greeted each other as warmly as any friends would, being inviting, and looking genuinely happy to see one another.

"It's great to see all of you," Spike said cheerfully.

"It's nice to see you, too, Spike," Sweetie Belle said as she exchanged a hug with him."Oh, and you too, Starlight Glimmer."

At the same time, Starlight was sharing a hug with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both before exchanging respectful nods of the head with Big Mac. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both spoke in agreement with their unicorn friend about seeing Spike and Starlight.

"It's great to see the both of ya," Scootaloo said.

"Thanks, girls," Starlight Glimmer replied. "It's nice of you to come and visit us like this. How are you all doing?"

"Well, let me tell you somethin'," Apple Bloom said. "It ain't been so easy picking up the slack at the farm. But I told Granny Smith I'd pitch in a little more with Applejack being away. Plus, it's been easier with Big Mac volunteering to do more, too."

"Eeyup," Big McIntosh agreed.

"So, it could be worse," Apple Bloom said. "Luckily my girls here have also been helping to make it easier."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders then did a three way hoof bump to show their solidarity.

"Well, that's nice to hear," Starlight Glimmer said.

"Hey, Big Mac, what's shakin'?" Spike said as he and the Earth pony stallion bumped hoof and claws.

The CMC and Starlight Glimmer all watched as the two started acting all hopped-up and excited like two guys who hang out together a lot tended to do. It amused them to see the two acting so pumped, especially the usually calmed and reserved Big Mac.

"So, you girls been helping Apple Bloom on the farm, huh?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"Here and there," Scootaloo said.

"Mostly we're there for Apple Bloom as moral support," Sweetie Belle admitted.

"But we're really good at it!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"I have no doubts about it," Starlight Glimmer said with an amused chuckle. "Don't knock it, though. Sometimes moral support is just as important as actually helping."

"Though I could use a little more help with that part," Apple Bloom said with a raise of her brow.

"Well, either way, I'll be sure and be here to cheer you every, time all the time!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"Me, too!" Sweetie Belle joined in.

The three fillies all shared a laugh, which Starlight Glimmer got in on as well.

"So, whatcha been up to, Big Mac, my dude?" Spike asked as his and Big Mac's own conversation continued. "You doing good, bro?"

"Eeyup," the red furred Earth pony replied. Then a hint of doubt crossed his face. "And nnnope... Sort of."

"Huh?" Spike and Starlight Glimmer said together.

Suddenly the collective aura of their visitors turned very somber.

"Well, the truth is..." Sweetie Belle started to say.

"We've all been feeling really down lately," Scootaloo finished.

"Aww, why's that?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"I know," Spike said. "It's because Twilight and the others have been gone on a dangerous mission for so long, isn't it?"

"Yeah, and Applejack," Apple Bloom said.

"And Rarity," Sweetie Belle added.

"And Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo chimed in.

"And all of the rest," Big McIntosh finished up.

"We've really been missing them all," Scootaloo said. "But especially Rainbow Dash."

"That last part was Scoots talkin'," Apple Bloom said. "But it's true that while we all have a pony we miss most-" Apple Bloom turned her eyes sternly to Scootaloo "-we've been worrying about them all."

"Eeyup," Big McIntosh said. "It ain't ever easy for any of us to have just sit on the side and watch them fillies go off like soldiers to war. We all know they're doing what has to be done to protect Equestria, but it don't make it any easier to see them leave."

"Especially when it such a dangerous situation as this new one of theirs sounds," Apple Bloom said.

"I mean, they went to fight off an island full of minotaurs and giant monsters," Sweetie Belle said. "Could you imagine something as scary as a monster island?"

"That actually sounds like it would be pretty cool," Scootaloo said. "If it wasn't gonna hurt us or our friends that is."

"The truth is we weren't only missing Applejack and all them," Big McIntosh said.

"We've been straight up worried about them," Sweetie Belle said.

"Sounds like the same song we were just singing," Spike said.

Big Mac and the Cutie Mark Crusaders looked to Starlight Glimmer and the young dragon with renewed interest.

"Yeah, we were just talking about the same thing before you came in," Starlight Glimmer admitted. "We've both been worried about them, too."

"I've been a nervous wreck!" Spike exclaimed.

"He did all the items on a checklist... and forgot to check them off," Starlight Glimmer said in an overly dramatic way.

This got a laugh out of everyone, even Spike. Every individual seemed to appreciate the levity.

"Anyways," Sweetie Belle said. "Since all the chores were caught up at Sweet Apple Acres..."

"We were all hoping, if you wouldn't mind..." Apple Bloom said.

"That we could hang out here with you two for a while," Scootaloo finished up.

"Yeah, we figured we could be each other's support group or something," Sweetie Belle said. "Even Big Mac wanted to get in on it."

"Well, I wouldn't really say we were looking for a support group," Big McIntosh said. "But it would be nice to be in the company of others who know what we're dealing with."

"Cutie mark crusading is always a hoot and everything," Scootaloo said. "But sometimes it's just not enough. This is one of those times when we need a little something more."

"So... would it be okay if we all did something together here?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Of course," Spike said.

"Absolutely," Starlight Glimmer insisted. "Twilight would want her castle to be a safe haven for friends to come together and support each other."

"So yeah, of course you can hang out," Spike said. "It'll be a total blast!"

Everypony whooped and cheered before sharing a short laugh.

"It'll certainly be nice to spend some time together with you, Spike," Sweetie Belle said in a soft voice as she looked away with a shy smile.

"Uh... yeah, totally," Spike said as he put his claws behind his back and lightly kicked at the ground.

The two then looked around to everyone else.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"Well, what were you both doing before?" Scootaloo asked.

"We were playing a game of go-fish," Starlight Glimmer explained.

"Eh, I can go with that," Scootaloo said. "It's a hundred times better than watching Apple Bloom pick bugs off a piece of corn."

"You could've helped me, ya know," Apple Bloom said bluntly.

"How would that have made it any better?" Scootaloo asked.

"It would've made it better for _me_ having some _help_ ," Apple Bloom said with slightly gritted teeth. "Plus, it probably would've made it go by faster."

"Uh..." Scootaloo found herself unable to come up with a proper response. "So, a game of go-fish then?!"

"Sure, I wouldn't mind starting a new game," Spike said.

"It's totally not because he was losing the last one," Starlight Glimmer said. "Spoiler alert; he was totally gonna lose the game."

"You don't know that!" Spike defended.

"Oh, don't I?" Starlight Glimmer said with a sly smile and a raise of her brow.

Spike glared at her competitively.

"All right then, Ms. Glimmer," Spike said as a smile crossed his face. "Looks like it is now officially on."

"Oh, silly dragon," Starlight Glimmer said. She followed up in a slightly whispery voice, "It was never off."

"Ooh, looks like big competition," Sweetie Belle said as she lightly nudged Apple Bloom with her elbow.

"The kind of competition I like!" Scootaloo said with great enthusiasm.

"Looks like we got us a game!" Apple Bloom said.

"Eeyup!" her big brother agreed.

Then everyone headed over to the table, pulled up a chair, and then sat down as they waited for Spike to shuffle the card deck and deal. They watched him work his card dealer's magic, making it look as effortless clapping your hooves. Once everypony had their cards, they held them up close to their faces. The game didn't begin right away, however, leaving an awkward silence in the air.

"So... uh... who wants to go first?" Spike said, feeling the unease. Nopony answered, Starlight Glimmer feeling really concerned at the moment. "Should it be... the... shuffler who... goes..."

Spike didn't finish, for he and Starlight Glimmer both saw the somber looks had returned to the faces of their visitors. The two castle residents looked to each other with understanding and sympathizing looks. Both of them were understood exactly how their guests were feeling, for they felt it themselves.

"How do you get used to a waiting and seeing game like this?" Apple Bloom asked.

"You don't," Spike said bluntly. "We're always gonna be nervous wrecks whenever they go out to do the stuff like this that they do. The best thing _we_ can do I guess is... I don't know, hope for the best or something."

"While also remembering every time they went out before and succeeded," Starlight Glimmer said. "I mean, they're still alive, aren't they?"

"Eeyup," Big Mac agreed.

"And that's because they're capable ponies," Sweetie Belle said.

"And resourceful," Apple Bloom added.

"And awesome," Scootaloo said.

"Plus, they're all best friends," Spike said. "When somepony can do big things like saving the world with ponies as close as that, it just puts the ball more in their court."

"So yes, it's true you can't stop worrying about them," Starlight Glimmer said. "That's just a natural feeling. But don't forget who the ponies you're worrying about are and everything they've done. You also have to have faith in them and trust they can keep doing as good as they've been doing."

"Plus, they took Godzilla with them," Scootaloo said. "There's _no one_ more capable of protecting them than him. Oh, I wish I could be there to see him take down and crush the bad guys."

"Seriously," Sweetie Belle agreed. "We could probably record it on camera or something and sell it to theaters. Ponies gotta go crazy to see monster battles up close like that without the worry of danger."

There was another moment of awkward silence after that as the implications of the white furred filly's words sunk in.

"Do you think... Applejack or any of them got caught in the middle of a monster fight?" Apple Bloom asked worriedly.

"Let's hope not," Big McIntosh said. "Let's hope that Ol' Ziller's got his wits about him 'nough to keep all them out of harm's way."

"I'm sure he's doing the best he can to keep them safe," Starlight Glimmer said. "He does seem like the perfect body guard after all." The others all chuckled a little. "Or at least from what I got from the few minutes where we hung out."

"But that doesn't change the fact that they're probably gonna have to run straight into danger to do the things they gotta do," Scootaloo said.

"No, it doesn't," Spike said. "But Starlight is right; we have to remember all the things they've done together and believe they can keep doing it."

While the CMC, Big Mac, and even Spike himself still looked uncertain, their moral did seem to grow somewhat.

"Yeah, you're right, Spike," Sweetie Belle said. "You and Starlight Glimmer both are."

"Totally," Scootaloo agreed.

"Eeyup," Big McIntosh and Apple Bloom said together.

The brother and sister pair looked to each other in surprise before they and everyone else shared a soft laugh.

"Oh, that was good," Spike said.

"Trust me, everypony," Starlight Glimmer said. "I'm sure they'll be done with their mission and be back here before we even know it."

Suddenly there was a flash of light outside the room's windows as a sound like the whole planet was cracking apart rang out and everything started to shake. Everyone screamed as they struggled to not go flying out of their seats. McIntosh grabbed a hold of his little sister and held her close as he ducked under the table. Starlight took Sweetie Belle in her hooves and did the same while Spike seemed glued to his chair. Everypony waited in fear for what the end result of this mysterious, random event might be, good or bad.

"What's happening?!" Apple Bloom screamed.

"I don't know!" Starlight Glimmer replied.

"Make it stop!" Sweetie Belle squealed fearfully.

Then, just like that, it did. The light disappeared, the shaking stopped, and the sound had faded, leaving only stillness in the air. Everyone looked to one another questioningly. They waited for a few moments before they got up on their hooves and feet again.

"Is- Is everyone okay?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"Wait!" Apple Bloom said. "Where's Scootaloo?!"

Everyone then heard the little pegasus' voice moan out from the other side of the room. They looked to see her rising up out of a pile of books.

"Scoots!" Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom screamed while the others gasped.

They all ran over to the orange coated filly to check on her.

"Are you okay, Scootaloo?" Spike asked as they all tried to examine her.

"Ohh..." Scootaloo moaned as her eyes spun around like a cartoon character's and her head reeled from side to side. After a moment she got a hold of herself, shaking her head free of any cobwebs, though it still hurt a great deal. "Well... on the bright side... that's the closest I've come to flying on my own yet."

"That's the spirit, Scootaloo," Big McIntosh said.

"What the heck was that?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I have no idea," Starlight Glimmer admitted.

"Me neither," Spike said. "Anyone else got any thoughts?"

"Wait!" Big McIntosh said. He then turned away to a window. "Y'all hear that?"

"Yeah, it sounds like..." Sweetie Belle started.

"Voices!" Apple Bloom finished "Coming from right outside the castle. Lots of them, too judging by the sounds of it."

Suddenly a very familiar, but still spine chilling roar rang out through the air. Everyone looked to one another again, their eyes looking like they could pop from their sockets.

"Was that-?"

Apple Bloom didn't finish her question. Instead, everyone just ran to the window to see whatever sights might be waiting for them outside the castle.


	43. Chapter 43: Welcome Home

_We're home._

Twilight Sparkle gazed in stunned awe at her surroundings. They were all so familiar to her, yet seemed somewhat alien at first because of how long she'd been away. Plus there was the unusual sight of all the ponies that were there unfamiliar to the area, though a few of her regular friends were mixed in with the crowd. While she'd gotten to know many of the others fairly well, too, she was not used to seeing them where they were at that moment. Add two giant monsters looming over the area (even one she'd know for so long) and it was even more to take in.

Every other pony in the crowd, the lone minotaur that accompanied them, and even Godzilla and Anguirus looked just as stunned. They all looked around and took in their new surroundings as best they could; a pretty tall order, even for those who actually lived in Ponyville. However, as the seconds ticked by, Twilight Sparkle slowly felt herself becoming more relaxed, looking to see the same was true for her friends. It was starting to truly sink in for them where they were and what that meant. They were back home in Ponyville where they lived, where they belonged, and where most of their best memories were.

Twilight's eyes fell upon TJ, her new beau as he led his family up to her and her friends. They all seemed pretty shaken as well, but were also slowly relaxing as they settled into their new environment. TJ led his family forward until he stopped in front of Twilight Sparkle, smiling at her warmly, which somehow seemed to give her an extra sense of relief. The alicorn princess's eyes fell to her castle; _her_ castle, _her_ home in the town where _she_ was from. She then looked away, gazing out at the town itself... one she hadn't truly realized she'd missed and loved so much until that moment.

Sure she had been yearning for it the whole time she was gone, but that moment looking out at the town was what made the reality of her feelings truly sink in. In addition to Ponyville itself, Twilight saw so many ponies from from the town just like her, all of whom were heading towards her castle. But what they were doing didn't matter to her at that moment. What mattered to Twilight Sparkle was that they were there, as was the town, the landscapes, everything she'd come to love so much, that she'd held so dear to her heart. Just as the emotion was truly hitting her, all at once her friends were going through the exact same process she was.

"We're home," Twilight Sparkle let out in a shaky voice.

"Yes," TJ said. The Earth pony stallion was still smiling as brightly as ever. " _We_ _are_ home."

Slowly Twilight Sparkle's whole body started trembling, as did the bodies of her fellow Ponyville citizens. The stunned look on her face slowly melted into the biggest grin she'd ever grinned as her excitement and joy grew ever greater. All of the Mane Six started whooping and cheering as they jumped, pranced, and danced around while also finding other ways to express their joy at being home. They were soon accompanied by the roar of the ever-so-mighty Godzilla. The crowds of ponies all looked up at the king of the monsters, the happiness on his face being hard to miss.

"We did it!" Pinkie Pie squealed. "We actually did it!... Ooh, I mean, you did it, Twilight! You got us home!"

"No, Pinkie, we all did it together!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. "It was through all of us working together! Now, we're all home!" Twilight Sparkle than looked to all the former Pony Tale Island residents. " _All_ of us are home!"

The crowd of former islanders all burst into emotionally charged displays of their own that mirrored those the Mane Six. Twilight Sparkle, TJ, the rest of the Mane Six, and the stallion's family all looked on joyously. Then it got to the point where they couldn't help but rejoin in the festivities. Warm embraces, happy words, dancing; all this and more carried on as everyone continued to celebrate their return or first time on the soil of Equestria. Godzilla and Anguirus stood tall as they watched with amusement and joy at the jubilation being spread amongst the ponies before them.

Even Kerchek, a minotaur trained at birth to be a hardened warrior found himself unable to resist joining in the fun. His initial surprise at how fast he was accepted by the ponies around him was now fully gone; swept away by the warmth they made him feel. It was about as perfect as it could be there in front of the castle of friendship, an element which was in full effect. Even more than just friendship was in the air, though, for husbands, wives, coltfriends, and marefriends held each other close, kissing passionately all the while. Twilight Sparkle and TJ couldn't keep themselves from getting swept up in these romantically charged moments.

They hugged each other close together and made out like a new teenage high school couple. Everything just felt too right for them not to share a chorus of kisses. Even after they stopped kissing, they still held the other close, refusing to break their embrace as they looked deep into each other's eyes. They were only broken out of their love struck trance when a new set of voices were heard a little further away.

" _Twilight!_ "

" _Applejack!_ "

" _Rarity!_ "

" _Rainbow Dash!_ "

From there, the voices started to speak at the same time, saying all sorts of things at rapid speeds, making them sound jumbled and hard to understand. Luckily, the Mane Six didn't need to understand the words exactly. The tones and afflictions in the voices made it abundantly clear how who the voices belonged to were feeling. Plus the Mane Six saw the emotional looks on the faces of Spike, Starlight Glimmer, Big McIntosh, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they ran up to them. Instantly the mares' faces lit up with all the same emotions as some ran to meet their loved ones they hadn't of seen in so long.

Others wanted also wanted to run up and meet their incoming welcome home party so desperately, but couldn't get themselves to move.

" _Spike!_ " Twilight Sparkle exclaimed happily. " _Starlight Glimmer!_ "

" _Sweetie Belle!_ " Rarity called out emotionally.

" _Scootaloo!_ " Rainbow Dash yelped as she flew to meet her little sister.

" _Apple Bloom!_ " Applejack called out as she ran at top speed. " _Big Mac!_ "

Once everyone had officially reunited, you couldn't find a more emotionally fueled gathering. The biggest hugs were given, the most teary eyes wept in joy, and the happiest of words were exchanged as each side told the other how great it was to see them again. Even though Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy didn't technically have a family member or exact equivalent there to greet them, they were happy for everyone else. Eventually, at the insistence of the others, they got swept up in the moment, too, for those other ponies were still their friends as well. It was almost like pure peace on Earth had finally been found and was being shared with all those there celebrating in front of Twilight's castle.

It didn't seem like the good times were ever going to truly stop. But they did at least calm down long enough for everyone to gather themselves. The first of those to calm down were Twilight Sparkle and Spike. They took a few moments to wipe away their happy tears, still smiling all the while.

"You have no idea how good it is to see you again, Twilight," Spike said.

"Oh, yes I do," Twilight Sparkle said. "Because I'm just as happy to see you again, Spike."

"Oh, is that so?" Spike said, trying to sound competitive.

The two chuckled before exchanging another, more relaxed and softer hug. As the two embraced, Twilight Sparkle looked over to Starlight Glimmer who stood and stared on just as happily as though she were the one being hugged.

"Thank you for taking care of him for me while I was gone, Starlight Glimmer," Twilight Sparkle said.

"It was a pleasure, Twilight," Starlight Glimmer replied.

"Hey!" Spike said as he slightly pulled out of the hug to look at Twilight. "How do you know I wasn't the one taking care of her?"

The two ponies raised a brow as they smiled at the young dragon. He looked to both them with growing frustration before he groaned out, making the two mares giggle.

"I know because you were too busy taking care of everything else," Twilight Sparkle said. "Somepony needed to look out for you while you were looking out for everything else. Isn't that right, Spike?"

"Uh... ye... I..." Spike couldn't find the right words to say.

"Exactly," Starlight Glimmer interjected. "That's pretty much how it went. I mean, he even did all the items on your checklist... But he forgot to check them all off!"

Starlight's eyes went wide as she added an intentionally over dramatic tone to her voice for her last sentence. Spike looked to Starlight Glimmer with a hint of annoyance, but looked back to Twilight when she gasped and backed up a few steps to look at the dragon better.

"Oh, my gosh..." Twilight Sparkle said. "You actually did one of my checklists while I was gone and didn't wait until the last moment to do it?!"

"Well... uh... yeah," Spike admitted.

"Wait a minute..." Twilight Sparkle said. "If you only forgot to check it off this time... how do I know that's not what happened all those other times? You could've just done the lists and then acted like you were rushing to do them all after I got back."

"I think that's probably it," Starlight Glimmer said. "I know I kept seeing him disappear off to places all the time. Never knew where until now. Looks like he's actually a really hard worker even when you're gone."

"Uh..." Spike said as he kept looking back and forth between the two pony mares.

"Well, I must say I am most impressed," Twilight Sparkle said. "I really do have the number one assistant. I already knew I did, but it feels nice to rub it in other ponies' faces from time to time. Now I can do it more often."

"Well... I missed you, Twilight," Spike said. "I missed you a lot. Work sometimes distracts me from how I'm actually feeling... It didn't help much this time. Just know whenever you go off on one of these crazy missions without me, I'm always thinking about you."

"Aww," Twilight Sparkle cooed. "I'm always thinking about you, too, Spike. Still, I can't have you missing me _every_ time I go away... So I guess next time I'll have to take you with me."

Spike's eyes lit up.

"Really?!" the purple dragon asked.

"Absolutely," Twilight Sparkle said. "I can tell you've grown up enough to handle at least a few more of these kinds of missions than the ones you've been on before... Maybe one or two more. Point is, next time I go somewhere, you're coming with me. Deal?"

"More than a deal!" Spike exclaimed. "That's a promise! Thank you, Twilight!"

The purple and green scaled dragon then threw himself into the embrace of Twilight Sparkle, which she eagerly accepted.

"I really love you, Spike, you know that?" Twilight Sparkle said as she enjoyed her hug with her young ward.

Her reliable assistant was unable to make himself reply verbally. Spike just got lost in the hug he was sharing with his mother figure. Twilight Sparkle felt a wave of warmth spread through her as she silently thanked Celestia that she was finally home. She then turned to Starlight Glimmer, who continued to look on happily.

"I may have to take you with me next time, too, Starlight Glimmer," Twilight Sparkle said.

The light pink unicorn mare's eyes lit up just as Spike's had.

"You mean it?" Starlight Glimmer asked excitedly.

"Yes," Twilight Sparkle said as she and Spike broke off their hug. "I actually think you might need to. You're my student and one of the best ways you could learn is probably watching me in the field or going out yourself. I'll start you off with easier tasks, of course, but then slowly have you work your way up. But... if we should be called away on any more particularly dangerous missions, I'd say you should hang back as much as possible the first few times around.

"Don't want you picking off more than you can chew. What do you say?"

"Well, let me think about it," Starlight Glimmer said as she made a thinking pose. Instantly she broke it off as her eyes went big and a large smile plastered onto her face. " _Heck yeah!_ Of course I'll do it! Anytime you ask me to!

This whole waiting on the sidelines thing... Well, I don't care for it... Spike wasn't the only one worried about you, Twilight. So many other ponies were hoping you'd be all right, too, including me. These missions might get dangerous sometimes, but I'll take that over hiding in a corner wondering how my friends are any day.

"I'd rather be in the thick of it where I can keep an eye on you and know how you're doing, Or maybe I can even help you if the time calls for it."

"Couldn't have said it better," Spike said enthusiastically.

Starlight Glimmer and Twilight Sparkle then shared a hug before opening it up for Spike to join.

"Well, looks like you don't have any shortage of moral support waiting for you at home." Starlight, Twilight, and Spike all looked to see TJ leading Muse, Strong Courage, and Moon Bright over to them. "I can't say I'm really surprised, though. How could a pony as wonderful as you, Twilight, not have friends waiting for you at home who are just as wonderful?"

"Well, TJ, I _am_ the princess of friendship," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Ah, to me that's just a title," TJ said. "As far as I'm concerned, it's not what you're called, but what you do. But clearly you must've done something really spectacular to earn that title."

"She sure did," Spike said.

"I don't doubt it for a moment," TJ said.

"Spike, Starlight, you both remember Thunder Jack, right?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yeah, I do," Spike said.

"Of course," Starlight Glimmer said. "It's wonderful to see you again- You like being called TJ, right?"

"That is correct," TJ said as he shook hooves with the pony mare. "It's great to see you again too, Starlight Glimmer."

"You remember me, right?" Spike asked.

"Who could forget such an awesome little dragon?" TJ said before bumping his hoof against Spike's fist. "Hiya, Spike, it's really nice to see you again, too. Especially after hearing about how much of a help you really are to Twilight. I want to thank you for being such a big part of her life."

"Uh... no problem," Spike said with slight confusion.

"Sorry," TJ said. "It's just that... Twilight's come to mean a lot to me in the time we've spent together. All her friends have too, but..."

"We'll explain later," Twilight Sparkle interrupted.

"I think I might know," Starlight Glimmer said as a teasing smile crossed her face.

A light blush crossed TJ and Twilight's features as they smiled bashfully, Twilight rubbing a hoof across the back of her neck.

"Huh?" Spike asked in confusion. "I don't get it."

"And I love you for your innocence," TJ said.

"Okay then," Spike said. Suddenly his eyes bulged like a cartoon character's before running off. " _Rarity!_ "

"So much for innocence," TJ said.

"That's Spike for ya," Twilight Sparkle replied.

She then shared a laugh with TJ and Starlight.

"Too bad he took off in such a hurry," TJ said. "I was bringing my family over to meet him and you, too, Starlight Glimmer." The stallion then looked behind him and pointed a hoof as he began introductions. "This is my mom, Moon Bright, my dad, Strong Courage, and my little sister, Muse. Family, this is Starlight Glimmer, Twilight Sparkle's student in friendship."

"Oh, well then this is certainly a great honor," Moon Bright said. "Being introduced to such an important pony and one I'm sure is wonderful in her own right."

"Thank you, ma'am," Starlight Glimmer said graciously.

She then started shaking hooves with the ponies she'd just been introduced to.

"It's really nice to meet you, Starlight Glimmer," Strong Courage said.

"And it's a great pleasure to meet you, too- WHOA!" Starlight Glimmer stopped dead when her eyes fell upon Muse and just as she started shaking hooves with her. "You're an alicorn!"

"I am?" Muse asked as she looked to the wings folded at her sides. "Well, golly gee, I wonder when that could've happened. How long have I had those?"

"Uh- I'm sorry," Starlight Glimmer said as she got a hold of herself. "It's just that..."

"Alicorns are a rare sight here, are they?" Muse asked.

"Uh... yeah," Starlight Glimmer answered.

"That's okay, they're pretty rare where we came from, too," Muse said. She then looked around before putting a hoof up to the side of her mouth and leaning in closer. "In fact, you might even say I was the only one."

Starlight Glimmer looked at the playful alicorn with a look of uncertainty.

"Were you?" she finally asked.

"Yeah, I totally was," Muse said as she tried to stifle back her laughter. "Long story, but one I'd be glad to tell over time as we become friends!... Sorry for the weird introduction. I just like to have fun."

"Oh, nothing wrong with that," Starlight Glimmer said.

"Thanks," Muse said. "In all honesty it's a real pleasure to meet you, Starlight Glimmer. Twilight told me a lot about you."

"All the good things or all the things?" Starlight Glimmer questioned.

"All the things," Muse said. "But don't let the other things get you down. What matters is you're doing the good stuff now and that's all I care about. I'm sincerely looking forward to getting to know you better, Starlight Glimmer."

"Likewise, I'm sure," Starlight replied. "I hope you and I can become really good friends, Muse."

"I'd say it's almost guaranteed," Muse replied. "Oh, and don't worry. I'll be sure to point out any other alicorns if I see them."

"Starlight Glimmer then leaned in close to Twilight's ear as she lifted a hoof to the side of her face.

"I really like her," Starlight Glimmer whispered.

Twilight Sparkle then giggled before replying with, "I thought you might. Muse is a really likeable pony."

"Tell me more," Starlight Glimmer said.

"Why don't I let Muse do that?" Twilight Sparkle said.

"You can't," Moon Bright interjected.

"Why?" Twilight and Starlight asked at the same time.

"She's gone," TJ, Strong Courage, and Moon Bright all said in unison.

"Huh?!" Starlight and Twilight exclaimed together.

They looked to see that, indeed, the multi-colored alicorn had left.

"Yeah," TJ said. "She's _really_ excited to explore where our new home."

"Your new home?" Starlight Glimmer asked in confusion.

"What?" Moon Bright asked. "Do you think we teleported Pony Tale Island's entire pony population here for a day visit?"

"Well, no, but..."

"It's okay, Starlight Glimmer," Twilight Sparkle said. "We'll explain everything.

It was then that Starlight Glimmer finally noticed the glowing piece of jewelry around Twilight Sparkle's neck.

"Uh... Twilight... what's with the glowing gem stone on you necklace?" Starlight Glimmer asked.

"That'll be part of the explanation," Twilight Sparkle said before she shared a laugh with TJ and his parents.

Elsewhere, Rarity was enjoying a good snuggling hug with both Sweetie Belle and Spike.

"Ooh," Rarity cooed happily as she continued to hug the two youngsters close to her. "Neither of you have any idea how good it feels to have my two favorite snugglies back."

Spike couldn't help but blush at the pet name. Sweetie Belle was just happy to have her big sister back.

"We were all really worried about you, Rarity," Spike said as the hug broke off.

"Yeah, all of you," Sweetie Belle said. "I mean, you're my big sister, so I'll always be thinking of you first. But you took so many of our friends with you, too."

"Well, you know how it goes, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said. "Can I help it if I'm the center of our social circle?"

"You're the center of _every_ social circle," Sweetie Belle said.

"And don't you forget it," Rarity replied.

"You're certainly the center of my circle," Spike said as he looked on longingly. The two unicorn sisters took notice and smiled until the dragon whelp caught himself. "Duh- Yeah, we were all missing you guys, Rare."

Rarity and Sweetie Belle both giggled together.

"I can tell, Spikey-Wikey," Rarity said in her most cutesy voice. "Thank you for always caring so much about me... and everypony else."

The purple maned mare then leaned in and kissed Spike on the cheek. Before she could finish, the purple and green scaled whelp was pulled away by an unseen force. Spike yelped out as Rarity and Sweetie Belle both looked to see an alicorn holding the dragon in her hooves.

"Oh, my gosh!" Muse exclaimed. "Are you a baby dragon?! Ooh, you're so cute!"

"Uh- wha..?" Spike barely managed to say. He then shook himself back to his senses and looked on in amazement. "Wait a minute. Are you an alicorn?"

"Yes, I am and you're an adorable little dragon," Muse said. "We have so much in common in how unique we are! Oh, my gosh, that is so awesome! I just know we're gonna be the best of friends ever, ever!"

Muse started shaking Spike around as she continued to squeal in excitement.

"Rarity, you've got to help Spike!" Sweetie Belle said. "He's being attacked by a new rouge alicorn!"

"Oh, Sweetie Belle, darling," Rarity said. "Muse isn't attacking Spike, she's merely introducing-"

The expert fashionista was interrupted by Muse's loud gasp. Sweetie Belle and Rarity looked to see her gazing directly at the unicorn filly.

"Oh, my gosh, look at you!" Muse said as she dropped Spike. She then grabbed a hold of Sweetie Belle. "Is this your sister you were telling me about, Rarity?"

"Um, well, yes, Muse, darling," Rarity replied nervously.

"Help," Sweetie Belle barely managed to say before she was pulled away.

All Rarity could do was smile apologetically as Muse started smothering Sweetie Belle with her embrace.

"You are so adorable!" Muse exclaimed. "Rarity, you told me your sister and Spike were both cuties, but you didn't say they could stop a pony's heart with one beat! Ohh, I could snuggle them both forever!" Muse then picked up Spike with her magic and pulled him into her hug alongside Sweetie Belle. "We are gonna have such a great time bonding!

"Just look at those cute, chubby cheeks of yours! You were right, Rarity, he does have the cutest cheeks!"

"I hope she means my face," Spike managed to choke out.

"Really?" Sweetie Belle gasped out.

"Beats the alternative," Spike replied.

"Fair point," Sweetie Belle admitted as she struggled to breathe.

"Uh... Muse, darling," Rarity said. "While I do appreciate the fact that you adore Spikey-Poo and my sister- I mean, they are darling after all... But do you think... you'd be able to control yourself enough to let them... breathe?"

Muse stopped cold, her eyes widening before she looked down to see the two she held in her grasp were turning blue in the face.

"Oh!" Muse yelped before releasing Sweetie Belle and Spike. They dropped to the ground as the alicorn held her hooves up to her mouth. "I am _so_ sorry! I didn't mean to choke you. I was just- I mean..."

Muse flew down and helped Spike up to his feet while Rarity helped Sweetie Belle. "Again, I am so sorry... I just can't help it. I didn't expect to be this excited. I mean, this place- Ponyville right?- it's so beautiful. I really think I'm going to love living in Equestria!

"And then here comes you two who are just too cute to boot. I'm sorry, I really, really am."

"Hey, it's okay, I get it," Spike said. He then posed as he put a hand under his chin while smiling like a super model. "Who could resist a lady slayer face like this?"

"Exactly," Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Muse said together before sharing a laugh.

Spike didn't know how to take the collective reaction of the mares around him, which led to him just looking uncertain.

"And of course, who could forget you?" Muse said looking down at Sweetie Belle. "You're like Rarity if she was a small, cuddly, adorable filly."

"So, better?" Sweetie Belle inquired.

"Yep," Muse said.

"Hey!" Rarity blurted.

Muse and Sweetie Belle then shared a laugh before slapping hooves.

"We're just playing, Rare," Muse said. "We're bonding."

"I see that," Rarity said.

"Oh, don't be like that, Rarity," Muse said. "You already know you're a million bits, so why let what anyone else says bother you?"

"Especially when we think you're the bee's knees?" Sweetie Belle said.

"Forget the bee," Spike said. "As far as I'm concerned, you're the sweet honey center of the hive."

Muse, Sweetie Belle, and Rarity looked to the dragon for a moment with slightly uneasy expressions. After a moment or two, Spike coughed and nervously chuckled, his faces turning slightly red.

"Well... thank you all for such sweet compliments," Rarity said. "It's true, I know I'm fabulous, but so are all of you. You know that, right?"

"I can certainly tell you two are," Muse said, referring to Spike and Sweetie Belle.

"I'm starting to tell you're pretty great, too," Sweetie Belle said.

"I'm warming up to you, I can tell ya that," Spike said. "It was Muse, right?"

"Yes, sorry," Muse said. "It's a pleasure to meet both you, Sweetie Belle, and you, too, Spike."

"Nice to meet you, too," Spike and Sweetie Belle said at the same time.

Both of them were taken slightly aback as they looked to each other with uncertainty.

"Ooh, that is so cute!" Muse squealed. "I ship it!" The alicorn's three companions looked to her in confusion. "Never mind, not important. I can tell we're all gonna be the best of-"

Muse's eyes widened and her smile extended to greater lengths as she caught sight of something else. "Oh, my gosh, is that pegasus filly Scootaloo?!"

With that, Muse flew off as fast as her wings could carry her.

"She's sure... something," Spike said.

"Yes... I suppose she is," Rarity said.

"I don't know," Sweetie Belle said. "I kind of like her. She's funny."

"I thought so, too," Spike said. "And she's an alicorn. How wild is that?... She really does seem like a nice pony."

"Oh, she is to be sure," Rarity said. "I can't wait for you both to get to know her better. It'll be simply smashing."

The three smiled at one another for a moment before moving in for another shared hug.

"Ohh, it feels so good to be home," Rarity cooed.

Elsewhere, a less calm and reserved reunion was taking place. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were wrestling and rough housing like two elementary school friends would. After a moment, Rainbow Dash finally pinned Scootaloo down, laying on her back as she ruffled her hoof through the young filly's magenta mane.

"I really missed you, squirt!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "No way we should've been apart for so long."

"I missed you, too, Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said as the two started to get up.

Rainbow Dash had just finished helping Scootaloo up to her hooves before she was scooped up by Muse.

"So, this is your little sister, Rainbow Dash?" Muse said as she started swinging Scootaloo around while looking her over. "Well, not blood sisters, but still sisters for sure! I can dig it! I totally see why you two are so close! I mean, it's only first impressions, but I'm usually a good judge of character.

"And, based on first impressions, this Scootaloo here totally looks like she'd fit right in as your sister. Besides being basically a smaller, cutesy filly version of you, she's-" Muse gasped before dropping Scootaloo and looking away, her face bright as could be. "That must be Applejack's little- and actual blood related sister -Apple Bloom!"

With that, the alicorn was off again, leaving Rainbow Dash to look as surprised as Scootaloo felt.

"Are you okay, Scootaloo?" Rainbow Dash asked as she turned to check on her little friend.

"I'll live..." Scootaloo said. "Forever, in fact."

"That's the spirit," Rainbow Dash said approvingly.

"Now, was it just me or did a tornado in the shape of an alicorn just attack me?" Scootaloo asked.

"Nope, it's not just you," Rainbow Dash said. "That was Muse, one of our-" Rainbow Dash paused and looked around at the crowd "- _many_ new friends."

"I see," Scootaloo said.

"She wasn't really attacking you," Rainbow Dash said. "She's just really excited is all. She's actually a really nice pony,"

"Yeah, I can tell," Scootaloo said with a chuckle. "She really did seem nice."

"There's another really nice and superly _awesome_ pony I'd like you to meet," Rainbow Dash said.

Scootaloo slightly tilted her head to the side curiously.

"Okay, Rainbow Dash," the magenta maned pony replied. "Who's that?"

"Is the wrestling match over?" Firefly asked as she walked up to Rainbow Dash's side. "Who won? Who took the championship?"

"Whether I win or not, Scoots will always be number one in my book," Rainbow Dash said with a wink to Scootaloo.

The pegasus filly smiled in appreciation before a questioning look crossed her face.

"Is this the pony you wanted me to meet, Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked. "Because I think I might've already met her... You seem... kind of familiar somehow. I can't place it. I mean, I think part of it is your look.

"Don't get me wrong, you look awesome, but I don't think it's just that. You just have... something else about you. Is that totally weird?"

"Not at all," Firefly said. "Truth be told, you remind me of two someones I know, too."

"Really?" Scootaloo asked. "Who?"

"Well, there's myself," Firefly said. "And you also remind me a lot of my daughter."

"Your daughter?" Scootaloo asked. "How? Why? I'm so confused."

Rainbow Dash and Firefly both had to stifle back their laughter.

"We should really just tell her, Dashie," Firefly said.

"Okay, but be prepared to have your eardrums explode," Rainbow Dash said. The two of them then turned to Scootaloo, smiling kindly while somehow still looking as serious as could be. "Scootaloo... this is Firefly... She's my mom."

Scootaloo's jaw nearly hit the ground, it hung so low as her eyes bulged to unbelievable sizes. To her, it was almost the equivalent of finding out the secrets of life, a knowledge that was had been impossible for anypony to ever truly discover. But Scootaloo had just learned something she'd considered to be of equally epic proportions... and she could barely contain herself.

" _You're Rainbow Dash's mother?!_ " Scootaloo exclaimed in an excited, high pitched squeal of a voice. Rainbow Dash then covered her ears, Firefly doing the same. " _Oh... My... Gosh!_ "

Scootaloo fell onto her back and began to squeal like a nine year old who just got a new bike. Everyone turned and looked on in surprise at the sudden sound akin to a siren blaring from an ambulance driving down the street.

"Sounds like Scootaloo just met Rainbow Dash's mother," Twilight Sparkle yelled over the squealing.

"Wait!" Spike said, his group having convened with Twilight's. "Her mother?!"

After a moment, Rainbow Dash moved in and started rubbing her hoof behind Scootaloo's ear, instantly quieting her down and seemingly relaxing her.

"Why does that calm her down?" Firefly asked as she looked on in confusion.

"Nopony knows," Rainbow Dash answered.

Firefly just continued to look on with amusement.

"She sure is cute when she's calm like this, though," Firefly said. "She was cute before, but..."

"But this is quieter," Rainbow Dash said bluntly.

"Yeah," Firefly admitted.

Suddenly Scootaloo sprung up to her hooves and started jumping around as her body trembled with excitement.

"Oh, Celestia, I can't believe it!" Scootaloo exclaimed. She then pointed a hoof at Firefly. "I mean, it's you! You're you!"

"Last time I checked," Firefly said with amusement.

"I know, it's just-" Scootaloo began. "I've been waiting, dreaming... looking forward to the day I'd meet you and now I have. I love Rainbow Dash! She's like my sister! Now, I get to meet her mom, who's now sort of like my mom because you're Rainbow Dash's mom and we're sisters because she's so awesome!

"That means you're so awesome!"

Firefly laughed out loud at the hyperactive filly's reaction.

"And I'm sure you're pretty awesome, too," Firefly said as she put a hoof behind Scootaloo's ear and started rubbing it. "I'll also tell you something else. Based on what I've heard about you from Rainbow Dash and her friends... I'd be proud to call you my daughter, too."

Scootaloo gasped as a big grin stretched out across her face.

"Can... Can I call you mom?" Scootaloo asked.

"With how much you love my daughter, you can call me anything you want," Firefly said.

Scootaloo leaped up into Firefly's embrace, the two of them looking like as natural as an actual mother holding her daughter.

"Thank Celestia," Rainbow Dash said as she looked on happily.

"Dashie, what are you waiting for?" Firefly asked.

"Get in on this," Scootaloo demanded.

The light blue pegasus didn't need to be told twice. She ran up and put her hooves around both Firefly and Scootaloo. The moment felt about as perfect as it could be.

"This is awesome in a way I didn't think was even possible," Rainbow Dash said. "I was always hoping it would happen... Now that it has, I can't even... Wow."

"I hear ya, Dashie," Firefly said. "I feel the same way."

"I mean, just imagine how it's gonna be with Dad," Rainbow Dash said.

All of a sudden, Firefly's eyes snapped wide open like she'd just heard the sound of a gun going off.

"Uh... actually, Dashie, about that," Firefly said. Rainbow Dash pulled away a little to look at her mom. "I actually need to have a private talk with you about that. Yes, it's true, I'm back in Equestria, but with that means a lot of things I really need to go over both with you and a lot of other ponies... Your dad isn't one of them."

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What do you mean? I don't understand."

"I promise I'll explain when the time is right," Firefly said. "Until then, let's just keep enjoying the moment, okay?"

"Uh... okay," Rainbow Dash agreed.

"Thanks, Dashie," Firefly said.

"This is the best moment of my life," Scootaloo said.

"Me, too," Firefly and Rainbow Dash said together.

At the same time that was all happening, Applejack was wrapping up her own heart felt embrace with her older brother and younger sister.

"It feels like there's so much to say," Applejack said as the group hug was dispersed. "Like, I wanna tell y'all about everything I did back on the island. Everything that happened around me on the island. How I felt the whole time. All of it.

"But I don't know how to say it all right now... I can concentrate... I'm too excited seeing you both and being home again."

"We feel the same way, Applejack," Apple Bloom assured her big sister. "Don't we, Big Mac?"

"Eeyup," Big McIntosh said as he wiped away a happy tear. "We both love and appreciate you more than you could ever imagine, AJ. That's the honest truth."

"It really is," Apple Bloom chimed in. "As sad as it is having you go off on missions all the time, it's always a great feeling whenever you come back. Here's this amazing pony who does all these wild and adventurous things, but we get to have her to ourselves as a great family member. We get to play with you, live with you, all that. That's what makes it all worth it in the end.

"We love you, Applejack."

"E... Eeyup," Big McIntosh confirmed as he wiped away more tears.

"Aww, shucks," Applejack said before stretching out her hooves to her siblings. "Come here, all ya silly side winding feeling grabbers. One group hug ain't enough."

The trio of Apple siblings shared another big, warm, heart felt embrace and it was the best feeling in the world for them all.

"So, what all happened?!" Apple Bloom asked excitedly after the hug ended. "Tell us everything!"

"Eeyup!" Big Mac agreed enthusiastically.

"Well, golly... what all do ya wanna know first?" Applejack asked.

"Everything!" Big Mac and Apple Bloom said together.

"Ooh, ooh, tell us about the monsters!" Apple Bloom said. "Were they scary? Did Godzilla whoop 'em all?! No, no, tell us about all these ponies y'all brought with ya! Are they all from the island?!"

"Oh, my gosh!" Muse cried out as she came in and scooped up Apple Bloom. "You must be Apple Bloom, Applejack's little sister!"

"Uh... yeah," Apple Bloom replied, a hint of concern in her voice.

"Oh, my gosh, Applejack's told me so much about you!" Muse exclaimed. "I love that bow in your hair! It makes you look so much cuter and you already looked adorable to begin with! Applejack, why didn't you tell me your sister was so cute?!"

"I was too busy telling y'all the other great things about her," Applejack said.

"You told her about me?" Apple Bloom asked.

"She sure did!" Muse said. "She was always bragging on how great a little pony you are! Helping others with their cutie marks, all you had to go through to get yours; all that and more. It was actually really inspiring. Instantly I had a lot of respect for you."

"Oh... thanks," Apple Bloom said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Muse said as she lowered the Earth filly in her hooves back to the ground. "I'm Muse."

"She one of the new friends I made while I was on Pony Tale Island," Applejack explained.

"Oh, I see," Apple Bloom said. "It's really nice to meet you, Mu- Wait!... Are you an alicorn?"

"Why, yes, I am," Muse said. "Nice of you to notice... Sorry, it's just that a lot of ponies have been asking me that. I understand why, but still."

"I get it," Apple Bloom said. "It's a real pleasure to meet you, Muse."

"And it's an honor to meet you, Apple Bloom," the multi-colored alicorn said.

Her eyes suddenly darted forward, her face looking like she'd just seen the holy grail itself. Muse's eyes were fixated directly on Big McIntosh, who looked like the best thing in the world to the mare.

"Wha- I- Who- Da..." Muse wasn't able to find the right words to say at first. "Stop the presses, who are you?!"

Muse walked in closer to Big McIntosh.

"That's my big brother, Big Mac," Applejack introduced.

" _That's_ your brother?!" Muse exclaimed.

"Y'all like what ya see, do ya?" Applejack asked slyly.

"I like..." Muse said in a dreamy voice. "What a hunky piece of pony- Duh!... I mean..." The flustered alicorn tried her best to get herself under control, which didn't go as well as she would've liked.

"It's really nice to meet you, Big Mac," Muse said as she extended a shaky hoof.

"Eeyup," Big McIntosh said as he took Muse's hoof and then kissed it. This sent a visible jolt through the young alicorn's body, making everyone smile, including Big Mac. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too... little lady."

"Ah... the pleasure is all mine," Muse said still in a dreamy voice.

"You know, Big Mac," Applejack said. "Don't think just because your red I can't see the blush on your face."

"Hey, turns out our brother's a lady killer," Apple Bloom said. "Who'd a thunk it?"

The two sisters laughed while their older brother stood there looking somewhat embarrassed. It was nothing, however, compared to when Muse got a hold of herself.

"Uh... I gotta go," Muse said before flying off.

The Apple siblings watched her go, each one wearing varying levels of amusement on their faces.

"I can tell she's gonna be a lot of fun," Apple Bloom said.

"And how," Applejack confirmed. "Just wait until you get her around a lake."

Apple Bloom and Big McIntosh chuckled before sharing another emotional hug with Applejack.

"Wow, this is great," Pinkie Pie said as she and Fluttershy looked on.

"It really is, though," Fluttershy said. "I don't think I've ever seen such a big bunch of ponies this happy. I don't think I've ever been happier either."

"Why shouldn't ya be?!" Pinkie Pie asked. "Why shouldn't any of us be?! We saved the day and found a whole bunch of ponies a home much nicer than their last. Not that Pony Tale Island wasn't nice, but it was way too isolated for my tastes. Plus, there were all the years of minotaurs and monsters building up nothing but bad memories and then a volcano destroying the island before they could make good memories.

"These ponies might as well be saying to the minotaurs 'thanks for the memories even though they weren't so great'... Ooh, that's a good idea to base a song around. I wonder if anyone's thought of that... Copyright, Pinkie Pie, um... what year is it?"

Fluttershy felt like a deer caught in the headlights the entire time she was subjected to Pinkie Pie's non-stop babbling. Even now when there was a pause, the yellow furred pegasus was unable to bring herself to say anything, do anything, or move any sort of muscle. She was still taken aback by Pinkie Pie's bombardment of words.

"I... Uh..."

"What?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Too much?

"Little bit," Fluttershy said, barely raising a hoof.

"I can't help it," Pinkie Pie said. "Look at all this good stuff going on around us."

"It really is a good thing to see."

The two mares turned to see a familiar minotaur walking up to them.

"Oh, hi, Kerchek!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily.

"Why hello, Kerchek," Fluttershy said. "I'm glad to see you made the trip with us."

"Believe me, it's not nearly as glad as I am," Kerchek said. "I'd honestly never heard of this... Equestria before... But just looking at it, I can feel the splendor of this great nation. It doesn't even have to be utterly beautiful- which it is -for me to see the greatness of this fine country."

The three watched as the good times continued.

"Equestria really is a great place to live," Fluttershy said.

"I wouldn't want to live anywhere else," Pinkie Pie said enthusiastically.

"I don't blame you," Kerchek said.

"Does that mean you'll stay?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah, what's your plan now?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Kerchek seemed uncertain, having to think about it for a moment.

"I am not entirely sure," Kerchek said. "I may stay in Equestria for a little bit. But my ultimate goal is to one day return to my homeland of Almythara. I feel a great need to get back in touch with what my people are really about, to rediscover my real culture."

"I totally get that," Pinkie Pie said.

"So do I," Fluttershy said. "If I were you, I'd want to take a tripe of rediscovery, too."

"I was in a dark place for far too long," Kerchek said, a hint of deep emotion in his voice. "I want to thank you ponies once more for helping me get out of it."

"It's no problem," Pinkie Pie said. "We kind of have a knack for that."

"I can tell," Kerchek said.

"Don't sell yourself sort, though," Fluttershy said. "You took the first steps in getting yourself out of that place. If it weren't for you reaching out to us, who knows what would've happened?... True, we all got off to a... _rocky_ start. But eventually we were able to all get past it and I truly believe we were all better off for it."

"I agree completely," Kerchek said. "Thank you again... my friends."

The three smiled to one another as good feelings ran rampant. A short time later, they were joined by another pony who was feeling pretty good, too.

"Oh, my gosh, you guys!" Muse exclaimed as she came in for a landing. "Equestria's great! Or at least Ponyville is. I haven't seen the rest of Equestria yet... But I really want to!

"I'm sure the rest of Equestria is just as wonderful! Just this one place alone has made me feel so... Ooh, I just can't take how happy I am! I mean, you all have everything great here!" Muse then reached her hooves out and they came back with all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders in her grasp.

"Look at these adorable little fillies! They're so... well, adorable! Why didn't any of you tell me how adorable they were?!"

"I thought we did," Pinkie Pie said.

"You told me they were cute," Muse said. "You didn't say they were adorable enough to kill you with one, even the smallest, cutesy smile!"

"We need an adult," Scootaloo said.

"She is an adult," Apple Bloom said.

"Are you sure?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Muse then laughed out, which cued everyone else to do the same. Muse then gently lowered the three fillies she held to the ground.

"I'm so sorry for my hyperness," Muse said.

"It's fine," Apple Bloom said.

"We're just too cute to handle," Scootaloo said as she made a pose.

"Too much to resist," Apple Bloom said as she did her own pose.

"Too fabulous not to admire," Sweetie Belle said in a voice meant to imitate her sister's as she did her own pose as well.

"Are you three asking me for another bone crushing hug?" Muse asked. "Because it kind of seems like that's what you're asking."

The group then shared another laugh, followed by Muse letting out a sigh.

"So, I take it you like it here, Musey?" Fluttershy asked.

"Like it?" Muse said. "I absolutely love it here! I don't care that's only been like a bit! This place is so amazing! I don't think I'm ever gonna leave!"

"Ooh, I hope you don't!" Pinkie Pie said. "That means we can have slumber parties all- the- time!"

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Muse exclaimed. "That would be the best! We could all do it together! We'll stay up late swiping filly stories! Then in the morning... I'm making waffles!"

Pinkie Pie and Muse both squealed excitedly before they started dancing around excitedly. The Crusaders covered their ears, but Fluttershy and Kerchek just stood and stared in amusement. It was then that all their friends began to convene in the same area. Twilight Sparkle, TJ, Moon Bright, Rarity, Spike, Strong Courage, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Big McIntosh, Firefly, and Starlight Glimmer. All of them came together in one spot and in that moment it seemed like paradise had been found.

"Well... I'd say this was one heck of a homecoming," Twilight Sparkle said. "Wouldn't you all agree?"

Everypony agreed all at once.

Are you kidding?!" Muse inquired. "This is literally the best thing in the history of things!"

"That's the spirit, Muse," Applejack proclaimed. "I don't know when the last time was we all felt so good. Or at least, I sure as heck feel greater than a freshly grown apple in the sunlight with the morning dew dripping off its juicy exterior. How about you all?"

The others all spoke at great lengths of enthusiastic agreement.

"I wish this moment could last forever," Fluttershy said as she hugged Spike.

"It could if we let it," Scootaloo said as she and the other Crusaders hugged Twilight.

"Just because we'll move on doesn't mean we have to stop feeling so good," Firefly agreed.

"Well said, Mom, and squirt," Rainbow Dash agreed. "We can keep making each other feel like the best ponies possible even if we have to move on to other things."

"Which eventually we will," Starlight Glimmer said. "I mean, just look at all these ponies that need to be taken care of. You know, in terms of relocating them to good homes."

"Oh, I already have an idea for that," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's just gonna require some help."

"We'll help," all of Twilight Sparkle's friends said in unison.

This caused the alicorn princess to squeal happily.

"Thank you all," Twilight Sparkle replied. "I knew you'd all want to! You're too good of ponies not to! But, while I welcome any help I can get, I also need to go over it with the princesses."

"Oh, that's right!" Muse exclaimed. "There's other princesses here! I can't wait to meet them! I'll bet there majestic as can be!"

"Sis, you have no idea," TJ said.

"But you will," Pinkie Pie said.

"I really think they're gonna like you," Fluttershy said. "All of you."

"I already wanna hang out with the large lot of ya," Spike said.

"And I can't wait to hang out with you, too," Muse said. "All these other Ponyville ponies who came out to greet us, too!"

Muse then pointed a hoof, revealing nearly all of the citizens of Ponyville had gathered around the castle.

"Whoa," Apple Bloom said. "There's like more than double the ponies around your castle now, Twilight."

"The more the merrier I always say," Pinkie Pie said.

"Still, I think they might be here looking for an explanation," Twilight Sparkle said.

"We'd be happy to give it to them," Moon Bright said.

"That's okay, Moon Bright," Twilight Sparkle assured her. "I'll take the reins on this one."

Suddenly the sounds of something giant coming up behind them was heard. The group of friends looked to see Godzilla and Anguirus coming up to them. After a few careful steps, Godzilla just as carefully and gently lowered himself down to a sit.

"Oh, my gosh!" Sweetie Belle squealed. "It's Godzilla! Godzilla's back, too!"

"Hiya, buddy!" Scootaloo called up. "How've you been?!"

"Did you miss us?!" Apple Bloom asked excitedly.

The kaiju let out a series of low growls.

"He said 'always'," Fluttershy translated.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders giggled as they looked on excitedly.

"G-Dude!" Spike exclaimed. "It's great to see you again! We all missed ya around here!"

Godzilla roared out softly.

"He said it's great to be back and see us all together again," Fluttershy said. "He also said it's just as great getting to see all our new friends share this moment, too."

"Wait a moment!" Starlight exclaimed as she pointed a hoof at Anguirus. "Is that... another kaiju?!"

There was suddenly a sense of alarm and urgency, but for two different reasons among those in the group.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Twilight Sparkle said.

"You guys got it all wrong,!" Rainbow Dash and Muse said together.

The Mane Six and their group of friends from the island began talking at the same time as they tried to explain the situation with Anguirus.

"Princess Twilight!" a voice called loudly.

Everypony looked to see the grayish-yellow furred and gray maned (actually pink, but dyed gray) pony in charge of running Ponyville, Mayor Mare. She looked to be just as flustered as several of the citizens of Ponyville were.

"Mayor Mare!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as she flew up to meet the pony in charge. "I can explain."

"I sure hope you can!" Mayor Mare said. "Who are all these ponies?! I don't recognize them. What are they all doing out here in front of your castle? What was that light that somehow caused such a big earthquake?!

"Wh- What's going on?! Wh- What's happened?! And..." Mayor Mare gasped as she looked up. "Oh, my gosh, it's another kaiju!"

Several Ponyville ponies began to panic, some screaming, some trembling, some running away while others were too scared to even move.

"Oh, no! It _is_ another monster!"

"We're all in danger!"

"The horror! The _horror!_ "

"Come on, Godzilla, kill it! Save us from the beast!"

"Godzilla will handle it! He'll protect us all!"

"Godzilla's gonna save us!"

"Hurry up, Godzilla!"

"Everypony run!"

Godzilla and Anguirus both looked unsure, the latter looking very hurt as well. Seeing the crowd's effect on his friend's emotions put an angry scowl on Godzilla's face as low growls started to emit from his mouth.

"Wait, everypony!" Twilight Sparkle called out, being one of several ponies trying to calm the crowd. "Please!"

All the commotion and developing hysteria was interrupted by the immensely loud roar of Godzilla ringing out through the air. Instantly everyone and everything else stopped dead as all eyes fell on the mighty king of the monsters. His roar lasted a bit longer, but he eventually stopped when he was certain he had everyone's attention. Godzilla then looked around at everypony before letting out an angry snort. His eyes fell on Fluttershy as he told her everything was okay, but to please explain to Ponyville what the deal was with Anguirus.

"Okay," Fluttershy said.

She was about to take to the air when Twilight Sparkle put a hoof on the shoulder. The violet furred alicorn gave her friend a reassuring smile. Silently Twilight volunteered to speak with the town because she knew Fluttershy's issues with speaking in front of large crowds. Fluttershy smiled in appreciation before watching Twilight Sparkle fly up.

"Okay, everypony, listen up!" Twilight Sparkle announced loudly. "Now, you may have noticed there are a lot of ponies here you've never seen before. We're a pretty tight nitched community here in Ponyville, so we'd all know if there's a new pony in town. Yes, there are several new ponies in town in this case, but it's for a really good reason. For a time, these ponies all lived in forced solitude on an island far away where they had to deal with so much hardship.

"These include slavery, abuse, living in constant fear, attack, constant life domination, and even mass murder. All this these ponies had to deal with on a day-to-day basis. But they were finally able to reach out to us here in Equestria, begging us to help them because they felt the fight they were putting up wasn't enough. They tried handling it on their own and they couldn't. Even if the situation didn't have potentially world affecting implications-

"Which it did," Pinkie Pie inserted.

"-we still would've said yes," Twilight Sparkle went on. "These are absolutely horrible things that nopony should have to deal with on such a basis, let alone at all."

"Oh, did we mention this also included evil kaiju?" Applejack asked.

" _Actually_ evil kaiju," TJ added before nodding reassuringly to Anguirus.

There were several stunned mutters amongst the crowd.

"Yes, that's right," Twilight Sparkle said. She then looked to Anguirus before pointing at him. "Anguirus _use_ to be one! But he broke free of the bonds of evil that held him back from being the good hearted, well spirited kaiju he is today! For so long he was the first and last line of defense for these ponies he defended by himself the same way Godzilla's defended us several times before!"

"But then Godzilla and these wonderful ponies came to our aid!" Strong Courage interjected as he pointed around to the Mane Six. "With their forces working in tandem with ours, we were able to conquer our oppressors and ensure peace for us and the whole world!"

"Unfortunately, it came at the cost of their island home," Twilight Sparkle said. "Yes, the whole island was destroyed in the process of us fighting the good fight... That's why we brought these ponies and Anguirus here! They did so much, had to go through such horrible things to protect themselves."

"While also doing it for the whole world," Pinkie Pie said.

"That includes all of us!" Rarity added.

"But they still need a new home as a result of what happened to their island!" Fluttershy added as she flew up to Twilight's side. "Equestria has always been a country all about helping others, promoting peace and harmony, and doing the best we can for each other just as much as for ourselves."

"So we ask you this everypony," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Are you really going to turn these ponies away because they're different?" Rainbow Dash asked as she flew up to Twilight's other side. "Or because they have their own kaiju even though he's actually a pretty cool dude just like G is? I mean, think about it. We'll have two totally awesome kaiju looking out for us and not just one, which we were already doing pretty good with!"

"Besides that, they're all still living beings who need and deserve our help," Twilight Sparkle said. "Are you going to help us give it to them?"

For a moment, there was a lull of silence in the air as if everyone and everything needed to take in all that had happened. While Twilight and all her friends waited expectantly, the crowd of ponies still looked unsure. Whispers and mutters faintly filled the air as ponies conversed about all they'd just heard. Some eyes wandered over to the new kaiju while others looked to all the new ponies that had been displaced from their home. Then there were those who looked over to see Godzilla had the same demeanor as his pony friends as he waited for the town's answer.

A few looked back over to Anguirus... and the feeling was almost nerve wracking. It was like they were seeing him for the first time, because they were starting to look beyond his monstrous exterior. They now saw the deep understanding and even the emotion on his face and in his eyes. This sent a wave of relief across the crowd that allowed the majority of them to relax as they realized Anguirus was not what they thought he was. They were slowly starting to see Anguirus was all the good things Twilight and the others said he was.

It was then that a gray furred, blond maned pegasus mare flew up out of the crowd. She flew in a direct course up to Anguirus, seemingly fearless. She had a big, goofy smile on her face the whole time as one eye looked ahead and the other looked off the side somewhat. A surprise Anguirus watched the pony approach, not noticing the smile developing on Godzilla's face. The mare stopped a few feet in front of Anguirus' snout as the kaiju tried to get over his shock and look as friendly as he could.

The pegasus pony then reached behind her and pulled out (seemingly from nowhere) a muffin three times her size.

"Godzilla really liked the greeting muffin I gave him when we first met," Derpy Hooves said in her adorably quirky voice. "Do you think you'd like one, too?"

There were many stunned and surprised reactions, including from Anguirus himself. He couldn't believe he was receiving this kind of introduction with an individual pony, especially after the one he had with the crowd. Anguirus turned to Godzilla who beamed as he nodded his head reassuringly. Anguirus then looked to all his pony friend, who all smiled and nodded as well. Finally the spiky monster turned to back to Derpy Hooves, who smiled all the brighter.

It finally got to be too much and the monster was unable to keep his face from lighting up. He nodded his head as he gently and graciously accepted the muffin, carefully grabbing it in his mouth from Derpy's hooves. He forced it deeper into his mouth, chewed it up, and swallowed it like it was the best thing he'd ever eaten. Anguirus then looked and lightly roared to Derpy Hooves as she happily clapped her front hooves together.

"You're very welcome!" Derpy Hooves said. "There's plenty more where that came from!"

Suddenly cheers and applause erupted from all those around. About the only one not cheering or applauding was Godzilla, though it was clear by his look and demeanor he approved greatly.

"Whew," Pinkie Pie said as she wiped sweat from her brow. "Glad that went well."

"Let's hope it stays that way," TJ said.

Suddenly a chorus of trumpets sounding off was heard coming from somewhere in the distance. Everyone turned and looked to see a royal escort approaching.

"Oh, my gosh!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

"Could it be?!" Strong Courage asked in amazement.

"It has to be!" Moon Bright said. "There's no other explanation."

"What y'all are thinkin' is right on the money!" Applejack assured her friends.

Strong Courage and Moon Bright turned to their son, who nodded enthusiastically.

"You mean... it's her?" Muse asked in awe. "Or- the other her- Duh, or... them?!"

"It's certainly one of the three!" Pinkie Pie said before letting out a soft, yet sqeauky little giggle of excitement.

"I don't believe it!" TJ excitedly whispered to Twilight. "Could this get any more perfect?!"

"I certainly hope so," Twilight Sparkle said, though she slightly feared whoever was coming could have the same initial reaction as the Ponyville ponies did.

Luckily, the mass majority of the town's ponies seemed to have settle down and had actually become quite accepting of the situation. They all watched expectantly as the escort got closer. Several pegasus ponies decked out in gold and silver armor flew ahead and alongside of a golden carriage being pulled along by four pegasi in bronze armor. As the royal escort got closer, it became fairly clear it was none other than the great princess of the sun that was on her way in the carriage. Many a pony marveled at the sight of the alicorn mare, finding her presence to be a very welcomed one.

If there was anything overshadowing her majesty at that moment, it was only the presence of not one, but two towering giants of creation (Godzilla and Anguirus). Everyone cleared a path for the princess and all her escorts to make a safe and relaxed landing. After that, Princess Celestia gracefully exited her carriage and made her way over to Princess Twilight Sparkle and the others. Not a single pony's head was raised as everyone, even all the former islanders bowed in respect to this stunning sight of a pony. Something about her just made everyone instantly want to respect her like the royal monarch she was.

The subtly charismatic pony stopped a few feet in front of Twilight Sparkle, who couldn't help but look up. Even from this angle, the princess of the sun looked as angelic and beautiful as could be, especially with the motherly smile on her face.

"Please rise, Princess Twilight," Princess Celestia requested in the most genuinely, non-condescending, motherly voice there ever was. She then looked around, making the same request without having to raise her voice a great deal. "Please, everypony, please rise."

Everyone did as the princess of Equestria asked and looked on in anticipation.

"Wow," Muse whispered. She then leaned over to Fluttershy. "She's... really something else."

"You have no idea," Fluttershy whispered back.

"There was word of a strange light that could be seen in Ponyville," Princess Celestia explained. "There was also a slight tremor felt in Canterlot. I knew it couldn't have been a coincidence, so I came out here as fast as I could... You have absolutely no idea how happy I am that I did. I said it was an investigation I wanted to handle personally, which was true.

"But deep down I was hoping in my heart of hearts it was a sign of your return. Now that I know it is, I cannot begin to describe the joy I feel inside. I don't think any words will ever really be able to... But maybe a small gesture."

Celestia then reached out and pulled Twilight Sparkle into a hug she eagerly accepted. Everyone who saw this felt their hearts melting, especially Twilight's friends and the former island ponies. Just viewing such a genuine moment of compassion made them feel all the warmer inside. It got even better when, with just a look, Celestia asked for the rest of the Mane Six to join in. Eagerly they all accepted, which made the moment all the more beautiful to everyone looking on.

The hug seemed like it could last forever and some felt okay with that. Others, however, including those involved directly with the embrace, knew they needed to move on to other matters. After the group embrace was broken up, Princess Celestia took a look around.

"I take it your presence here means the mission was a success?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Yes," Twilight Sparkle said, having finally managed to find her voice after being unable to make herself say a word before. But then a hint of sadness came to her features. "But it came at a great cost."

"Oh?" Princess Celestia said, the concern in her voice and on her face being plain. "What was that?"

"I... I'm afraid... Pony Tale Island is no more," Twilight Sparkle said. A visibly shaken Celestia looked distraught. "We did manage to fight back what was a cult of minotaurs with access to weaponized giant monsters... But in the process, a chain of events we were unable to stop led to the island meeting a burning, melting, and explosive demise... The only way to save what pony lives were left on the island was to teleport them back here with us.

"Now they need our help in finding new homes here in Equestria."

"They certainly do," Princess Celestia said. "And I will do everything it takes to see to it that they get it." She then looked out to the crowd. "Attention, everypony, particularly those who lived on Pony Tale Island, this is a most important announcement.

"I have just been informed by Princess Twilight Sparkle of the tragedy that has befallen you poor island ponies. What has happened is horrible and you deserve so much better. So, please know that I Princess Celestia will not let your sacrifice go unanswered. You will all be taken care of, given the best medical treatment, the finest food, the most soothing drinks, and lavish lodging while we work to give you permanent new homes."

"I already have some places in mind for some of you here in Ponyville!" Mayor Mare interjected. "You can rest assured that the offices of Ponyville take the care of refugees very seriously and will offer all the support it can in this situation."

"Technically it may not be official right now," Princess Celestia said. "But you can all consider yourselves true citizens of Equestria. We're proud and honored to have you."

The Ponyville ponies all agreed whole heartedly while the island ponies all began to cheer, some of them with tears in their eyes. Pretty soon the mass majority of ponies were all in on the celebration. Ponyville ponies went up and eagerly introduced themselves to the island ponies who graciously accepted their friendship.

"Wow... this is so great!" TJ said as he looked around. "I can't believe it! Everything really is gonna be all right!"

"You're darn tootin' it is!" Applejack confirmed.

"I haven't felt goosebumps like this since..." Firefly began. "Well, since the last time I saw the princess."

"I lived in Equestria for years and never got the pleasure," Strong Courage said.

"Well then, let's not hold off on that any longer," Rarity said.

"Come on, guys, you're gonna meet the princess!" Pinkie Pie squealed.

Muse gasped as she eagerly followed.

"The process of housing these ponies must begin immediately," Princess Celestia said. "There isn't a time to waste."

"No, I know," Twilight Sparkle said. "I completely agree with you."

The majestic white furred alicorn's eyes fell upon the Earth pony stallion at her former student's side.

"TJ, wasn't it?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Uh- Yes, ma'am, Your Highness, ma'am," TJ said nervously as he bowed.

"That is fine, young man," Princess Celestia said with a giggle. "You can just call me Celestia. Also, please don't feel the need to bow every time you talk to me. Think of me more as a friend than a monarch."

"Yes, Your Hi- I mean, Celestia," TJ said. He started to bow, but managed to stop himself. "It's nice to see you again."

"It's also very nice to see you again as well, TJ," Princess Celestia said in her most pleasant voice. "You honor me and all of Equestria with the return of your presence."

"Thank you so much for such a sweet compliment, princess," TJ said. "But if I honor Equestria with anyone's presence, it's only with those of my family, all of whom I'd like to introduce to you."

"I'd love to meet them," Princess Celestia as her features brightened even more.

TJ moved to the side, allowing his family to step up and properly meet the sun princess.

"This is my mom and dad, Moon Bright and Strong Courage," TJ said.

The two bowed respectfully to the most regal of ponies they'd ever seen.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance and be at your service, Your Majesty," Strong Courage said.

"The pleasure is all mine, good sir," Princess Celestia said. "I see where TJ gets his great character from... Not to mention his handsome looks."

TJ and Strong Courage had to fight with all their might to keep from looking embarrassed. Try as they might, though, it was easy to tell the pretty princess's words got to them a little. Everypony who caught wind of the two Earth stallions' reactions didn't even try to hide their amusement.

"And, of course, it's wonderful to meet you, Ms. Moon Bright," Princess Celestia said.

"Oh, thank you, sweetie," Moon Bright said happily. "That is, it's wonderful to meet a pony as great and grand as yourself, Princess Celestia. No wonder Twilight turned out to be the great pony she did under your apprenticeship. She's told us so many great things about you and I can tell they're all true just by looking at you."

"Oh, what a delight you are," Princess Celestia said with a giggle. "I could say the same for TJ having you both as parents. He's been such a pleasant pony every time we've interacted and I'm certain you're a big part of it."

"Well, thank you, deary," Moon Bright said. "But let's not forget they both had to grow up be those great ponies. So, you could say they were just as big a part of it, if not much bigger."

"That is certainly true," Princess Celestia said as she and TJ's parents smiled to the young stallion and the alicorn next to him. Then her eyes fell upon a particular pony. "Ooh, who is this lovely young lady?... Are... Are you an alicorn?"

"Princess Celestia, this pony here is my little sister, Muse," TJ said as he trotted over and put a hoof around his sister. "Also, yes, she is an alicorn. It's a long story."

"Uh- I- Uh- Um..." Muse couldn't believe she was messing up in front of such an important pony. Her anger at her own inabilities to speak was flustering her all the more. "What I mean to say is... I'm really, really, really happy to meet you, ma'am."

Princess Celestia giggled in delight.

"Well, thank you, young Muse," the white furred alicorn said sincerely. "It's wonderful to meet you, too. It's been a joy to meet everypony in TJ's family. But I must say... you, Muse, hold a particular interest to me."

"Hey, I'm always happy to meet another alicorn, too," Muse said. "Just imagine how I was meeting Twilight for the first time."

"I can only imagine," Princess Celestia said. "Well, that's not entirely true. I've known Twilight long enough to know anypony who meets her would be head-over-heels about it regardless if she's an alicorn or not."

"Celestia, please," Twilight Sparkle said as she rubbed a hoof over the back of her neck and blushed.

"I understand a lot of that was... because she was your student," Muse said. "I... um..."

Muse was also starting to turn red, finding herself only able to smile, as did Celestia, only hers was much more calm and reserved.

"Well, anyways, it is a pleasure to meet you, Muse, just like it was to meet the rest of your family," Celestia said. "Although I think I'll be keeping the closest eye on you."

"Don't blame ya, princess," Pinkie Pie said as she came up to Muse's side.

"Muse is an absolute sweetheart," Fluttershy said as she came up to the alicorn's other side.

Muse kept on smiling and blushing as she looked to her friends who flashed her looks of support and encouragement.

"I must say, Twilight, so far these ponies you've brought here have been wonderful to meet," Princess Celestia said. "Are all of them this wonderful?"

"Absolutely," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I can personally vouch for all of them," TJ said enthusiastically, getting several ponies to laugh.

"Although, I think I like some of them a lot more than I like that guy!" Twilight Sparkle said as she pointed to TJ.

"Hey!" TJ let out in surprise.

Everypony laughed as TJ playfully lunged for Twilight Sparkle, making her scream. The crowd was all the more amused at the playful shenanigans and light wrestling between the happy couple.

"Now, children, let's all calm down now," Princes Celestia said like a typical house mother.

"Don't make us have to separate you," Strong Courage said like a stern dad.

"The heck with that!" Moon Bright said, sounding the most positive she had in a long time. "Keep at it, kids! Rough each other up a good bunch! Let it out!"

Ponies laughed out loud, all of them feeling the best they had in a long time. Even Twilight and TJ stopped and laughed with the rest of the crowd before hugging each other close and kissing passionately. This caught many ponies' attention, some of them looking stunned, some of them looking amused, and others being a combination of the two.

"I knew it," Starlight Glimmer boasted as she looked on with a smile.

Spike's shocked expression slowly turned into an angry snarl as green flames spurted from his nostrils and steam spouted from his ears. He was about ready to lunge forward, feeling a protective instinct for his mother figure. However, some of his friends quickly caught wind of this. Fluttershy and Big McIntosh quickly caught the determined young dragon while Rarity moved in and quickly kissed him on the cheek. Instantly all of Spike's pint up rage faded away as a goofy grin spread over the dragon's face and hearts filled his eyes.

"Works every time," Rarity said.

"It's gotta be true," Pinkie Pie said as she pointed. "Just look."

The ponies turned their attention back to Twilight Sparkle and TJ as they finished their make out session. They took a few more moments to look into each other's eyes before noticing they were the focus of everyone else's gaze.

"Sign me up for the next dangerous island mission," Apple Bloom whispered to the other Crusaders with a hoof to the side of her mouth.

"Ditto," Scootaloo said.

"Amen!" Sweetie Belle agreed enthusiastically.

"Is it always gonna be like this when we kiss?" TJ whispered in Twilight's ear. "Not that I'm complaining. It's just that it could probably get old after a while."

"I hear ya," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'm honestly not sure if this will keep happening. Part of me is hoping not... and the other part doesn't mind so much."

"Well, my dear Twilight," Princess Celestia said with a renewed interest in her voice. "It looks like you found a bit more than just a bunch of new friends and Equestrian citizens on that island. Or should I say _much_ more?"

TJ and Twilight both smiled bashfully as they saw everyone continuing to gaze at them. Some looks seemed a bit teasing while others were caught up in what they thought was the cutest thing they'd ever seen.

"I guess you could say that," Twilight Sparkle replied.

Princess Celestia giggled before her ears caught the sound of the low growls from two rather big creatures standing in the background. She then looked up to see said creatures looking on happily.

"And look what we have here," Princess Celestia said. "Hello there, Godzilla, Your Majesty."

The white alicorn then bowed in respect of the title the great kaiju had been given, that being king of the monsters. Godzilla then roared in reply as he slightly bowed his head in respect to the princess of the sun.

"It's wonderful to see you again," Princess Celestia said. "I see you brought your own little friend home with you."

"You mean, you're not scared of him?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Not in the slightest," Princess Celestia said. This made Anguirus' face light up as an excited yelp escaped his mouth, making a few ponies laugh, including Celestia. "I'll admit I was a bit concerned when I first saw him from afar. But once I realized he was standing alongside everyone else, not attacking while sounds of joy and celebration were going on, I figured there could be only one answer."

"And what was that, Ms. Celestia?" Muse asked.

This got a giggle from several ponies.

"He must be friend, not foe," Princess Celestia explained. "You could see how happy he looked and how happy Godzilla also looked, even from how far away I was when I spotted them. So, if Godzilla was not only not attacking this kaiju, but also looked happy to have him here while everyone else seemed happy, why shouldn't I be be happy to have him, too?"

The Mane Six and several of their friends cheered loudly, starting a chain reaction with the rest of the crowd.

"Princess, you have no idea how happy we are to hear that!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Seriously!" Rainbow Dash agreed. "That kaiju right there, Anguirus!" Rainbow Dash pointed to the spiky shelled monster. "He played a huge part in helping us defeat the minotaur cult!"

"He was also our greatest hero before we were able to come here and get your guys's help!" TJ explained further.

"Anguirus was always a great friend to us," Moon Bright said.

"He always put his all into trying to protect us," Strong Courage said. "It was like he felt his only mission in life was to try and keep us safe."

"Because that's exactly how he _did_ feel," Muse said. "I could tell from all the time he and I spent together. Just as Godzilla was the big guardian for you, so was Anguirus for us."

"But he didn't hesitate to stay involved even after we came along," Fluttershy said.

"He stayed in there even when it looked like he was at death's door," Firefly said.

"He stuck it out and helped us save the day!" TJ said.

"He's as much a hero as anyone I've ever met," Twilight Sparkle said.

"After seeing him in the flesh and hearing about all his heroics on the island, there's no doubt in my mind," Princess Celestia said. She then looked upward. "Anguirus, as impressive and admirable as tales of your great efforts are, I do not need them to see the gold your heart is made of. You remind me so much of Godzilla right there with you and many wonderful ponies I know." The alicorn then winked to Twilight and her friends before continuing on.

"Just like all these other wonderufl new ponies we have here with us, you can consider yourself just as much a welcomed citizen of Equestria as any other. That includes Godzilla."

Anguirus looked to the great saurian and roared questioningly, to which he nodded with a proud smile on his face.

"Seriously, he has papers!" Pinkie Pie said as she held up a document certifying Godzilla's status as an official citizen of Equestria.

This stunned several ponies to see.

"Is that the actual certificate?" Muse questioned.

"No, it's just a copy Pinkie carries around," Rainbow Dash answered.

"But she doesn't no it's a fake," Applejack whispered into Muse's ear.

"So don't tell her," Rarity whispered.

"Don't tell her what?" Muse asked before making a zipping motion across her mouth with her hoof.

"Good girl," Applejack said before lightly tapping her hoof against Muse's shoulder.

"Dude, could today get any better?!" TJ asked.

"This is one thing I truly missed," Twilight Sparkle said as she looked to Celestia. "Your ability to make everyone so much happier even when they think they reached their peek."

Princess Celestia laughed as she lifted a hoof to her slightly embarrassed, but still smiling expression.

"Well, thank you, Twilight," Princess Celestia said. "I missed that quality in you, as well. Luckily, it's back as are all of you and I couldn't be happier. But more pleasantries will have to wait for later I'm afraid. We've got a lot of new citizens we need to take care of. Besides papers, they all need housing, feeding, shelter, everything you could think of."

"Way ahead of you," Twilight Sparkle said before turning to the crowd. "Until all you ponies can be found permanent homes, the castle of friendship is being opened to any and all ponies it can fit as a shelter."

"The rest of you will be taken care of by my cabinet!" Mayor Mare interjected. "We won't let you go without proper care. You're all living, breathing beings and deserve to be treated as such. We're going to take extra special care of you. I promise!"

Once again ponies erupted in jubilation. It just seemed like enough good things couldn't happen that day and the love was just going to keep on spreading. Princess Celestia looked on proudly.

"My subjects never cease to amaze me," Princess Celestia said.

"This is the greatest day of my life," Muse boasted.

"Me, too!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed before she and Muse started dancing together in celebration.

"You think they'll let us choose where we're relocated to in Equestria?" TJ asked.

"I almost guarantee it," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah, why wouldn't they?" Firefly asked.

"Exactly," Moon Bright and Strong Courage agreed together.

"In that case-" TJ said as he turned his admiring eyes on Twilight Sparkle. "-I know just where I'm gonna ask to be put."

"There's always a room for you in Ponyville at my castle," Twilight Sparkle responded.

"Tell me more," TJ said.

A warning growl escaped the jaws of Godzilla who looked on like a stern father. This made a few ponies uncomfortable, but none more than TJ.

"He's just reminding you that you two still need to have a talk," Fluttershy said.

"Yes, sir," TJ replied to the kaiju.

"Um, Celestia," Twilight Sparkle said. The alicorn princess turned to her former prized pupil. "Could I perhaps see you in my castle? I have a lot of things to go over with you in addition to getting these ponies taken care of."

"Like what sort of things, Twilight Sparkle?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Well, I'd like to give you my full mission report about what happened on Pony Tale Island," Twilight Sparkle said before her expression turned stone serious. "Plus we _really_ need to discuss something about a dark part of Equestria's past you may not be aware of."

"Oh, my," Princess Celestia said. "Well, that all certainly sounds like things we definitely do need to talk about... But a part of me thinks I should remain here to look after these ponies directly. At least until they're all housed."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty," Mayor Mare assured the princess. "My cabinet and I are on top of it. We'll make sure these ponies are taken care of."

"We're all helping, too," Fluttershy said.

"Are you sure?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Absolutely!" Rainbow Dash said. "These ponies are our new friends!" The rainbow maned pony then looked to her mother proudly. "And some of them are even our family. You bet we're gonna make sure they're taken care of!"

As many different ponies spoke in agreement, all Princess Celestia could do was look on proudly.

"In that case, for now, I leave it in your capable hooves," Princess Celestia said. "I know with how great your hearts are, these ponies will be taken great care of. I do still plan to be more directly involved, but for now... lead the way, Twilight."

"As you wish," Twilight Sparkle said as she and Celestia started walking away.

The violet alicorn then motioned for Spike to join them, to which the little dragon eagerly obliged. Twilight then turned her eyes to TJ, who gave her a reassuring wink before putting a hoof to his heart and then extending it to her. The princess of friendship responded by blowing her new beau a kiss before walking away.

"Does your mission report detail how all _that_ came about?" Princess Celestia asked teasingly. Twilight could only blush and smile bashfully. "And does it also explain why there's a glowing gem that looks like an Element of Harmony around your neck?"

"All that and more," Twilight Sparkle assured her former teacher.

* * *

 **This isn't the end. There's still about 2 chapters left. A few more loose ends need to be tied up before this story truly draws to a close.**


	44. Chapter 44: Black & White

"That about wraps up my mission report, Princess Celestia," Twilight Sparkle finished.

She then looked around the rotunda meeting room, taking a moment to soak it back in like she had the rest of her castle. Or at least the parts she had seen since coming back from her quest on Pony Tale Island. Much like when she was outside the castle before, Twilight had to take a moment to reabsorb what had been such familiar sights to her before she'd left. Luckily for her, the adjustment back became increasingly easier and more natural, aided greatly by her sheer joy at being home and done with her mission. Everything was feeling right with Twilight Sparkle, her surroundings being just as warm and welcoming sights as she'd ever had.

She felt it a bit ironic since before she'd actually been partially hesitant to accept the castle that was now her dwelling. She'd had grown such an attachment to her old home, the Golden Oak Library and still hadn't gotten over its destruction at the hands of a most evil adversary. But thanks to the passage of time and some touches to the castle from her friends, Twilight was more than happy to call it her home. _Besides, anything's better than what I had to deal with on the island._

Twilight's reflections on her home were halted when she saw the expression on Princess Celestia's face. The alicorn princess of the sun looked about as stunned and awed as could be as she sat in her seat at the round table. She had spent an extensive amount of time listening as Twilight Sparkle went over every detail of what she and her friends had all gone through and experienced on Pony Tale Island. From the bitter struggle with the minotaur cult, Isarem, the kaiju battles, Muse being an alicorn, the Alpha Stones, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning; all of this and more. Twilight Sparkle wanted to make absolutely sure Princess Celestia got the whole picture, despite having difficulties in places such as Surelious' sacrifice and the island's demise.

It was a lot for Twilight Sparkle to unload, both from a memory standpoint and an emotional one. It almost seemed like it was just as much for Princess Celestia to take in, like she was somehow actually experiencing all those things herself. It was quite a trip for the alicorn princess to say the least. The same could be said for Spike, who was standing off to the side writing down the bulk of the conversation taking place between Twilight Sparkle and the princess named Celestia. There were several times where his jaw nearly dropped to the floor, where he found it hard to write or concentrate on anything while listening to Twilight's story.

"Well..." Princess Celestia finally said after taking a moment to let everything sink in. "That... certainly seemed like it was all pretty important to discuss. You were right to take me aside so I could hear your mission report, Twilight. I- I can't even begin to truly imagine how it must've felt having to go through all that. I guess I was able to somewhat get the idea.

"But I also think I couldn't get the true experience unless I was actually there... A part of me thinks that I probably should've been. Just the horrific details of some of the things you told me about just make my skin crawl and my heart break. I don't just mean from your perspective, Twilight, or even your friends. I'm also referring to all the anguish those poor island ponies must have had to suffer.

"Can you imagine fifty years of all that they had to go through before it culminated in them losing their island?"

"I honestly try not to," Twilight Sparkle answered bluntly. "I don't think anypony who didn't experience it all could truly comprehend it, even with the glimpse I got. I don't think anypony should have to try to understand it either, let alone go through it. It's just... it's just an awful scenario no matter what angle you look at it from."

"Yes, I agree," Princess Celestia said. "Living under the iron rule of a bunch of savage minotaurs who prayed to death like it was a concept of faith, something to worship like a deity... It sounds so wretched, especially when you consider they let this insanity drive them to the point of trying to destroy a whole planet with a giant monster. It all sounds too outrageous to believe."

"Still, it happened," Twilight Sparkle said. "But we mustn't forget that while this tale was such a dark and rocky one in ways that could never really be explained... it has a happy ending. Despite it all, these ponies have never seemed happier than when they were standing on Equestrian soil and told that it was their new home. I'd never seen any of them like that at all during my time on the island."

"Even TJ?" Princess Celestia asked with a teasing tone in her voice and a sly smile on her face.

Twilight Sparkle could only smile back, though the slight annoyance on her face from her former mentor's teasing was plain to see.

Celestia just chuckled before she said, "Come now, Twilight, you know I have to tease you just a little bit."

The violet furred mare shook her head, though she looked amused at the same time she looked annoyed.

"I... guess so," Twilight said half heartedly.

"In all seriousness, though, Twilight" Princess Celestia said, "I'm truly proud to hear our land has made so many happy just by stepping hoof on it. Alicorns above know this bunch deserves any sort of aid and relief they can get. While it does my heart good to know our great country is loved so much, we mustn't lose sight of the original reasons why. We also mustn't pat ourselves on the back too much for it."

"I agree," Twilight Sparkle said. "What makes Equestria so great is we help those who need it."

"Right now," Princess Celestia interjected, "I can't think of any ponies who need it or deserve it more than those poor islanders."

"I couldn't agree more," Twilight Sparkle said. "They're all good souls that deserve to finally catch a break."

"True," Princess Celestia said. Then her mood and demeanor changed, her expression being one of amusement. "But one might think that a particular pony amongst the crowd already got the biggest break he could ask for."

Twilight's head tilted slightly to the side as she looked at her former mentor in confusion.

"What do you mean by that?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "Which pony are you talking about?"

Princess Celestia was unable to keep from laughing out.

"Oh, come, come, Twilight," Celestia said. "I'm talking about TJ, of course. He must feel like the luckiest pony in the world right about now. Getting to find love in the heart of an alicorn princess... especially one so fair, must make him feel like he's floating on cloud nine."

A smile instantly came to the face Twilight Sparkle as she started to blush redder than the freshest tomatoes.

"Of course it looks like his new lady feels about the same I'd say," Princess Celestia said.

Spike had to stifle back a low growl, though he was unable to keep from snapping the pin he was holding in two with his dragon grip.

"Oh, come on, princess," Twilight Sparkle said. "You know TJ doesn't care if I'm an alicorn or not... Besides, I... He... We..."

Princess Celestia laughed again.

"I know, Twilight," Princess Celestia assured. "I was merely having some fun at your expense. Just teasing is all. You got to expect that from those around you now that you have a very special somepony."

"I know," Twilight Sparkle said. "I've already gotten quite a bit of it from the rest of my friends."

"Just imagine how much more you'll have to go through when Cadance and Luna both find out," Princess Celestia said.

"Oh, horse apples," Twilight Sparkle said in an exasperated tone.

Despite that, she joined Princess Celestia for a round of laughter.

"Despite my... _ribbing_ ," Princess Celestia said, "I am truly happy for you that you found somepony you feel so strongly for and who feels so strongly for you. I've been around long enough to instantly recognize the spark that ignites between two ponies who care so much for each other. I felt a whole fireworks show going off between the two of you. I had always hoped you'd find somepony special like that and now that you have I couldn't be prouder."

"So, you approve?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Oh, of course!" Princess Celestia said. "TJ is a great pony who's done many great things and had to go through so much to get to where he's at right now. He more than deserves something special and as far as I'm concerned, he truly got it in you. Of course, I'm also glad he makes you so happy. But why should you need my approval or anypony's if the two of you are happy together?"

"Oh, I don't know," Twilight said. "I guess it's just that... You've been such a figurehead in my life, Celestia, almost like a second mother. Your approval has always meant the world to me. I'd never want to do something you didn't think highly of."

"And would it matter if I said I didn't approve of your relationship with TJ?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Um... Well... No, I guess not," Twilight Sparkle admitted. "But it's nice to have you on the same page as me."

"I could never get in the way of true love," Princess Celestia assured her fellow alicorn. "Especially when it comes to a pony I care so much for myself. Every time you find some way to be happy, Twilight, you always go for it no matter what. Okay?"

"Okay, Princess Celestia," Twilight Sparkle replied.

"I can tell the feelings between you two are real," the white furred alicorn with the flowing tri-colored mane went on. "Never let them go and always hold TJ close to your heart like I know he will always hold you close to his."

"I love him, Princess Celestia," Twilight Sparkle said. "I love him so much."

"Bleh," Spike groaned in the background. "Gag me with a maggot."

"Um, excuse me." Twilight, Spike, and Celestia looked to see an officially dressed Earth stallion entering the room with an open scroll of paper. "I'm sorry, is this a bad time, Your Majesties?"

"No, not at all," Twilight Sparkle answered.

"Please, come forth," Princess Celestia followed up.

"Oh, good," the official said. He then held the piece of paper up to his glasses. "I just wanted to let you know that so far preparations for relocation and housing are progressing smoothly. Everypony involved with this project is working as diligently on it as possible... Although a pink Earth pony, a blue pegasus, and a pink one seem like they might be a little _too involved_."

Princess Celestia laughed while Twilight Sparkle just shook her head. _Oh, those three,_ Twilight thought to herself.

"Is there anything else, good sir?" Princess Celestia inquired.

"Uh.. oh, yes!" the blue stallion said. He quickly looked back down to his scroll. "Princess Celestia, your sister Princess Luna has arrived with more personnel to aid in this undertaking. She only arrived shortly ago, but she's already taking a very hooves on approach and getting directly involved in the housing and relocation project."

"As I knew she would," Princess Celestia said proudly.

"Oh, yes and one more thing, Princess Twilight Sparkle," the stallion said.

"Yes?" the violet furred mare inquired.

"There's still no sign of the ponies you requested we keep a specific eye out for," the stallion said. "No ponies fitting your precise descriptions in terms of coat, mane, or cutie mark altogether has been seen of the ponies that have checked into the housing authority. But that's only just as yet; there's still a chance we might find them. It'll just be hard picking out two specific ponies in a whole crowd of refugees is all."

"I see," Twilight Sparkle said as she nodded her head understandingly. "Is that all?"

"Yes, I do believe it is for now," the stallion reported.

"Then you may go," Twilight Sparkle said. "Thank you for keeping us informed, Pen Stroke."

"Yes, Your Majesties," the stallion said with a respectful bow before departing.

Twilight Sparkle then exhaled a deep sigh of exhaustion, emotional drain, and slight disappointment. Princess Celestia caught hint of the last feeling in her fellow princess's release of breath.

"You're troubled by the fact that those two ponies you're looking for still haven't turned up, dear Twilight?" the alicorn inquired.

Twilight Sparkle looked to her superior with a glum face before nodding solemnly.

"I guess you could say that," Twilight Sparkle said.

"You mustn't let yourself become disheartened," Princess Celestia said.

"Yeah," Spike interjected. "Like the dude said, they could still turn up... But are we sure that's a good thing considering how you described them?"

"We... _might_ want to exercise some caution in looking for them," Princess Celestia said. "Assuming those two ponies did make the trip back with all of you as you believe they did, Twilight, they could still be dangerous. The way you described their interactions with you and the others... makes me wonder what the best way to approach them is."

"I understand what both of you are trying to say," Twilight Sparkle replied. "I guess... I guess I just thought handing them a second chance might un-sour them a little... You know, they really did go through a lot before we ever met judging by what they told me. If what they said is true, I'd be lying if I told you I didn't understand why they ended up the way they did."

"We are all products of our environment growing up in some way," Princess Celestia agreed.

"But I was hoping I could help them turn their lives around," Twilight Sparkle went on. "Oh, well. I guess it's just a foolish thing to think about; assuming because I tried to save them they'd become all roses and hugs."

"Not at all," Princess Celestia said. "Twilight, listen to me. You've seen it a few different time in the past. Several different antagonists you and your friends faced that were threats of varying levels came back from the dark side because of the kindness that was shown to them. Because they were given a second chance, they did their best to turn their lives around. Look no further than your own student, Starlight Glimmer or even Discord.

"So don't ever believe that wanting to help another pony turn their lives around by showing them kindness is ever a bad thing. It's all just a matter of presentation, how you go about it, and how far gone the pony in question is."

"I guess you're right, Princess Celestia," Twilight Sparkle said before smiling. "Thank you... Still, that won't mean anything if we can't find them. I really wish I could know for certain if they made the trip back with us. I know I made it a point to teleport them with us both times."

"Then you'd think they would've ended up with you all," Princess Celestia said. "Especially with that little jewel of yours there. I believe you refer to it as an Alpha Stone and that originally it was one of four?"

"Yes, indeed," Twilight Sparkle said as she looked down at the jewel in the necklace still around her neck. "It was the most powerful of the four, too." Twilight Sparkle used her telekinesis to take the necklace off her so she could stare at the glowing stone more directly. "I honestly never thought anything like this could exist. I mean, sure there were the Elements of Harmony and the Rainbow Powers...

"But, and I hate to say it, they pale in comparison to the power this gem displayed."

"I would say so if what you told me it did to Godzilla is true," Princess Celestia said.

"Oh, believe me, it's true," Twilight Sparkle said. "You don't doubt me, do you?"

"Not you, Twilight," Princess Celestia cleared up. "It's just so fantastic, the idea that this Alpha Stone not only restored a being as great as Godzilla, but installed within him even greater power. Power far beyond what I would think is possible for any living creature. Even one like Godzilla."

"And Godzilla was already crazy powerful to begin with," Spike said. "You have to admit what you said that stone did to him sounds pretty wild. It sounds super awesome, but because of how wild it sounds."

"No, I know," Twilight Sparkle said. "Part of me didn't fully believe it the first time I saw the transformation the Alpha Stone put Godzilla through either. I thought it might've been a trick of the light from the flames around us in that area. But I quickly realized that wasn't the case when Godzilla was glowing even brighter than any of the flames around him... It was really true... Godzilla had become even more of a god among insects because of this stone... which has great godly power in its own right."

"Fascinating," Princess Celestia said. "Do you think it alone might be more powerful than Godzilla?"

"I don't want to say for sure," Twilight Sparkle said. "At least not yet. Not until there's been more study of it... I will say I think it has the potential to become more powerful than him in the future."

"What do you mean?" Spike asked.

"Well..." Twilight began, "when I was on the boat with everyone else waiting for Godzilla, after I did the power transfer, the gem wasn't glowing at all. It seemed like whatever fire was inside with such an intense light was dead... But then the most incredible thing happened... The Alpha Stone started glowing again. I was astonished; we all were, but it was true.

"Everypony saw the light starting to come back to the Alpha Stone. It was actually recharging itself."

"Sounds like that was the case all right," Princess Celestia agreed.

"Amazing," Spike said in awe.

"Astonishing," Princess Celestia added.

"Just like I said," Princess Twilight Sparkle responded. "But then that led me to thinking something else. If the Alpha Stone can recharge itself... what if it can also increase its own power over time?"

Both Spike and Celestia seemed stunned by the possibility the princess of friendship had suggested. The young dragon seemed a little bit more taken aback than Celestia, but it was clear she was quite enthralled with the idea.

"You're saying," Princess Celestia said, "that this stone could one day have the power of a hundred Godzillas?"

"Maybe even a thousand," Twilight Sparkle said. "Or even a million. However, that's more so a speculation. Like I said, I'll need to do more studying on this stone before I can know anything about it for sure."

"If that is, indeed the case," Princess Celestia said, "do you think the same could've been true for the other stones? The ones that were destroyed?"

"I don't see why not," Twilight Sparkle said. "If one stone can do it, why shouldn't we believe the same wouldn't be true for the others?"

"And you say these Alpha Stones were made by a whole race of alicorns?" Princess Celestia asked.

"That's what we were told," Twilight Sparkle answered. "I wasn't able to get any facts to support that suggestion, though. I mean, besides how blatantly powerful the stones were."

"Wow," Spike said. "Imagine all the new power that Equestria could've had... Then again, think of the power we actually _do_ have with that one stone since apparently it was the most powerful of them."

"That's true, Spike," Twilight Sparkle said. "But it shouldn't be a power we rely on that much."

"Why not?" Spike asked.

"Absolute power can corrupt absolutely," Twilight Sparkle said. "Or at least that's how I feel. I'm honestly kind of glad the other stones were destroyed. Having that much power in the realm of mortals sounds like too much of a responsibility as far as I'm concerned. Just look at the minotaurs.

"They had all this power and took it as a sign to use it to destroy the world for their cause. One Alpha Stone alone might be one too much. But it's here and we need to use it as responsibly as we can. To me, that means using it only in the biggest of emergencies. Which leads to another reason for keeping the Alpha Stone in reserve: becoming too reliant on it.

"Equestria's stood for many thousands of years long before all the power we have at our disposal now. It stayed that way because of all the hard work ponies put in to keeping it that way. I feel that's how it should always be. We should always be more reliant on ourselves and trust ourselves to do it before trying to pass it off to someone or something else. That's why we don't call in Godzilla for every little thing or Discord either.

"With obvious exceptions, we should try to fix things ourselves first before turning to other sources."

There was a quiet moment where Spike and Celestia took in everything Twilight had just got done saying. It didn't take long for them to fully understand the points Twilight Sparkle was trying to make and just as long for them to agree.

"I guess you're right, Twilight," Spike conceded.

"I agree with you one hundred percent," Princess Celestia agreed. "Also, I have to admire the faith you have in the ponies of Equestria to keep the country the beautiful place it's always been. Personally, I more so interested in the implications of the stone's existence than actually using it." The alicorn rose from her seat and stepped over to Twilight, her eyes fixated on the Alpha Stone. "Just imagine, a whole race of alicorns.

"The very idea fascinates me... A whole bunch of ponies out there more like me... my sister..." Celestia then turned to Twilight Sparkle "like you. I absolutely love my subjects... every single one of them. But it would be nice to have at least a few more ponies that I could relate to... on... well, this level." Princess Celestia then spread her wings out, looking regal as could be before folding them up again.

"We hardly knew our mother, Twilight. Our father we didn't know at all. Then... when I lost Luna... When I was forced to do... what I did... It was all the more lonely... in a certain way. I was lucky to be surrounded by ponies who genuinely cared for me, regardless of if they were alicorns or not. It got even better when you and your friends helped give my sister back to me. That is something I'll always be grateful to all of you for."

Twilight Sparkle smiled gratefully before a thought crossed her mind.

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle said. "What you said about wanting more alicorns to relate to. Is that the reason you turned me into an alicorn... or Cadance into one?"

"No," Princess Celestia said bluntly. "Your ascensions to alicorn-hood came at times where I believed it was in Equestria's best interest that there be more. With the growing number of threats continuing to mount up, I knew I wouldn't be enough to hold them all off. At least not forever... for more reasons than I care to admit... I do have to say, though, that even I have my limits.

"But I never thought they should be Equestria's limits, too. For that reason, I knew I needed to do something to make Equestria's future more secure. I needed alicorns that were powerful enough to protect, but wise enough to lead should the need ever arise. But I also knew I needed specific ponies to become princesses. It couldn't have been somepony just off the street.

"I had to be as smart and as careful as I could possibly be in the choices I made. I needed just the right ponies for the part and I must say, I think I chose rather wisely. While yours and Cadance's ascensions weren't what I had in mind at first, over time it just became clearer to me that was the right direction for you both. The fact that I have more winged and horned pals around is just a lucky bonus. As my tests for you both went on and you kept passing with flying colors, so I knew it was more or less meant to be.

"I was serious when I said I made the right choice, Twilight. Both you girls have exceeded my expectations to heights beyond anything I could ever imagine. I am so very proud of you both. I am proud of Cadance for her taking over the Crystal Empire and being able to rule over it so efficiently. For you, Twilight, I am proud because you've spread the magic of friendship so far and wide making it as strong as its ever been.

"Plus you do it while being able to save the whole world from terrible disasters like the one averted with your trip to Pony Tale Island. You do all of Equestria proud with your efforts, as do your friends with theirs. Even more so when you all work together.

"Wow," Twilight Sparkle let out in a stunned tone. "Thank you so much, Princess Celestia... I.. I'm overwhelmed."

The alicorn of the sun simply walked up to Twilight Sparkle and hugged her close.

"It has never been my greater pleasure, Twilight," Princess Celestia said.

For a long moment, Twilight just let herself get lost in the embrace of the pony who in so many ways had become like a second mother to her. She always did everything she could to get Celestia's approval. Even when the princess told her to relax and not try so hard, Twilight Sparkle always gave it a hundred percent because she felt Celestia was worth it. More than her approval, Twilight Sparkle wanted the motherly love she now knew she would always have from Celestia. _Doesn't mean I won't stop working so hard to please her... even though I probably should._

But then suddenly a shiver came in the back of her mind as she remembered something she really felt like she needed to talk about with Celestia. She didn't want to, but a part of her felt it had to be addressed despite her hesitations.

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yes, Twilight?" Princess Celestia asked, recognizing the tiniest shake in her fellow alicorn's voice. "What is it, my child?"

"You remember those two ponies, right?" Twilight said as she and Celestia released their hug. "You know, the ones I told you about?"

"Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning I believe you said they called themselves," Princess Celestia replied. "But, if I'm remembering this correctly, their actual names given at birth were Lilly Berry and Sky Bolt?"

"Yes," Twilight Sparkle said. "Do you remember the part in my mission report where they had told me why they were on the side they were while we were fighting them in the monster lab? About the foster program throughout Equestria and how corrupt I guess it was?"

A look of deep emotional regret came across Princess Celestia's face.

"Yes, I do," Princess Celestia said.

"Well... I've got to ask," Twilight Sparkle hesitantly said. "Is that true?"

"Yes," Princess Celestia said. "It is very true about the foster system."

Twilight Sparkle looked stunned, but for all the wrong reasons. This was not what she was hoping to hear, but a part of her felt it wasn't unexpected.

"Okay then," Twilight Sparkle said. "I just want to say ahead of time, I am not directly blaming you. I just want to understand something... Why... why did the foster program get as corrupted as it did under your care?"

Princess Celestia let out a sigh as more regret grew in her.

"Because the foster program wasn't under my care, Twilight," Princess Celestia said. "At least not directly... Not at first."

"What do you mean?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Twilight, you understand what it takes to run a country, right?" Princess Celestia replied.

"I do have a good idea," Twilight Sparkle said. "I use to research just for the heck of it as your student, but got serious about it after I became a princess, too."

"Then you will understand everything I am about to say," Princess Celestia said, sounding as serious as ever. "Yes, I am an alicorn princess in charge at the top along with my sister. Yes, the biggest decisions are mine to make and I usually get final say... but a country still needs more than two to run it. It takes a whole system of many hundreds and thousands of ponies to run every last little detail such as taxes, legislation, permits, and zoning. That's not even scratching the surface of all that needs to be handled on a daily basis by the system, which is itself made up several tinier systems of ponies.

"Those smaller systems are the biggest part of what helps keep the main system going. While I have a small hoof in all of them, and could have a bigger one if I wanted, my responsibilities are just spread too thin. So I have to put a lot of faith in the ponies running those systems... Unfortunately, faith can be misplaced and systems can be corrupted. It doesn't take much to do it... only one pony can make a big difference in the grand scheme of things."

"Is that what happened?" Spike asked as he walked up to Twilight's side.

"Yes, Spike, I'm afraid so," Princess Celestia said. "Apparently ponies who cared more about keeping their jobs while trying to make them as easy as possible made their way into the foster system. It happens more often than you would think. Ponies look for every shortcut, every simplification, everything so that they don't have to do the workload that's expected of them. That's what happened at the foster program.

"In sort, they were taking the easy way out... and foals all across the country paid for it."

"I don't believe it," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I'm afraid it's true," Princess Celestia said. "It wasn't uncommon for ponies without proper background checks to be accepted as foster parents in our system among other gross negligence that put children in danger. The foster system had been outrageously mishandled for a good long while before its state of disarray ever reached my attention."

"What about the letters that were written to you, Princess Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "Didn't they give you a heads up to what was going on? Surely you received others from foals besides the ones Lilly Berry and Sky Bolt wrote."

"Twilight... I never received any letters," Princess Celestia explained.

Twilight and Spike gasped.

"But... how?" they both said together.

"One of those smaller systems I mentioned is my own personal mail system," Princess Celestia said. "As the ruler of Equestria, I am mailed and messaged many different things from personal letters to legal documents and just about everything else you can think of. I try to answer as many of them as I can myself, but it's just too much even for a pony like me. Therefore I required a whole group of ponies to help sort through what I received and what required my immediate attention and so on and so forth. At first, none of the letters wrote to me by foals in the foster system ever reached me."

"So there were others besides Lilly and Sky?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Oh, yes," Princess Celestia said. "Quite a few."

"How did you find out about them then?" Spike asked.

"Garbage ponies," Princes Celestia said.

"Huh?" Twilight and Spike both asked in confusion.

"Well meaning, good hearted garbage ponies," Princess Celestia said. "Turns out a lot of those letters got thrown out, some without ever being opened. Some were even thrown out before a mail pony could take them out of the mail boxes."

"No doubt the so called _foster parents_ trying to keep themselves from being exposed," a frustrated Spike said with much contempt.

"Indeed," Princess Celestia said. "One particular young stallion working as a garbage pony made it a point to see me personally. He had to go through a lot of red tape, but he managed to pull it off. He met me, showed me the letters he recovered... and you can rest assured... the foster system went through an extensive overhaul and reformation. Everypony who ever brought harm to a child or put them in harm's way because of their unwillingness to do their job was punished... as harshly as I could."

The darker demeanor of the princess somewhat surprised Twilight Sparkle and Spike. But at the same time, they completely understood where she was coming from.

"Wow," Spike said. "This whole running a country thing is far more complicated than I thought it was."

"You're not the first one to say that, Spike," Princess Celestia said. "I took a more active role in running the foster system for a while. I still drop in on it for inspection much more than I used to, but I have a lot of faith in the ponies running it now. A lot of them are good friends of mine with great hearts... a lot like you and your friends, Twilight. You too, Spike."

"That's great to hear," Twilight Sparkle said. "Too bad the foster reform couldn't come in time to help Lilly and Sky, though. It probably could've helped steer them away from the dark path they ended up taking."

"I would certainly like to think so," Princess Celestia. "If only that could've been... If only the system had not become so twisted and distorted... If only I could've stopped it from the beginning. I've faced many regrets in my rein, Twilight, some worse than others.

"What I consider to be one of the biggest failures of my rein, though, was allowing poor, innocent, misplaced foals to fall victim to such monsters. Both the irresponsible ponies that were their foster parents... and the grossly negligent ponies who put them there."

"You can't put that on just yourself, though," Twilight Sparkle said. "Like you said, princess, it takes a whole system to run a country. But that also means it had to take other ponies in that system to let it go sour. You weren't directly involved in the hiring process I assume?"

"Well... no," Princess Celestia said. "That's a constant that requires ponies to be there all the time, which is simply something I can't do."

"Right," Twilight Sparkle said. "So it's just as much their fault that this ended up happening. Truthfully, I don't think the failure of the foster care system should be a reflection on you at all. You're such a great heart, Princess Celestia, and I know that were you there to oversee everything personally, the system never would've gotten corrupted the way it did... Ever!"

"Well... maybe," Princess Celestia said. "It just breaks my heart to hear some of the things you described. You said those ponies told you they were wrapped up in duct tape?"

"And thrown in a crib in a dark room," Twilight Sparkle said. "It honestly makes my heart wrench, too. But I still say that's not your fault. Had you gotten those letters right away, you've would've acted right then and there, right?"

"Absolutely," Princess Celestia said, putting an extra oomph into her voice.

"Exactly," Spike said. "So you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. It was just out of your control. Don't give me the 'you're the princess' thing'. After you explained how the system works, it sounds a whole lot more reasonable to say that and you know it."

Twilight Sparkle's eyes bulged like a cartoon character's upon realizing what she had just said to her former mentor. However, a grateful smile crossed Princess Celestia's face, although it was clear she still had some dark feelings on the subject. Both Twilight Sparkle and Spike felt the same way, so neither of them blamed her.

"Thank you both," Princess Celestia said. "I just wish I could've done more to help back then."

"You may not be able to change what happened in the past," Twilight Sparkle said. "But you can make a huge difference by helping right now with the refugees that still need shelter and housing."

Celestia's face lit up.

"You're right, Twilight," Princess Celestia said enthusiastically. "There are many new citizens of our fair country who need our help! We owe it to them to give them the best we can offer. Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?"

"Nope," Twilight Sparkle said. "This debriefing is officially over. Now, let's all go help those new Equestrian ponies!"

"Can I help, too?" Spike asked.

"Didn't you hear me?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "I said let's _all_ go help. Now, come on!"

"All right!" Spike exclaimed before heading for the door.

Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight Sparkle followed close behind. As they made their way through the castle, Twilight couldn't help but let several thoughts run through her head, some of them being her own regrets. _I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Lilly Berry and Sky Bolt. I'm sorry you couldn't be helped back when you were kids. If only things could've been different..._

 _I don't know where either of you could be right now... But wherever you might be... whatever life you might choose to lead... I hope it becomes better for you._

* * *

 **The Everfree Forest:**

 _Why?... Why did you do it? Why did you not only spare our lives... but bring us here with all of them?... With you?_

 _Why?_

"K- Khaos."

The gray furred unicorn mare had been staring off at her new, strange, almost alien surroundings. She had allowed herself to get lost in the sights as well as her own thoughts. But upon hearing her ailing brother's pain filled voice call her name, she instantly turned to him.

"Yes, brother, I'm here," Khaos Fury said as she knelt down to his side. "But please try not to talk or move around too much. I don't want you to do anything too strenuous."

"How could talking... be strenuous?" Dark Lightning barely managed to say.

Despite the position he was in, the black stallion managed to force a smile for his sister, which allowed a much sadder one to cross her own face.

"You're the one who sounds like he's about to pass out after every other word, you tell me," Khaos Fury said as she wiped away a tear.

"You just don't want to hear my voice," Dark Lightning moaned. "Looks like nothing ever changes. How typical.

"Hey, nothing's worked yet, has it?" Khaos Fury said.

"And nothing ever will either," Dark Lightning replied.

The two then shared a small laugh, but Dark Lightning was instantly forced to stop by the growing pain in his ribs. He groaned out as he reached a hoof to where he was aching the most, but Khaos Fury quickly brushed it aside.

"Don't grab at it, Dark," Khaos Fury insisted. "That'll only make it hurt more. Let me take care of it."

The unicorn mare's horn lit up as she brought it closer to her brother's body. Several waves were released from the horn's tip that washed over Dark Lightning's body. As it continued, the stallion did start to feel some relief from the pain. In addition to the pain regressing spell, Khaos Fury was also casting a spell that was actually meant to treat injuries directly. It did repair some damage to Dark Lightning's body, but not enough to make a difference.

But he was still laying on the ground in a world of hurt despite his sister's best efforts. Khaos Fury tried to make both spells stretch out for as long as possible to give her brother all the aid she could. Unfortunately it put far too much of a strain on herself, which kept getting worse the more she continued on. It finally came to a point where Khaos Fury was forced to stop, for her head felt like it was in a crushing vice. The unfortunate side effect of using such magic forced Khaos Fury to stop casting her spell long before she'd intended.

She was then hit with another harsh reality in addition to the pain in her head. Her whole body was suffering as well. Khaos Fury was unable to keep herself from heaving heavily every time she breathed. She just felt so drained and exhausted. Upon seeing the toll the spell had taken on his sister, Dark Lightning was greatly alarmed.

"Khaos, stop!" Dark Lightning demanded, though his voice was still strained.

"Don't tell me... what to do!" Khaos Fury spat back between breaths.

"I hate seeing you put yourself through this," Dark Lightning said, not even trying to fight past the strain talking put him through. "I don't want you trying to make me feel better if it means you do this to yourself."

"Well, I don't want to feel well if it means I can't help you," Khaos Fury spat back. "I love you, Dark Lightning. I'd do anything for you."

"I'd do anything for you, too," Dark Lightning said. "I'd even die for you... I mean, I almost have a few times already, haven't I?"

The two chuckled a little before they fell into a moment of silence. At first they were just staring at each other, but that got to be uncomfortable for them both. The two ended up turning away to look at their surroundings.

"Oh, and I love you too, sis," Dark Lightning finally said.

"Thank you, Sk- Dark Lightning," Khaos Fury said before smiling to her sibling.

"Wow..." Dark Lightning said as he turned back to the forest surrounding them both. "Just look at this place... I know we were both on the whole 'we hate life trip'. But... this place does look kind of nice, you have to admit."

The unicorn mare was silent for a second or two as she looked out at the Everfree Forest.

"Yeah," Khaos Fury finally agreed. "I guess it really is."

"Were there places this nice in the parts of Equestria we lived in?" Dark Lightning asked. "I'm... asking because... all I can remember were the not so good parts."

"Truth be told, I don't really remember either," Khaos Fury answered. "Although, it's not impossible, I guess."

"Why did she do it, Khaos Fury?" Dark Lightning asked. "Why'd that... alicorn princess alicorn teleport us into Seaside Hoof with everyone else and then make sure we got here with them? Because you know it had to be her."

Khaos Fury looked around as irritation crossed her face.

"I've been asking myself that same question over and over again in my head," Khaos Fury replied. "Even as soon as I realized I wasn't dragging you through the caves anymore. Once I looked around, I instantly knew we were in that town with all those ponies surrounding us. I knew it was because that Twilight Sparkle had teleported us there. But for the life of me I can't understand why.

"Does she think there's some sort of hope where she can turn us to her side or something? What a freaking joke. Whatever motive she might've had, there's no chance it would ever work out in her favor."

"So then... what are we gonna do?" Dark Lightning asked.

"I'm not exactly sure right now," Khaos Fury admitted. "This whole thing's still got me topsy-turvy right now to be honest."

"Well... would you want us to make a strike against Princess Twilight or something?" Dark Lightning asked.

"I don't know," Khaos Fury said. She thought about it for a moment. "No... At least, not right now. Maybe somewhere down the line in the long run."

"So then... wh- what do we do for the time being?" Dark Lightning asked.

"I... I'm still not sure," Khaos Fury said as she turned to her brother. "I guess... I guess we just take it nice and easy step-by-step for now. We got to get our hooves back under us first before planning anything big. Right now I just want to make sure we can get you back to full health."

"Excuse me, friends. I couldn't help but notice one of you is sad while the other is in great pain to which you should tend."

Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning both turned in alarm to see a hooded and cloaked figure from nearby. They watched as whoever this pony was approached closer.

"Stop where you are, stranger," Khaos Fury demanded as she stood like she was ready for a fight. "Show yourself!"

"Please, please, no need to fear," the stranger said. "I will gladly show you who it is you see here."

Khaos Fury took notice that a good part of the stranger's lower body was exposed. This pony seemed well built, not quite feminine, nor was her voice, despite Khaos believing she was a female. Her fur was mostly a very light gray, almost white. But she also had some stripes in her coat of a much darker shade of gray. She also had five golden rings wrapped around her left foreleg.

She reached both forelegs up to pull back her hood and reveal her face. This revealed that the stripes extended well beyond just her lower body. But the detail that literally stuck out most about here was her mowhawk. _This pony isn't a pony at all!_

"Holy cow, you're a zebra!" Khaos Fury said.

"That is correct," the mare replied. "Zecora is my name. Since I have told it to you, I am hoping you will do the same."

Khaos Fury looked to her brother and saw he was flashing her a questioning expression. She indicated with her features and a shake of her head that she didn't exactly know what to do either. Khaos thought hard about it before coming up with a snap decision.

"We'd rather not say," Khaos Fury replied. "We've both been through a lot and aren't looking to go through any more."

"Well... of that I guess I can understand," Zecora replied, though she sounded a bit disappointed. "Hopefully you'll be able to answer later when I ask you two again."

"Ask us again?" Khaos Fury questioned with suspicion. "What are you planning, zebra?! And why won't you stop rhyming?! Do you always have to rhyme?!"

"Hmm..." Zecora hummed as she put a hoof to her chin. "Just about all the time." Khaos Fury's glower of annoyance only got a chuckle from the zebra. "Despite your mistrust and stand offish nature to me, I cannot ignore the injured and lost looking ponies I see. You are both in need of help, one of you more so.

"I'd be willing to bring you to my hut nearby and get you all fixed up if you are both willing to go. I can offer you both shelter and food. I can also help what is ailing you both and hopefully put you in a better mood."

" 'Better mood'?" Dark Lightning said before letting out a groan of pain. "What did I do? She's the one looking at you like a fighter in a mortal combat tournament... No offense, sis."

"None taken," Khaos Fury replied.

"Ah... brother and sister is it then?" Zecora said. "Well, just know I am doing this to be someone on which you can depend. I was taught to always help those who are in need. I wish to honor those teachings and help the two of you become the best yous you can be. So, what do you the two of you say?

"Will you both come and do things for now my way?"

Khaos Fury was extremely hesitant. She did not like the idea of going with or trusting Zecora at all. She didn't like the idea of doing that for anypony, though. She was just too used to being the villain and having enemies on all sides. For a moment, Khaos Fury thought about making one out of Zecora, too, maybe even just dealing with her right then and there. But those thoughts were quickly stifled back when she looked and saw the condition Dark Lightning was still in.

He was still feeling a whole lot of pain and probably had a lot of internal damage that needed to be dealt with. She wanted to do it herself, but she didn't know if she could. What Khaos Fury wanted to do took a lot of magic that drained her a great deal each time. She even wondered if it could end her if she kept it up. A part of her didn't mind that possibility, but she didn't want it to happen before she could help her brother get out of pain.

 _What good is sacrificing your life for someone you love if it means you couldn't really help them?_ Khaos Fury stared at her brother for a few more moments before turning away and letting out a sigh. Their options seemed limited, though a new one literally just walked up and presented itself. No way was Khaos Fury going to lick a gift horse in the mouth.

"Okay, we'll go with you," Khaos Fury said much to her brother's surprise.

"Ah, good," Zecora said as she smiled. "The right choice, I think you have made. I hope I can help you both and you will come to trust me as I give you aid."

"Whoa, whoa, Ms. stripes," Khaos Fury said bluntly. "I have a few conditions before we head off with you on the road."

Zecora looked somewhat flabbergasted.

"You're the ones with conditions?!" Zecora asked. "I am the one trying to help you despite your over aggressions."

"Either you hear our conditions out and follow them or no dice," Khaos Fury said just as bluntly as before.

Zecora gave Khaos Fury a dark look, but quickly forced it away. She was upset, but she knew these two ponies still needed help.

"Very well then," Zecora said. "Tell me what it is you have to say. Hope that when you're done, I don't decide to just walk away."

"First of all, no outside ponies," Khaos Fury said. "That means no doctors, ambulances, social workers, housing ponies, no trying to take us to hospitals. We don't want to be found, Zecora. We don't even like that you know about us."

"Technically, I do not," Zecora said. "I have only just met you lot."

"That's too much as far as I'm concerned," Khaos Fury said. "Both of us prefer to keep to ourselves. If my brother wasn't in the state he's in, I wouldn't even be considering this. But you offered him help and I can't just ignore that. I can, however, refuse it if you don't accept our terms.

"Anyways, that's pretty much the conditions. You keep us out of any sort of public eye and we'll go with you. So, what's it gonna be, zebra?"

"Hmm," Zecora hummed before turning to Dark Lightning. "And how do you feel about all this. Is there anything on your mind or something you want to add to your sister's list?"

"Her word is my word," Dark Lightning said. "Either listen to her or I'm out, too."

Zecora was silent as she mulled over everything. The two ponies' behavior made her highly suspicious of them. However, despite how stand offish they may have been she didn't feel she had anything to back up her suspicions. Besides the two of them still needed help, she could see that for sure. Her moral compass wouldn't allow her to let that stand.

"Okay, I will do as you request," Zecora said. "Now come along with me so you can get food, water, and some rest."

The unicorn twins were absolutely stunned that Zecora had agreed to their demands. They looked to each other in disbelief like they had just won the jackpot or something.

"Really?" Dark Lightning asked.

"You really mean it?!" Khaos Fury added on.

"Of course," Zecora replied. "You are still ponies in need. Don't worry, I will take good care of you and adhere to your heed."

"Uh... how do you want me to take my brother to your hut?" Khaos Fury asked.

"It is just over there," Zecora said before pointing back behind her. "Just levitate your brother over, but do it with great care."

"Uh..." Khaos Fury let out before turning to her brother with uncertainty.

"Go ahead, sis," Dark Lightning reassured. "I can take it."

"O... Okay then," Khaos Fury said.

"Right this way, please," Zecora said before turning, pointing a hoof, and then walking away. "We will be there in no time even if it isn't with the greatest of ease."

"If you say so," Khaos Fury said. Oh, and... Zecora."

The zebra stopped and looked back to the unicorn mare.

"Yes?" she said questioningly.

"Th- Thanks," Khaos Fury made herself spit out. "You know, for offering to help us."

Zecora merely smiled before resuming her trek back to her hut. Khaos Fury looked to her brother and smiled reassuringly as he did for her.

"Don't worry, Lilly," Dark Lightning whispered. "We're gonna be just fine."

"I sure hope so, Sky," Khaos Fury replied. "I sure hope so."

"As long as we stay together, I know so," Dark Lightning replied.

With that, Khaos Fury used her horn's telekinesis and slowly lifted up her brother into the air as carefully as she could. It couldn't keep him from letting out a few grunts and groans of pain, though. While it was to be expected, that didn't make Khaos Fury feel any better. She forced herself to move beyond that and started trotting gently and slowly to catch up with Zecora, magically carrying her brother in tow. To both their surprise, Zecora had stopped to let them catch up and had a warm smile on her face.

Once Zecora and Khaos were side-by-side with Dark floating close behind they were off to Zecora's hut.

"You know, you're a pretty big pony," Khaos Fury said. "Eh, zebra. Why didn't you just try carrying my brother?"

"I had thought of carrying him on my back," Zecora said. "But in his condition I don't think it's wise to go on that track. It would hurt him a great deal more, so I figured levitation was best. Plus, it would put a physical strain on me as well and I do not care for that test."

Khaos Fury looked to Zecora with an annoyed face, but the zebra just smiled slyly in reply. Khaos Fury was almost surprised that it made her want to do the same and nearly let out a chuckle as a result. She caught herself, though, and kept her face neutral as Zecora's hut came into view.

 _Is this truly a new beginning or not?_ Khaos Fury thought to herself. She mulled it over for a moment or two, not being sure what the true answer was. _Well... whatever the answer may be... this all might be worth a shot... Darn it, now she's got me doing it!_


	45. Epilogue

**West Beach, A Week And A Half Later:**

"I'm open!" Scootaloo called out. "Send it over here!"

"Better not!" Apple Bloom warned. "I got ya covered, Scoots!"

"Don't worry, Firefly, I'm open!" Applejack exclaimed.

"You might as well just fork it over, Mom!" Rainbow Dash warned in a playful, but competitive way. "You may have an added advantage with Scootaloo on your team, but I'm still the top pony in this staple!"

"We'll see about that... my little Dashie-Washie," Firefly said, making cutesy, baby noises with her voice while saying the last three words of her sentence.

This made Rainbow Dash freeze up as she heard snickers from those around her. Even her own teammates were unable to keep their amusement silent. Her cheeks started to turn red as she sheepishly rubbed her foreleg.

"Mom," Rainbow Dash whined like an embarrassed teenage filly.

Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash being distracted cost her team dearly. Firefly was easily able to kick the soccer ball over to Applejack. The orange Earth pony avoided the incoming Sweetie Belle, while still doing her best to take it easy on the small filly. She wasn't, however, able to avoid Pinkie Pie not only recovering the ball for her team, but executing a major league kick. The ball was sent flying with nopony on the opposing team being able to stop it; not even their goalie.

Despite Spike's best efforts, the ball went sailing just an inch above his outstretched claws and into his makeshift goal net.

"Game point!" Sweetie Belle squeaked in celebration.

"We won!" Rainbow Dash cheered. She flew up and back in a circle before flying higher and holding her hooves up. "Yeah! Woo-hoo! What do you think of your Dashie-Washie now, Mom?!"

"No need to be such a big shot winner," Firefly said.

"Don't act like you wouldn't have," Rainbow Dash spat back.

Firefly's teammates all looked to her, making her hold up her hooves defensively as she shook her head in protest. After a second or two, she finally caved and nodded her head in confession.

"Just like I thought," Rainbow Dash said. "So, on that note. Ha, ha, ha! In your face!"

"Yeah, you tell 'em, Washie!" Pinkie Pie shouted out.

"Pinkie," Rainbow Dash whined just like before.

Everypony else laughed, but eventually Rainbow Dash was able to join them as she hugged Pinkie Pie.

"I say, good show, everypony!" Rarity said as she trotted away from her goalie net and over to her teammates. "Your efforts and dedication has led our team to victory!"

Sweetie Belle jumped into Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash's hug, soon followed behind by Rarity. Despite not being on their team, Scootaloo even joined in the group hug. This set off a chain reaction as all those involved in the game of soccer joined in the fun. Eventually this led to a unified tumble and everyone started wrestling around with one another across the grassy ground. It was all in good fun; everypony laughed the entire time the impromptu wrestling match went on.

Meanwhile, further away, off the grassy plains and on the sandy beach bordering the ocean, a lovely little picnic was going on. Laid out across a beach blanket was a lovely little feast that came from a nice-looking picnic basket Fluttershy made herself. Enjoying the food were the likes of Fluttershy herself, along with Muse, Starlight Glimmer, and even Angel Bunny, Fluttershy's favorite pet whom she'd brought along.

"Mmm," Muse let out after sipping her tea. "This is wonderful, Fluttershy. It's the bomb."

"A bomb?!" Fluttershy asked with concern. "Where?!"

"No, I mean the taste is explosive," Muse explained.

Fluttershy still look concerned, which made Starlight Glimmer sigh.

"She means the tea's good," Starlight Glimmer explained.

"Oh," Fluttershy said. "Why, thank you, Muse."

"No problem," Muse said. "Sorry if I confused you. I picked up a lot of weird sayings like that from my auntie Firefly."

"It's all right," Fluttershy said. "I hear a lot of the same _lingo_ from Rainbow Dash."

"That doesn't surprise me at all," Starlight Glimmer said.

"Me neither," Muse said. "Still, I'll try to keep that kind of talk on the down low so we can understand each other and communicate better. By the way, these oat and wheat sandwiches you made are totally out of this world, Starlight!"

"Thanks, Muser," Starlight Glimmer replied. She then raised an eyebrow as she flashed a sly smile. "Are they totally tubular, dude?"

"Shaw, for sure, bro," Muse said back.

"Righteous," Fluttershy said in her soft, cute, little voice.

The three mares laughed while Angel just looked on annoyed as ever.

"Oh, and your homemade carrot wraps are nice, too, Muse," Fluttershy said.

"Glad to hear you like them so much," Muse said.

"Aren't they, Angel?" Fluttershy asked as she looked to her little rabbit friend.

He merely looked away as he wrapped his front legs like a person wraps their arms. He started thumping his foot as he pouted.

"What's his deal?" Muse asked.

"I think he might be upset because he thinks he didn't get enough carrot wraps," Fluttershy said. "We all took so many, he probably felt the portions weren't fair."

"Aww, I'm sorry, little guy," Muse said a she leaned down and flashed an apologetic smile. "I didn't know they would be such a hit. Otherwise I would've made way more than I did. I'd never want such a cute little bunny-kins like you to go without."

Angel looked to Muse, flashing her an upset look before seeing the sincerity on her face, especially in her big, adorable eyes. This instantly made all of the little white rabbit's sour feelings fade away as he smiled brightly. He then jumped into Muse's embrace, making all three mares coo and aw.

"He's so cute," Starlight said.

"Isn't he, though?" Muse said as she held Angel close to her. "He's just a cute little fluffy tailed snuggle bunny."

"Oh, this is so nice," Fluttershy said. "A beautiful day at the beach, not a cloud in the sky, a nice cool breeze, nice food, and games."

"Don't forget awesome friends to share it all with," Muse said.

"Oh, yes, indeed," Fluttershy said.

"Today seems just about perfect," Starlight Glimmer said.

Suddenly the roars of giant creatures in the distance rang out. Everypony looked to see Godzilla and Anguirus both in waist deep water as they began to wrestle each other playfully.

"And then there's the entertainment," Starlight Glimmer said. "Quite the show if you ask me."

"Oh, but I hope it doesn't get to be too much, though," Fluttershy said worriedly. "You know how carried away they can both get."

"Yeah, you're right," Muse said. Then she put a hoof to the side of her mouth as she loudly called out, "Not so rough, you two!"

"Uh, Muse," Starlight Glimmer said. "As loud as that was, I don't think they heard that."

"Oh, trust me, they heard that," Muse said.

It was then that Godzilla and Anguirus roared out again. The trio looked to see the two kaiju staring in their direction.

"They said, 'okay, Muse'," Fluttershy translated.

"I don't believe it!" Starlight Glimmer exclaimed. "How could they hear that?!"

"Oh, they hear everything," Fluttershy said.

"Everything?!" Starlight Glimmer asked in astonishment.

"Yep, yep, yep," Muse said. "They can even hear our hearts beating. I know because Anguirus told Fluttershy who told me."

"Wow," Starlight Glimmer said in awe as she looked out at the kaiju.

She and the others watched as Godzilla and Anguirus resumed their roughhousing. Also watching the scene play out on a grassy hill higher above the sandy beach were Twilight Sparkle and TJ. Twilight was laying sprawled out on her belly while TJ was leaning up against the side of her body holding an acoustic guitar. The two of them had the most care free smiles there could ever be on their faces as they looked all around them. Seeing all their friends having so much fun in such a beautiful setting made them feel like all the worries and hardships of the world were millions of miles away.

It was as if they had found pure bliss and peace, the paradise most spend their whole lives looking for. As TJ strummed a few chords on his guitar, he looked to Twilight Sparkle, who stared right back at him. After gazing into each other's eyes for a good moment, the two leaned in and began to exchange a series of short kisses.

"So... this is what it's like to live in Equestria," TJ said after her and Twilight finished their make out session.

"Do you think you'll be able to adjust?" Twilight Sparkle asked teasingly.

"Well..." TJ said, "it might take a little bit. But after a more extended period... eh... I think I'll be able to manage. I mean, all this peace, the wonderful ponies, not worrying about your life being in danger all the time. Who could get used to all that so quickly?... Plus, there's the thing with the princesses.

"Actually, they're all pretty cool for the most part, but there's this violet one I can't stand. She thinks she's the princess of friendship or something."

"Hey!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as she lightly smacked her hoof against TJ's foreleg.

He winced mockingly before the two shared a laugh and another kiss.

"But seriously, how are you guys doing?" Twilight Sparkle asked insistently.

"Oh, we're adjusting pretty okay," TJ said. "My mom and dad are still experiencing a bit of culture shock, but overall they're still happy as can be. I think it'll just take them the longest fully getting use to the new surroundings and all."

"That makes sense," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Myself, I'm actually happy with everything as it is now," TJ went on. "I love our new apartment in Ponyville and the town itself. The ponies are all great, not surprising there. It's wonderful; I don't think I've ever felt better in my life and I have regrets of how everything turned out at all. Also, being so close to you isn't exactly the worst thing in the world either."

"It's like I said before," Twilight Sparkle said. "Anytime you feel like visiting or coming over for an extended stay, there will always be a room open for you."

"Thanks, Spark," TJ said. "Thanks for everything you've done. Like opening your home to all those refugees. It wasn't a long stay, but it still meant a lot to all of us. That was really cool of you."

"All of you only deserve the best," Twilight Sparkle said. "Especially after _all of that_ back on the island."

"I hear ya," TJ said. "It still blows my mind how fast they were able to find homes for everypony. Most of them didn't even have to leave Ponyville. I mean, some still need to find more permanent homes, but the process is still going faster than I would've expected."

"Well, we were all really serious about this," Twilight Sparkle said. "How could you not be serious about so many ponies that need your help? Whether they were friends or not, you should always do your best for ponies in need. But the majority of you did, indeed, become really great friends... Especially you, Jacky."

"Oh, Ms. Sparkle, you're trying to flirt with me, aren't you?" TJ asked.

"Is it working?" Twilight asked.

"What does this tell you?" TJ asked before leaning in and kissing Twilight.

"It tells me I should work harder so I can get more of those," Twilight Sparkle replied.

"Tell me more," TJ said before he and Twilight shared a laugh. Then TJ's mood changed somewhat as a more serious look crossed his face. "You know, Twilight, I've been thinking really hard about something lately."

"Did it hurt very much?" Twilight Sparkle asked teasingly.

TJ allowed a quick glimmer of amusement to cross his face before getting back to business.

"Twilight, I'm serious," TJ said.

"Okay, I'm sorry, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "What's been on your mind then?"

"The minotaurs," TJ said. "More specifically, the tech you said they were using to make monsters and where they got it from."

"Oh, yeah?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yeah," TJ said. "I mean, I think about several different things having to do with the minotaurs all the time. I'm afraid that's something that won't just go away. Or at least not anytime soon."

"Maybe," Twilight Sparkle said. "But we'll all at least try to help you transition out of that mindset. Especially me."

"I appreciate it, babe," TJ said with a smile. He then leaned in and kissed Twilight on the cheek. "But anyways, thinking about how the minotaur cult made monsters got me to thinking about something else. Do you remember when you told me about how you and the girls found a Devonian ship under the ocean?"

"The same one where Sombra ambushed us," Twilight Sparkle said. "We had to fight him while two giant monsters were thrashing through the ocean trying to rip each other apart."

"Right," TJ said. "Godzilla was fighting a sea serpent of some kind. You also recall what you told me about when you all were in the minotaurs' caves? You know, how that Isarem guy who ran the whole show told you how they got their monster making tech? How they got it from a group of Devonians that tried to come in and take the the island for themselves?"

"But then," Twilight Sparkle chimed in, "with help from Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning, the minotaurs overpowered the Devonians and took their technology to use for their own purposes.

"It got me to thinking," TJ said. "Do you think that ship you found belonged to those Devonians that came to the island?"

"I'm almost completely certain," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Almost?" TJ asked.

"Ninety eight point one percent to be exact," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's just too big of a coincidence that we found that ship and a group of Devonians ended up being found on an island somewhere not that far away. At least form a relatively speaking standpoint."

"You don't think there could be more Devonians still around, do you?" TJ asked.

"That's where a part of my remaining percentages go," Twilight Sparkle said. "I don't want to believe it, but we can't discount any sort of possibilities in a scenario that's currently so volatile."

"It just blows my mind that they were able to show up at the island," TJ said. "Even if it was fifty years ago. You told me the Devonian invasion that started the original kaiju conflict happened thousands of years ago before Celestia and Luna were even born. How could they've still been living? Offspring or cloning, something like that?"

"I honestly don't know," Twilight Sparkle said. "Alicorns have lifespans that extend far beyond any regular pony. From my research, it seems kaiju have greatly extended lifespans, too. Maybe the same is true for Devonians as a race; we don't know. We know almost nothing about them.

"We know even less about Devonians than we do about dragons and kaiju even, although they're both mysteries in their own right."

"I see," TJ said. "Yeah, you got a point there. But _my_ original point was that I don't think that ship should be left in the ocean for anyone else to possibly find."

"Oh, I agree one hundred percent," Twilight Sparkle said. "I was already planning to take care of that."

"What will you do?" TJ asked.

"I was going to present some plans to the other princesses," Twilight Sparkle explained. "I've written up some proposals to extract that ship from the bottom of the ocean and take it to a secure facility for study and examination."

"Awesome," TJ said. "What a way to stay on top of thing, my sparkling little light."

Twilight Sparkle blushed as she lifted a foreleg up partway, smiling sweetly all the while.

"Thanks, TJ," the princess said.

"Thank yourself for being such a smart pony that stays on top of things," TJ said. "Think of all the new information Equestria will get studying that thing."

Still," Twilight Sparkle said, "it's always nice to hear that ponies you care so much for think so highly of you. It was real sweet of you to say, TJ."

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, you deserve it, along with all the other praise and glory you get," TJ said. " 'Cause there ain't nopony sweeter than you, Sparks."

"Aw," Twilight Sparkle let out before kissing TJ on the top of his head.

"Although," TJ said, "they may not be as sweet as you in my eyes, our friends are ponies still worth giving some praise also."

"Yeah," Twilight Sparkle agreed.

Her and TJ both looked around again at all their friends having a good time doing various things that looked like an absolute blast.

"We really do have the best of friends," TJ said.

"We sure do," Twilight Sparkle said. "Which is why we should leave all that other stuff on the side for now. I'll present my plans to the princesses soon enough. Until then, let's just enjoy this moment of peace. Celestia knows we deserve at least a little rest and relaxation for a while. Especially you and Muse."

"True," TJ said. "But to be fair, you and your friends were the one who went head first into the minotaurs' caves and fought them on their own turf. As far as I'm concerned, that entitles you and your friends to just as much r and r as me and Muse."

"Muse and I," Twilight Sparkle corrected.

"Whoever," TJ said.

" _What_ -ever," Twilight Sparkle corrected.

TJ stared at Twilight with an annoyed frown to which she responded with an innocent-looking smile and a kiss.

"Ah," TJ let out as he beamed dreamily. "I feel like I'm floating on a cloud with an angel... named Twilight Sparkle.

"Aww, you're so sweet," Twilight Sparkle said. "I love you, TJ."

"I love you more, Twilight," TJ said.

"Oh, do you?" Twilight asked.

"Yes," TJ said. "Because I'm the one who's gonna sing you a beautiful love song."

"You mean a silly love song?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Hey!" TJ protested. "Love songs are not silly. They are beautiful and true expressions of love."

"I was just kidding," Twilight Sparkle said. "I love silly love songs. They're cute."

"Really?" TJ asked. "You'd think that ponies would've had enough of silly love songs."

Twilight Sparkle raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" she asked bluntly.

"Yeah, even I felt bad about that joke," TJ said. "But I'm still gonna sing you a song and you're gonna like it!"

"Oh, I'm sure I'll love it," Twilight Sparkle said before lightly clapping her hooves together.

"Thanks, love," TJ said before quickly tuning a few strings on his guitar. He then sat up straight and cleared his throat a little. "Okay... here it goes."

"Dazzle me, music stallion," Twilight Sparkle said as she put a hoof under her chin and flashed her beau a sultry smile.

TJ felt a little bit more nervous than before, but still forced himself to start playing his guitar and start singing.

" _I've gotta tell you what I'm feeling inside,_ " TJ sang. " _I can lie to myself, but it's true. There's no denying when I look in your eyes. Girl, I'm out of my head over you-_ "

"Hey, guys!" Rainbow Dash's voice called from afar.

TJ stopped his song dead and then looked with Twilight Sparkle to see their friends coming over from the field.

"Hey, everypony!" Muse called happily as she and her group came up from the beach.

TJ smiled in slight agitation as he shook his head. Then he looked to Twilight who smiled apologetically. The Earth stallion just shrugged it off and stood himself up on his hooves while Twilight Sparkle did the same.

"Hi, all!" TJ called out as his group of friends got closer. "How you guys doing?"

Everyone spoke at the same time, saying in their own way they were doing great.

"Man, this has been an absolute blast!" Spike said. "I don't remember the last time I had so much fun."

"I don't think I've ever had this much fun before in my life!" Apple Bloom said.

"I second that for sure!" Muse said. "I love Equestria so much! Every new part of it I see makes it seem that much better every time! I love living here with all you guys!"

"Ooh, ooh!" Pinkie Pie said as she jumped up and raised a hoof.

"Yes, Monkey Pie?" Rarity asked playfully.

"Me, Monkey Pie think me, we ponies should live here on West Beach from now on," Pinkie Pie said like a cave pony. Then she instantly switched back to her squeaky high, excitable voice. "Seriously, this is so great! Let's all just colonize here, stick our flag in the ground and claim the land as our own!"

"Hmm, nice fantasy there, Pinkie Pie," Applejack said. "But I think there are a few ponies that might take exception to that. Both official ponies and our family and friends back to home."

"Yeah, you're right, Applejack," Pinkie Pie said. "It wasn't really a serious suggestion. Just a fantasy like you said. Still, wouldn't that be awesome?! We'd be living in paradise!"

"Although, I think we already do," Rarity said. "I admit, laying in the sun all day working on my tan does sound rather lovely."

"Yeah, it does," Spike said longingly, though he quickly caught himself.

"Still," Rarity went on like nothing happened, "I love our lives just the way they actually are. Especially now that we have some fantastic new friends. I wouldn't trade our lives together for anything."

"I hear that!" Firefly said. "I know I'm gonna be living it up knowing the life we're all gonna have together."

"Even if some aren't in it?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Mom, are you sure you don't want Dad to know you're back in Equestria?"

Firefly sighed.

"Rainbow Dash, I know how you feel," Firefly said. "But you also made it clear your dad's moved on. Besides, from what you've told me he's very happy with that... _Windy Whistles_ mare he met after I left. I don't want to come in the way of that. I figure it's best we just leave things like they are."

"I... guess I understand," Rainbow Dash said, though she still sounded disappointed.

"Hey," Firefly said she put a hoof under Rainbow Dash's chin. She then lightly pushed her head up so that they were eye-to-eye. "I'll always love your dad and I'll always love you. That's why I want it to be this way. As long as I know your dad is happy and I get to have you back, that's really all I need. I love you, Dashie."

"I love you, too, Mom," Rainbow Dash said before the two exchanged a hug.

"This is such a great day," Scootaloo said.

"It really is, though," Sweetie Belle agreed.

"Can't think of anything to make it better," Fluttershy added on.

"Well, I think I might know something," Twilight Sparkle said as she gave TJ a scheming smile. "TJ was just getting ready to play me a song on his guitar."

TJ's eyes widened as he looked to Twilight Sparkle who kept her playfully evil smile on her face. Everypony started talking at the same time as they all encouraged TJ to play his song because they wanted to hear it, too. TJ looked around nervously before he let out a defeated sigh and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'll do a song for all of you," TJ said.

"Ooh, ooh, can I sing along?" Sweetie Belle asked excitedly.

"Of course you can, Sweetie," TJ said reassuringly. "Everyone can if they know the words and can keep up."

Everypony agreed, but were cut off when they heard the sounds of something huge approaching. They turned to see the ever mighty and imposing forms of Godzilla and Anguirus coming their way. They marveled at the creatures as they seemed to tower over all of creation. They slowly came up out of the ocean with water dripping off of them as time seemed to slow down like it even wanted to savior the monstrously awesome sight. It was almost reminiscent of a scene right out of an old monster movie and the group of ponies along with Spike loved watching it.

Godzilla and Anguirus soon reached the beach, but kept coming closer to the hill the ponies stood on. They stopped short of trying to come up on the small hill and instead were content with standing over it. They both looked on expectantly as though they were waiting for something.

"Looks like you got quite the captive audience, sweetheart," Twilight Sparkle said.

"I was gonna say," TJ agreed. "Well... no pressure or anything, right?"

"Hey, we're your friends," Pinkie Pie said. "We''ll like it no matter what."

"Even if you suck," Rainbow Dash said.

This got a big laugh from several ponies while others berated Rainbow Dash.

"It was a joke," Rainbow Dash said defensively. "We all know he's going to be awesome. I only said what I said because I thought it'd be obvious I was just jivin'."

Those who had berated her before ended up backing off of Rainbow Dash.

"Go ahead, TJ, darling," Rarity said. "Amaze us all."

Anguirus gently laid himself on his belly while Godzilla tried to carefully sit down. Unfortunately, they were unable to keep themselves from making some fairly light tremors shake through the ground. Their friends didn't seem to mind, though. TJ sat down as did everyone else just before he winked to Sweetie Belle, who did the same. With that, he began to lightly strum on his guitar. He played a soft, slow tune that sounded heavenly to everypony listening.

" _I see trees of green_ ," TJ sang. " _Red roses, too. I see them bloom for me and you. And I think to myself._ "

" _What a wonderful world,_ " TJ and Sweetie Belle sang together.

"Take it, Sweets," TJ said as he kept playing.

" _I see skies of blue,_ " Sweetie Belle sang. " _And clouds of white. The bright blessed day. The dark sacred night. And I think to myself._ "

" _What a wonderful world,_ " everyone sang together.

Then there was a slightly extended instrumental section where TJ just played his guitar, which everyone enjoyed.

"Go, Twilight," TJ encouraged.

" _The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky_ ," Twilight sang after being slightly caught off guard. "A _re also on the faces of ponies going by. I see friends shaking hooves, saying 'how do you do?'._ Sing, Sweetie Belle."

" _They're really saying, 'I love you',_ " Sweetie Belle sang. " _I hear foals, they cry. I watch them grow._ "

" _They'll learn much more than I'll ever know,_ " TJ sang as he smiled to the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Spike.

" _And I think to myself_ ," everypony sang together. " _What a wonderful world._ "

" _Yes, I think to myself,_ " TJ sang.

He strummed on his guitar a little bit before stopping and smiling to everyone, who did the same for him.

" _What a wonderful world,_ " everyone sang together, stretching out the last word.

TJ then played a few more notes before letting his last one echo on until it faded away. Everypony started applauding and cheering. TJ hugged Sweetie Belle as everyone congratulated them and each other on a good performance of a classic song. Twilight Sparkle then kissed TJ, making his eyes widen with excitement. Godzilla and Anguirus looked down in immense approval of their friends' fantastic performance.

They both let out a few approving soft growls and roars, but neither of them felt it was enough. Because of this, both guardian monsters decided to rise to their feet and give this finale the truly epic conclusion it deserved. Then Godzilla, the king of the monsters and Anguirus, the kaiju with the greatest determination both lifted their heads to the heavens roared out as mightily as could be.

* * *

 **THE END**

* * *

 **Thanks to all of you who followed me on this journey and read this story so passionately. I hope you could all find something you liked in it. I hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I loved writing it. Thanks to all those who reviewed the story and if you haven't yet, please do. It would be greatly appreciated. I know this story was longer than the first, but that was both unintentional and unavoidable. So, there's that.  
**

 **A few announcements: To start off, the reason I stopped doing regular author's notes after every chapter is because I wanted the word count of the story to more closely reflect the actual amount of story content. Plus, half the time I was begging for reviews or defending myself, so that seemed pretty pointless. So, there's that. No more author's notes in every chapter going forward. There'll be one at the beginning of the story and one at the end unless something comes up I feel is worth announcing or writing about in an author's note before the end.**

 **Next announcement pertains to the future, both of this series and me as a writer in general. I know I said before I was going to write a Godzilla/Equestria Girls crossover story. Unfortunately, for those looking forward to it (especially one in particular), I've decided to scrap that story. The plot wasn't coming together like I wanted when writing the outline, so I decided to just forget. Plus, I came up with some other ideas that I am FAR MORE EXCITED FOR.  
**

 **I will be writing a series of short stories set within the timeline of this little Godzilla/MLP crossover series I created here. I will post them all in a collection with each story being posted as a chapter (even though they are individual stories that aren't fully connected together). They will be of various lengths and take place in different times in this series' continuity (I will inform you where they take place in the timeline exactly every time I post one). Also, they will cover a wide variety of different plots, topics, story genres, and all sorts of stuff. This means some might not feature any big kaiju action set pieces or even kaiju at all. But that also means there will be some where it's only kaiju action, too. So don't think I forgot about you action junkies who only like fight scenes and no story, too. ;)**

 **While doing those short stories, I will also interval between them to write some stories for friends I am collaborating with. A few of these are fan fictions, including one based on the 2003 "Teen Titans" cartoon series (one of the best TV shows EVER!) and original content.**

 **After all that is over I will be writing the third and what might be the final full-length story in my Godzilla/My Little Pony crossover story. AND BOY WILL IT BE BIG! Seriously, as far as fan fiction writing goes, this may end up being my magnum opus! The outline of the plot is so big, I may even have to split it into 2 parts. There's going to be so much in it: Action, humor, drama, a whole lot of characters, big epic set pieces, and WAY MORE kaiju than in either of my previous stories.  
**

 **Then, depending on how I feel after that story is done... I may be done to. It may be my last fan fiction story ever. It jut depends on how I feel afterwards. Nothing is set in stone yet.**

 **Thank you all for your time reading both this author's notes and any story content of mine you may have dug into. It really does my heart good to know I've come so far. Until next we meet, I'm the Writer of the Storm, signing off.**

* * *

 **I don't own either franchise represented in this crossover fan fiction story. "Godzilla" is the property of Toho Co. Lmtd. and "My Little Pony" in all its incarnations belongs to Hasbro Inc.**


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